Hired after AAT

TyJac

Just wanted to share with you all my journey after AAT. I self studied all levels by buying second hand books except for level 4. I finished level 2 & 3 in three months, level 4 - 6 months. I then went onto self studying ACCA...This is a big transition forward, books are huge and exams require a lot of writing and u need to be committed to it if u want to pass each exam.

I was exempted from the first 3 papers of ACCA for free. Once I finished my AAT study I applied for a paid internship with Marriott hotel, which at the time was their first ever internship they were offering in order to draw talented individuals into the company. I got called in for the interview at their London headquarters. It was a 2 on 1 interview with a senior hr manager and account manager. 3 days later I received a call saying I got shortlisted into the final 3 candidates with interviews supposedly conducted by the finance director, but when I got there, I was interviewed by the senior tax manager. The interview was informal, I didn't know how to approach it. Unfortunately I never got the position due to feedback saying another candidate was in a similar position as I am, but also with experience!!

I was so close, I was motivated at that point I really wanted to work in the industry. So through talking to my colleague at Primark, her friend worked at an accounting firm which she left, so I asked her to forward me the contact number. I called the firm saying I was interested in a position as an account assistant, I was told to send a cv. I got off the phone and fixed up my cv and cover letter and forwarded it. I waited for 2 days and still received no response, I called again, the receptionist told the boss it was the same person, so she said forward her the phone call. So I spoke with the boss and she had concern with the commuting time from my home to the office, I wanted it badly so I didn't care. I went for the interview and aced it, was so positive that I would get the job. Been told that she would get in touch within 1 week. 1 week passed still no phone call, I was impatient and was 100% sure I would get the job, so I decided to email the firm asking whether I was successful or not. 1 hour later I received phone call from the boss saying I got the job. She told me the reason why she gave me this opportunity with no experience, is because she can tell I wanted it badly, plus the drive to move forward knowing what I wanted to do will contribute to the firm. I've now been working there for almost 10 months and expecting a promotion to account manager by year end.

My boss told me that getting into the industry is the hardest, but once in, it's easier to jump from job to job. Been looking at the job market lately, in london accounts assistant position average around 26k to 30k. If you build experience from first job for 2-3 years, then it will be enough to gain a job there.

Word of advice for people with no experience, on your cv you need to make it industry relevant, so list the AAT modules that you completed, giving a brief overview of each module. Also if you were to include your hobbies, again make it something that can be related to. You are selling yourself on a piece of paper to land an interview!

Good luck all!

Savyshopaholic

Inspirational...thanks for sharing

9 months for levels 2-4 is really impressive .
Had you completed any prior bookkeeping / accounting education before you started AAT?

How is your ACCA going?

TyJac

I have no previous accounting qualifications. Prior to this I went for the art/design route for a career path, throughout my educations. Before this, I done a degree on furniture and product design. Very limited jobs out there, so I decided I need to take action and move on whilst I'm young. My decision to study AAT in the first place was so that I could get into the job market in the shortest time needed. AAT is a good building block to understand the fundamentals before going forward to studying a more intense tier course.

ACCA is tough, in fact very tough, especially if you are working full-time. But if you manage to find a job after aat, a lot of the decent sized companies will offer to fund your ACCA education and may give you time off to study.

I now also make money buying stocks and shares alongside my boss and colleagues! This all started because of AAT. I developed a wider interest in the accounting and finance industry and hungered for more knowledge. Now I'm more aware of the world wide economic issues and how it would affect the societies.

Good luck with your study!