UNI or ACCA/CIMA

System
System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
edited 10:28AM in AAT student discussion
Hi,

I have applied and been accepted on a course at uni to study for a BA honours in accounting and finance, this is a 3 year course with an optional 1 year placement year. If i pass the technician stage then i will be excempt from the 1st year.

Anyway, i have applied for a part time job, initially it was just going to be a summer job. As the package that comes with the job is very appealing i now don't know whether to not do the uni course and perhaps go straight on to do ACCA or CIMA, which i will do upon completion of the uni course anyway

The job is a book keeper to trial balance, will this give me enough experience to do ACCA or CIMA.

Sorry for the long winded post, but any advice would be appreciated.

Regards.

Comments

  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Im doing a degree in accounting and finance at Lincoln uni, just finishing my second year. (already have my AAT - im 28 )

    I would probably advise against the degree unless you really have a passion for learning. It looks good on the CV but its a long time and more debt. You do get a couple of extra exemptions with a degree - I think its five with AAT and seven with my degree.
    Also if the whole chartered thing looks pretty hard hard it looks like the degree is a great grounding for it. (e.g. plenty of theoretical coverage such as law and economics)

    Apart from that I got a bit puzzled. You are going to have part-time job for three years or more while you do CIMA/ACCA? That sounds a bit odd. Also are you sure you can get the right expereience to become chartered just doing accounts to trial balance on a computer? I think employers would much rather have seen you in a full time job preferably with as much variety a spossible while you studied ACCA/CIMA - they might think you are over qualified and under experienced.

    IMHO
    Adrian
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    I work part time whilst I am doing my ACCA but I would say that the work experience will take longer to get as I have to work 3 years for every 1 year that a full time worker works. Therefore if I ever finish ACCA I will have to do more hours to get the work experience in.

    I had the same with AAT, I had time off with my second baby so had to work a year more after qualifying just to get the necessary work experience.

    Annette
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Hi

    I would say that career wise doing ACCA or CIMA would be the best option. Even just having completed the exams for ACCA or CIMA would, I think, be a better credential, whereas a degree will only be a further step towards gaining ACCA/CIMA. A degree would perhaps open up certain oprotunities of graduate training vacancies/shemes, but long term being ACCA or CIMA without a degree shouldnt be much of hinderance.

    As for the work experience, part-time work to trial balance won't be enough on it's own, but it would provide some experience that would count towards the ACCA or CIMA training record, so you would have to look at moving upwards/onwards at some stage. What is your current work experience to date? Is this your firts accounts related job?

    Neil
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Hi,
    Thanks for the replies.
    The reason i decided to go for the degree, is the option of a paid placement for a year, potentially in a large accounts company.
    I am finding it very hard a moment to find a job that i should be doing considering i am doing technican level, as i have only got 6 months exp in purchase ledger.
    When i have done the degree course and found a good job then i will go on to do ACCA anyway.
    Just out of interest what sort of salary should i accept if i was ACCA qualified, as i always seem to put my self down in that way, saying i am not worth that amount of money.
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Hi

    I think even with the placement year, doing ACCA or CIMA now is still the best option as doing the degree is like a delay of three years to just get one years work experience, experience you could possibly get in one or two years time as a part qualified ACCA/CIMA anyway. Three years from now with a good proportion ACCA/CIMA exmas passed and some general accounts experience you would be in a better career position than a graduate with only a placement year. Like you say, you dont have much experience right now but in the next three years provided you're comitted and put the effort in it wouldnt be unexpected to have moved onwards and upwards. Four years ago I had the same work experience as you. I now work in a general accounts role covering a variety of accounting aspects. I have MAAT, earn a salary easily in line with the 'going rate' for an AAT qualified and am making progress in CIMA

    However, at the end of the day you have to do what you want to do. If you end up doing something you dont want to be doing, youll just resent it any perform badly.

    Neil
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Hi

    Have you looked into ACCA, they do have the option of doing a degree through Oxford Brookes alongside your ACCA study. Not sure whether there is anything similar offered through CIMA.

    Regards
    Michelle
  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Are they(The brook's degree) being Recongised same as other degrees you get from University?

    A degree may increases the chance to get into a bigger company than AAT, Is that right?


  • System
    System Posts: 100,534 🤖 Admin 🤖
    Re:UNI or ACCA/CIMA

    Hi

    Yes the degree is recognised just like any other, Oxford Brookes is a university (used to be a polytechnic years ago) The exam results up to the end of level 2 of the professional level ( I think) of ACCA count towards your final mark of your degree. You also have to do a project and skills test which is marked by Oxford Brookes to complete.

    If you look on the ACCA website there is lots of info about it.

    Regards
    Michelle

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