Career change into accounting.
Discussion
Evening all.
I have been working in retail for since leaving school (now 33) I have felt for a little while now this isn't where I feel my career heading for the remainder of my working years.
After a fair bit of deliberation, I want to get into accounting and am well aware that I would need to start at the bottom of this chosen path.
I know that I would need to complete an AAT Level 2 course to start me off. Now, I have contacted my local colleges and they both run evening classes, 1 night a week for the full year starting in September, which I feel that dropping to part time in my current role and studying at home I would be able to complete the qualification in 6 months (give or take)
I have contacted KaPlan and Babington who also provide the same course to complete at home with tutor support when needed, which I feel would work best for me.
I guess my big question is where do I go once I have completed this Level 2 course, the advice from both of these places regarding the next step from there, hasn't really been helpful and they just seem to want to sign me up for a course (Their job so I can understand that)
Long term I want to become a Charted Accountant then possibly a Financial Manager.
Any input and or advice would be gratefully appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read everything.
I have been working in retail for since leaving school (now 33) I have felt for a little while now this isn't where I feel my career heading for the remainder of my working years.
After a fair bit of deliberation, I want to get into accounting and am well aware that I would need to start at the bottom of this chosen path.
I know that I would need to complete an AAT Level 2 course to start me off. Now, I have contacted my local colleges and they both run evening classes, 1 night a week for the full year starting in September, which I feel that dropping to part time in my current role and studying at home I would be able to complete the qualification in 6 months (give or take)
I have contacted KaPlan and Babington who also provide the same course to complete at home with tutor support when needed, which I feel would work best for me.
I guess my big question is where do I go once I have completed this Level 2 course, the advice from both of these places regarding the next step from there, hasn't really been helpful and they just seem to want to sign me up for a course (Their job so I can understand that)
Long term I want to become a Charted Accountant then possibly a Financial Manager.
Any input and or advice would be gratefully appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read everything.
I'm not especially au fait with AAT, but we do have school leavers working at the firm where I work who are doing it.
I assume you mean continuing in retail while doing your part time studying, which seems more sensible than trying to get a job with an accounting firm with absolutely no accounting experience or training. I suspect accounting firms might be less keen to take someone on as a complete career change at your age without something to demonstrate commitment or interest in the profession.
Once you have got somewhere with AAT, I imagine accounting firms may be more happy to take you on. Once in, if you can get a decent study support package and are committed, the world could be your oyster if you can continue to chartered level - there is a shortage of experienced accounting staff at all levels IME, and I can't see that changing any time soon.
I wouldn't expect to start on much of a salary at all, and certainly at higher levels the studying is tough, as is the commitment you need. If you were a graduate, you would expect to take 3 years minimum to get a chartered qualification, and I am not sure how long it would take to get to that same "level" from AAT and lower levels of ACCA.
Unless you are very lucky, you would also probably have to move employer at least once in the 6 years or so it might take to get to chartered status, so you can get the required experience and study environment.
If you want an example of progression possibilities, I have a friend who started from school with a small firm where I did my ACCA training - she worked her way up from there via AAT, then moved on to ACCA there and again at the larger independent where I now work as a senior audit manager. She was both an audit and annual accounts manager at my current firm before escaping to a no doubt better remunerated and less frustrating role in financial services!
I assume you mean continuing in retail while doing your part time studying, which seems more sensible than trying to get a job with an accounting firm with absolutely no accounting experience or training. I suspect accounting firms might be less keen to take someone on as a complete career change at your age without something to demonstrate commitment or interest in the profession.
Once you have got somewhere with AAT, I imagine accounting firms may be more happy to take you on. Once in, if you can get a decent study support package and are committed, the world could be your oyster if you can continue to chartered level - there is a shortage of experienced accounting staff at all levels IME, and I can't see that changing any time soon.
I wouldn't expect to start on much of a salary at all, and certainly at higher levels the studying is tough, as is the commitment you need. If you were a graduate, you would expect to take 3 years minimum to get a chartered qualification, and I am not sure how long it would take to get to that same "level" from AAT and lower levels of ACCA.
Unless you are very lucky, you would also probably have to move employer at least once in the 6 years or so it might take to get to chartered status, so you can get the required experience and study environment.
If you want an example of progression possibilities, I have a friend who started from school with a small firm where I did my ACCA training - she worked her way up from there via AAT, then moved on to ACCA there and again at the larger independent where I now work as a senior audit manager. She was both an audit and annual accounts manager at my current firm before escaping to a no doubt better remunerated and less frustrating role in financial services!
My advice if you are serious is to get yourself into some sort of finance role as soon as possible. Even an accounts assistant or ledger clerk role will go a
long way towards helping you understand the basics. I say this from my own experience, I studied Accountancy at university and struggled with the whole double-entry (oh er missus) concept. It was only in my first role (purchase ledger clerk for 6 months) that I got my head round it properly as I could see it in practice.
From my observations AAT college courses will be full of school leavers or back to work mums, and the pace will be a lot slower. If you are the sort of person who can crack on in the evenings and don't have too many commitments then distance learning would be the best option, Kaplan have good study material plus online support. Mrs ZS completed AAT (levels 2 - 4) in less than 2 years working full time and studying evenings/weekends. She's now gone on to study CIMA - by completing AAT (professional level) she was able to get exemptions and skip the initial level
Can't say for sure but it's quite likely ACCA will offer similar exemptions.
So a reasonable progression path would be 2-3 years for AAT, plus another 3-4 years for ACCA (or CIMA).
long way towards helping you understand the basics. I say this from my own experience, I studied Accountancy at university and struggled with the whole double-entry (oh er missus) concept. It was only in my first role (purchase ledger clerk for 6 months) that I got my head round it properly as I could see it in practice.
From my observations AAT college courses will be full of school leavers or back to work mums, and the pace will be a lot slower. If you are the sort of person who can crack on in the evenings and don't have too many commitments then distance learning would be the best option, Kaplan have good study material plus online support. Mrs ZS completed AAT (levels 2 - 4) in less than 2 years working full time and studying evenings/weekends. She's now gone on to study CIMA - by completing AAT (professional level) she was able to get exemptions and skip the initial level
Can't say for sure but it's quite likely ACCA will offer similar exemptions.So a reasonable progression path would be 2-3 years for AAT, plus another 3-4 years for ACCA (or CIMA).
Whats your highest level of education to date, as you might be able to get some exemptions or fastrack a bit.
Or maybe look into some evening class's in Accounting to give you a taster of what its like...
As make no mistake, it's a slog...a looong ol slog and chartered is probably a bit more of a slog than most unless you brain is wired to enjoy that kind of mental torture (i'm CIMA, and work in systems now)
Rather than ACA, CIMA might be a bit more "accessible" and might complement any business / retail experiences and skills you've subliminally picked up over the years...
Or maybe look into some evening class's in Accounting to give you a taster of what its like...
As make no mistake, it's a slog...a looong ol slog and chartered is probably a bit more of a slog than most unless you brain is wired to enjoy that kind of mental torture (i'm CIMA, and work in systems now)
Rather than ACA, CIMA might be a bit more "accessible" and might complement any business / retail experiences and skills you've subliminally picked up over the years...
Thanks for the replies guys. I would be starting at the bottom so fully appreciate that the money initially won't be great, but have prepared and taken that into consideration.
I do intend to complete the level 2 and 3 AAT courses as distance learning as I would be able to complete both a lot quicker than the slower pace of just an evening a week class that the local colleges are able to offer me.(I was offered a 14 week intense course for the level 2 but would be unable to take that time off of work to complete unfortunately, plus bills to pay etc)
I will take a look into CIMA a bit more in depth Aquarian, thanks for that information. I do appreciate that its going to take a lot of work to get to a Chartered level, education level isn't fantastic to be honest, so as said above understand that I really do need to start from the bottom.
Thanks again for the responses, all have been really helpful!!
I do intend to complete the level 2 and 3 AAT courses as distance learning as I would be able to complete both a lot quicker than the slower pace of just an evening a week class that the local colleges are able to offer me.(I was offered a 14 week intense course for the level 2 but would be unable to take that time off of work to complete unfortunately, plus bills to pay etc)
I will take a look into CIMA a bit more in depth Aquarian, thanks for that information. I do appreciate that its going to take a lot of work to get to a Chartered level, education level isn't fantastic to be honest, so as said above understand that I really do need to start from the bottom.
Thanks again for the responses, all have been really helpful!!
A suggestion - you say you work in retail. Is this a big retailer? If so can you have a chat with a senior manager and ask if there's any way you can start getting into accounts with a view to progressing your career internally. I suspect that if like a lot of employers they struggle for accounts staff they might offer to support you and give time off for studies. Worth an ask?
elanfan said:
A suggestion - you say you work in retail. Is this a big retailer? If so can you have a chat with a senior manager and ask if there's any way you can start getting into accounts with a view to progressing your career internally. I suspect that if like a lot of employers they struggle for accounts staff they might offer to support you and give time off for studies. Worth an ask?
That's a great idea and hadn't crossed my mind. Worth asking the question at least, thanks Elafan!!CarbonViper said:
elanfan said:
A suggestion - you say you work in retail. Is this a big retailer? If so can you have a chat with a senior manager and ask if there's any way you can start getting into accounts with a view to progressing your career internally. I suspect that if like a lot of employers they struggle for accounts staff they might offer to support you and give time off for studies. Worth an ask?
That's a great idea and hadn't crossed my mind. Worth asking the question at least, thanks Elafan!!Hi there, hope to be of some help here. I took my (hopefully) final AAT L4 exam last Thursday.
A 'full' AAT qualification is levels 2, 3 & 4, and yes as above you gain exemption from ACCA modules if fully AAT qualified. I believe there are around 15 in total and you gain exemption from 4 of them with the AAT.
Level 2 is a doddle. In my opinion a basic understanding of maths and, at worst, some teaching of double entry if required will get you through this in under 12 months. HOWEVER, this is obviously base knowledge which will be the foundations when going higher so distance learning probably best. Level 3 is a large step up in comparison to level 2. And finally Level 4 is a very very large step up from L3. Very much the opinion of the VAST majority of our 25 pupil class.
Obviously they are going to get harder as you go through, but the step up I feel is worth pointing out!
The very best of luck with the change, and as above please keep updated!
A 'full' AAT qualification is levels 2, 3 & 4, and yes as above you gain exemption from ACCA modules if fully AAT qualified. I believe there are around 15 in total and you gain exemption from 4 of them with the AAT.
Level 2 is a doddle. In my opinion a basic understanding of maths and, at worst, some teaching of double entry if required will get you through this in under 12 months. HOWEVER, this is obviously base knowledge which will be the foundations when going higher so distance learning probably best. Level 3 is a large step up in comparison to level 2. And finally Level 4 is a very very large step up from L3. Very much the opinion of the VAST majority of our 25 pupil class.
Obviously they are going to get harder as you go through, but the step up I feel is worth pointing out!
The very best of luck with the change, and as above please keep updated!
I am a qualified Chartered Accountant and very familiar with the exams you are considering. As said above, if you can progress through AAT Foundation (previously called level 2) then Advanced and Professional (levels 3 and 4), you will be ideally placed to work in finance - either in a practice firm or with your current employer. As said, it's not easy; especially Professional (level 4). You would then be exempt from the first stage of ICAEW (Chartered) exams, apart from one Law paper.
I strongly recommend you go back to Kaplan and speak to them - I used to work there and they are very good. Their courses are much faster than local colleges and they know their stuff. They also do ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA so can answer questions on those exam bodies.
You'll soon find out at Foundation if it's for you, but if you start in, say, September, you should be past Foundation by Christmas. Advanced and Professional each take about one year and providers like Kaplan offer distance learning, courses taught online, and best of all classroom courses - you can mix and match too.
Best of luck; Mike.
I strongly recommend you go back to Kaplan and speak to them - I used to work there and they are very good. Their courses are much faster than local colleges and they know their stuff. They also do ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA so can answer questions on those exam bodies.
You'll soon find out at Foundation if it's for you, but if you start in, say, September, you should be past Foundation by Christmas. Advanced and Professional each take about one year and providers like Kaplan offer distance learning, courses taught online, and best of all classroom courses - you can mix and match too.
Best of luck; Mike.
CarbonViper said:
I will take a look into CIMA a bit more in depth Aquarian, thanks for that information. I do appreciate that its going to take a lot of work to get to a Chartered level, education level isn't fantastic to be honest, so as said above understand that I really do need to start from the bottom.
Not necessarily a problem, I left school at 16 with some GCSE's only, not great grades.Did my AAT, then ACCA, qualified in 2000.
I do alright now for a thicko :-)
But it is a hard slog, do not underestimate it!
My advice generally would be do AAT, then ACCA/ACA/CIMA, try to get a finance role so that you do it on a daily basis. And get brilliant at Excel, it makes life sooooo much easier.
Thanks again all for the replies, all have been really helpful. I am currently on holiday for the next couple of weeks, will post an update when I return. Have decided to complete the Level 2 AAT with Kaplan through distance studying and will be signing up when I return from my trip.
CarbonViper said:
Thanks again all for the replies, all have been really helpful. I am currently on holiday for the next couple of weeks, will post an update when I return. Have decided to complete the Level 2 AAT with Kaplan through distance studying and will be signing up when I return from my trip.
Drop me a message when you are back, I'm currently studying level 2 
OP, whilst not an accountant my gf is.
So i can shed a bit of light on this, how much use it is, i don't know..
My gf managed to get a job at a local (large) accountancy firm.
It was her first proper job a few years after leaving school, she went for the interview on the off chance of getting into it as a career, previously she'd worked low pay hospitality industry/retail jobs.
As part of the role (i believe they were after school leaver types), was full training.
She was sent on residential's for days/up to weeks for the entirety of training/, whilst on the job training.
Starting salary was circa £12k.
She completed AAT training, then continued on to do her ACA.
Salary at completion of ACA was circa double the starting salary before AAT, however upon qualification jumped overnight again.
She formally qualified around 2 years ago, from start to finish was around 5 years i believe.
(I've no idea if it can be done quicker).
Salary wise once you're qualified the world is your oyster.
She said within the companies she's worked for AAT is the basic level of accounts qualification, however a lot of the older partners/accountants don't tend to have anything other than experience.
However her work colleagues who were doing similar roles to her but weren't chartered, were earning considerably less.
However on the flip-side, she has friends who've just done AAT & moved into industry & earn considerably more than she does, all be it with a few years practice experience behind them.
I get the impression that if you would want to stay in practice, ACA is the way to go to earn decent money.
If you want to work in industry, then AAT should suffice with experience.
So i can shed a bit of light on this, how much use it is, i don't know..
My gf managed to get a job at a local (large) accountancy firm.
It was her first proper job a few years after leaving school, she went for the interview on the off chance of getting into it as a career, previously she'd worked low pay hospitality industry/retail jobs.
As part of the role (i believe they were after school leaver types), was full training.
She was sent on residential's for days/up to weeks for the entirety of training/, whilst on the job training.
Starting salary was circa £12k.
She completed AAT training, then continued on to do her ACA.
Salary at completion of ACA was circa double the starting salary before AAT, however upon qualification jumped overnight again.
She formally qualified around 2 years ago, from start to finish was around 5 years i believe.
(I've no idea if it can be done quicker).
Salary wise once you're qualified the world is your oyster.
She said within the companies she's worked for AAT is the basic level of accounts qualification, however a lot of the older partners/accountants don't tend to have anything other than experience.
However her work colleagues who were doing similar roles to her but weren't chartered, were earning considerably less.
However on the flip-side, she has friends who've just done AAT & moved into industry & earn considerably more than she does, all be it with a few years practice experience behind them.
I get the impression that if you would want to stay in practice, ACA is the way to go to earn decent money.
If you want to work in industry, then AAT should suffice with experience.
CarbonViper said:
Evening all.
I have been working in retail for since leaving school (now 33) I have felt for a little while now this isn't where I feel my career heading for the remainder of my working years.
After a fair bit of deliberation, I want to get into accounting and am well aware that I would need to start at the bottom of this chosen path.
I know that I would need to complete an AAT Level 2 course to start me off. Now, I have contacted my local colleges and they both run evening classes, 1 night a week for the full year starting in September, which I feel that dropping to part time in my current role and studying at home I would be able to complete the qualification in 6 months (give or take)
I have contacted KaPlan and Babington who also provide the same course to complete at home with tutor support when needed, which I feel would work best for me.
I guess my big question is where do I go once I have completed this Level 2 course, the advice from both of these places regarding the next step from there, hasn't really been helpful and they just seem to want to sign me up for a course (Their job so I can understand that)
Long term I want to become a Charted Accountant then possibly a Financial Manager.
Any input and or advice would be gratefully appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read everything.
Why accounting?I have been working in retail for since leaving school (now 33) I have felt for a little while now this isn't where I feel my career heading for the remainder of my working years.
After a fair bit of deliberation, I want to get into accounting and am well aware that I would need to start at the bottom of this chosen path.
I know that I would need to complete an AAT Level 2 course to start me off. Now, I have contacted my local colleges and they both run evening classes, 1 night a week for the full year starting in September, which I feel that dropping to part time in my current role and studying at home I would be able to complete the qualification in 6 months (give or take)
I have contacted KaPlan and Babington who also provide the same course to complete at home with tutor support when needed, which I feel would work best for me.
I guess my big question is where do I go once I have completed this Level 2 course, the advice from both of these places regarding the next step from there, hasn't really been helpful and they just seem to want to sign me up for a course (Their job so I can understand that)
Long term I want to become a Charted Accountant then possibly a Financial Manager.
Any input and or advice would be gratefully appreciated and thanks for taking the time to read everything.
Not being condescending, but what do you know about accounting?
Accountants are a dime a dozen (competition), but yes it is a dependable career. It takes a long period of study and experience to get a good salary. It's a big commitment. Is the work exciting? Depends - something you need to get genuine exposure to before you commit in my opinion.
The accountants I know went into the career because it was secure, traditional and paid reasonably well. Is that enough to sustain you? Being in a job you hate but pays well is equally depressing. You could find yourself at square one in a few years time.
Just a bit of an update, I have started my Level 2 AAT and really enjoying the studying and find it really interesting. I chose to complete the unit through distance learning with the Babington group, due to having additional online support by the use of forums and chat rooms that Kaplan did not seem to offer.
I have also booked my first exam for the middle of August to give me something to work towards, (roughly half way through the relative book and study options for said exam)
Thanks again all for the honest information and advice.
I have also booked my first exam for the middle of August to give me something to work towards, (roughly half way through the relative book and study options for said exam)
Thanks again all for the honest information and advice.
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