Pure Potential

Accountancy

Accountancy is one of the most popular professions within the UK and a record number of graduates are recruited to work within accountancy departments across the country. If you are thinking of working within the accounting sector, you might like to know that there are various different ways to train as an accountant. Read our career overview below for more information.

Our Partner Firms

We work with three of the top accountancy firms and bodies and they provide us with information on work experience opportunities, internships, gap year schemes and school-leaver programmes. For more information about our partners, please visit their web pages below.

Grant Thornton
Deloitte
ICAEW
Ernst & Young

School Leaver Programme

If you are unsure about going to university, but still want to be a high-flying accountant, there is another option! Many accountancy firms now offer a School Leaver Programme which provides bright sixth form students the opportunity to train as an accountant whilst working. It is a great way to avoid the costs of university but still achieve a qualification which will help you on your journey to become an accountant. There are several positives and negatives to a school leaver programme, but it all depends on you and your circumstances. Visit our school leaver page for more information.

Thinking of a career in accountancy?

Whether you are a school leaver, have a finance-related degree, or not, you can still become a successful accountant. The first step is choosing an accounting body to study with and decide what type of an accountant you want to be. It sounds like a tall order, but in the UK, there are three main types of accountancy bodies that you can study with: The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). They all offer slightly different programmes and there are differences in the type of work you can carry out after you qualify so think about what type of accounting you would like to do in the future to help you decide. Once you have decided what type of accountant you want to be and which accountancy body you want to work with, now you can think about how to apply.

One of the most common routes into accounting is to work for a large firm such as Grant Thornton who will sponsor you to take your exams, give you time off for revision and you will get paid as well! Although you are given time off for exams, you will be working and studying so time management will be crucial especially as it takes three years to qualify! You can go it alone, and fund the accountancy qualifications yourself at an institution, but this can be quite expensive. Think carefully about which routes and qualifications are more suitable and talk to people who have recently qualified to hear how they got to where they are now.