ACCA in two years?

Abracastabya

Was looking at yet another route. Would it be possible to do all the Fundamental papers and pass in one year or would it realistically take two years? Was thinking of applying to GMIT for the Professional papers which are covered in a year after the F papers..

Is this realistic or would it be impossible? Seeing as I'm planning on going for a three year degree and then having to do all these exams anyway, I'm still undecided what to really do?!

Ardeehey

Are you going to have any exemptions from your degree? There are 9 F papers to do, extremely unlikely you could complete them in a year without exemptions....plus the tail end of them F7, F8 and F9 (Think F7 has the lowest pass rate of all papers) are generally considered to be the toughest papers. P's are a mixed bag, some are linked to those last 3 F papers and you can't be exempt from any of those...so even if you got 4 exemptions still leaves 10 papers.....in two year....that would be four sittings...suppose it could be done...maybe studying full time...ambitious!

Abracastabya

I was hoping to find somewhere that tutor for all the F papers. With the degree, I would be eligible for exemptions but still have to get those exams out of the way which I think I would be better off just going straight for anyway!

Is there any college in Galway that offer a programme on the F papers?

Thanks for any info!

Ardeehey

Not sure about Galway, I think Independent Colleges do courses over there but a quick search will get that info together for you, if you are talking about 1 on 1 tutoring then that's a lot of work, college course cost about 600-750 euro each so personnal tutoring would be big money. If you start on the ACCA before applying for your exemptions then I think you forfeit them...not sure but I know I had to apply for them before starting the other exams...so def get the degree out of the way first, saves all of the hassle

Abracastabya

I've been searching but can't come up with anything, can you provide any links to course providers? Well, being 25 I'm trying to get qualified the fastest possible route and if taking three years earlier by not going the degree route then I'm considering not going the degree route, albeit with no exemptions..

Ardeehey

Looks like BPP (one of the official tuition providers for ACCA) provide some sort of service in Galway though only looks to be for F5 and onwards, plus looks like it's shared with Limerick!

Mis-read the OP, thought you were currently in a degree course, if not then straight to ACCA is a long road but prob the best option rather than doing 3 years to get some exemptions. Best of luck but you may need to do some travel if you don't want to use the GMIT process which seems a bit much to me....but then I studied part-time anyway.

ianuss

There's a degree option when you sit the ACCA exams. See this thread for some details http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056851864

SBWife

I did all 14 exams in 4 exam sessions. It wasn't fun but it is achievable. I went in the old MSER route so was only able to take two exams in my first session the F2 and F3 equivalents, I then took F1, F5, F7 and F9 in December, F4, F6, F8 and P2 the following June and finished with P1, P3, P4 and P5 the following December. I studied at home using primarily Kaplan and ACCA materials with a little help from open tution.

Abracastabya

ianuss wrote: »

There's a degree option when you sit the ACCA exams. See this thread for some details http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056851864

Yeah I realise that, but I am eligible for free fees if I get accepted to do the accounting degree in GMIT, it just seems to be a much longer route. There isn't any colleges that offer the full ACCA course which I could avail of this, it does seem to be very expensive part time and in other places. If I could do a full time ACCA course covering 14 papers and obtain they're degree too, then great but it doesn't seem to be an option in this country at the minute.

SBWife wrote: »

I did all 14 exams in 4 exam sessions. It wasn't fun but it is achievable. I went in the old MSER route so was only able to take two exams in my first session the F2 and F3 equivalents, I then took F1, F5, F7 and F9 in December, F4, F6, F8 and P2 the following June and finished with P1, P3, P4 and P5 the following December. I studied at home using primarily Kaplan and ACCA materials with a little help from open tution.

That's serious going!! I learn better in classroom based tuition which is partly why I'd prefer to go the college route, but we don't have much on offer in this country it seems. May I ask how much it all set you back? I can get funding for college but funding for ACCA in this country seems to be non existent. Pity really as I would love to obtain a qualification and get back into the workforce ASAP!

ianuss

Abracastabya wrote: »

Yeah I realise that, but I am eligible for free fees if I get accepted to do the accounting degree in GMIT, it just seems to be a much longer route.

Sorry, I didn't realise that.

If I was getting free fees I'd just do the degree, enjoy college life for a few years but all the while work hard and get the best grades I could possibly get. Make the most of my summers by getting work experience/internships and when I come out in 3 years I'd be highly employable. After that, just do the last few P papers part-time while working.

You're only 25, still very young.

Abracastabya

Maybe you're right, could any of my summer work experience/internships be used as my required work experience for ACCA?

Ardeehey

Just my personnal opinion but if you have a degree in something else already then you're better off going straight into ACCA, if you don't have one then it's a good option. At work we would look for qualified people but if you don't have a degree then you wouldn't even get in the door, that's how it is these days.

Abracastabya

No I haven't got one. So, you're saying you look for qualified people but only those also with degrees?

Ardeehey

Well to be honest the qualification is a bonus but since I started working after college (which is 13 years now) I wouldn't have gotten an interview in any of the places I worked without a degree. To this day it's still the first thing a company will put on a job spec.

But I suppose it depends on what you are looking for, if you are looking to get into an accountancy practice then you may not need a degree, will depend on the employer. I've worked in 3 different countries, mostly (but not all) for larger corporations, all required a degree.

Abracastabya

Would the Oxford Brookes degree from ACCA not do then if not going the GMIT route?

Ardeehey

Hadn't thought of that, once I'd see it's a proper undergrad degree from a real college (which it is) the I'd be happy.

phoenix99

The 3 year Accountancy degree (Hons) in GMIT will get you exemptions from f1-f9. They also, as you aware have a post graduate course for the professional papers, which are done in a year.

As far as I know the options papers are p6 & p7 at GMIT so you dont have the choice to sit p4 or p5 with them.

You may be eligible to receive a grant while completing both these courses.

smcgiff

phoenix99 wrote: »

The 3 year Accountancy degree (Hons) in GMIT will get you exemptions from f1-f9. They also, as you aware have a post graduate course for the professional papers, which are done in a year.

As far as I know the options papers are p6 & p7 at GMIT so you dont have the choice to sit p4 or p5 with them.

You may be eligible to receive a grant while completing both these courses.

Maybe I'm picking you up wrong. But, to be on the safe side, there are no exemptions from the final stage ACCA exams. They have to be sat through ACCA.

phoenix99

smcgiff wrote: »

Maybe I'm picking you up wrong. But, to be on the safe side, there are no exemptions from the final stage ACCA exams. They have to be sat through ACCA.

Correct, you will only gain exemptions for f1-f9. This will mean you will need to sit p1,p2,p3 and two from p4-p7. Like i said i think GMIT only teach p1,2 & 3 and p6 & p7 for the options?

The actual exams will still be sat through ACCA no matter what learning provider you choose, GMIT or otherwise.

Hope this helps

Delaney123

Western Management Centre in Galway offer part time tuition for the F's & the P's.... I dont know if they cover all the options though at the higher P levels.

GMIT undergrad (3 year) course offer exemptions from F1-F9.

GMIT also offer tuition for the P papers as mentioned above - all in P papers covered in one year.

If you have a "non accounting degree" already and want to get into accounting, GMIT offer a post grad conversion course in accounting which gets you all of CAP1, or 7/9 ACCA F papers (F7 & F8 not exempt), and all in only one year... you'd be busy I'd say