Do employers care about leaving cert results?

lightspeed

Hi i did my leaving cert back in 2005 and i have been working full time since.

I only got little over 200 points, did all ordinary and only got a pass in ordinary maths. At the time, i could have done better. I had forgotten my calculator for paper 2 in the leaving cert and pretty much just scraped a pass from paper 1.


I am in my final year of a business and law honours degree im studying in part time. I am also studying a certified payroll course with IPASS.

Ive got exemptions from F1 and F4 and im planning on taking F2 and F3 exams after finishing the degree.

I worked in an office admin / data entry role for 4 years and since late 2009 i have been working in customer services.

From what i have researched so far, the big 4 are quite picky about LC results so i can probably rule them out. Can anybody advise, if i studied up F9 ACCA would i get a job as a part qualified accountant or would nearly all employers view my leaving cert and disqualify me even interviewing?

Im trying to decide if i should repeat my leaving or not? If i do, even if i get decent points, would a B or C at ordinary level maths be enough?

smcgiff

The big four are pretty much tied into CAI. I can't say definitively but if you have a degree or part qual then that's what they'll look at, imo.

To sum up, you'd be mad to resit your LC.

lightspeed

Hi can you elaborate more on what you mean when you say they are all tied in with CAI ?

Is that Chartered accountants Ireland?

From what i read here from others on boards, some people have been interviewed with a 2.1 degree and Masters only to be turned away due to their leaving cert results. I read of one such guy mention that he got a second interview but was not happy that they interviewer made such an issue that he had only got 330 points in the leaving that did not partake in the 2nd interview.

My understanding of the CAI is that you need to be taken on as a trainee accountant and then sit the exams throughout your training. My question is with a leaving cert like mine, could i even get my foot in the door to taken on as a trainee accountant?

I would assume not with a degree in business and law, but what do you think my chances would be of securing a training contract with an accountancy firm in my position if i further studied ACCA exemptions. The other option I am considering is a Masters in Accounting and Finance upon doing my current degree.

Immy

If you've started your professional exams and are doing well at them I think you'll get a trainee role, just not big 4. I also had bad LC (355) did well in professional and trained in small practice. I moved to BDO for a while after I qualified and they never mentioned LC.

lightspeed

Wow i never would have considered a leaving cert of 355 points to be bad. There is an open day presentation on tomorrow in DIT tomorrow for BDO from 1:00pm and then one from Ernst and Young so ive arranged with work to get off early so i can head in to college for the presentations.

Id be quite happy to get in with a smaller accountancy firm and train to get qualified. It is not a necessity for me to get into a big 4 firm but of course there are advantages in doing so.

From what i can see, the project maths syllabus seems a bit easier to understand and get to grips with if i was to repeat the LC.
Although I would assume there must some people who did not do well in the LC and did PLC courses in accountancy to progress into the profession.

The bigger firms receive so many applications they use leaving cert results as a filter.

You should emphasize your ability to balance part time study with work.

case_sensitive

I'm always astonished that big firms are so fixed on what you were capable of at 17, well into your 30s! Wife (33) had to put her individual LC grades on an application recently, madness.
Doesn't apply to my industry (IT) thankfully.

baben

Big4 look for consistency in academic performance thus will look back to leaving certs. Its not just the big 4, many of the competitive jobs will do the same. You can however overcame disappointing LC results by performing exceptional well in College each and every year and by showing leadership skills or involvelement in sports

Bubbaclaus

From experience The Big 4 seem keen on people having over 450 points in LC, although I'm sure exceptions are made from time to time.