Help please?!

Peter Hook

Hi all,

First time poster here looking for some advice.

Recently unemployed, 12 months ago (27 year old male) and still seeking work which is impossible to come by for me with limited qualifications.

I've been looking into accountancy as it's always been something I found I was decent enough at through other Business Studies courses and also while at school.

There is an ATI course starting in September, and was thinking of applying to that but having sent out any amount of CV's to accountancy firms and departments left right and centre I haven't even been asked to come in for a talk, and thinking it's going to be a nightmare to successfully land the work experience need - without the qualifications. Bit of a catch 22.

Also, looking down the ACCA route, which, being unemployed, will be more expensive to pursue and will have to go it alone as in I can't afford any of the lectures that may be around the country.


TL;DR Want to become qualified, looking for sound advice to obtain a trainee position with no qualifications in business (nor leaving cert) or which would be the best option for me to get into it all.

Thanks in advance.

Mark1916

Hi,

If you look at http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/en/General/About-Us/Chartered-Accountancy/Becoming-a-Chartered-Accountant/Training-Vacancies/

There should be some vacancies if you are willing to go down the chartered accounting route. Most of them do not require any previous experience. Be warned, do not expect a brilliant wage starting off, most firms take into consideration paying for your exams etc when it comes to deciding your pay.

3ofus

I myself work in a practice and the trend here is that all trainee employed form part of the FAS intern-ship scheme, with the majority of interns have a college degree or master or some sort of basis accounts course through FAS or other agents.. I would probably suggest trying the ATI, course assuming you can still receive benefits and hopefully score an intern-ship, which in most cases from what I hear and see leads to a full time training position been offered...

However I don't want to dishearten you I started out like you 13 years ago with a decent leaving cert, got myself a trainee position and made my way up through all 14 ACCA, exam its was tuff and I still at that time live at home and had little to know commitments..

Salary wise unless you are within the Dublin area, you are talking about €15k starting off, with most employers offering some incentive scheme towards lecture / exam cost and study leave...

I hope this was of some help and you can pursue your career in accountancy...

Best of luck:):):)

jus_tin4

Like above getting for form of experience/ exams under your belt is going to help! I think it will be pretty hard to land a position in a firm with pretty much nothing.... sorry if that sounds harsh...

imo i would recommend like the previous poster, to get on the job bridge scheme and get some experience in a practise/firm, getting your foot in the door is half the battle. make a good impression and who knows!

im in a similar position of not being able to get a position..... and i have a degree in accounting and finance and currently doing part of cap 2 so i know where your coming from.... i can't do job bridge as i live at home and I'm only 23 but if i could i would have gave job bridge a shot long ago

Peter Hook

Mark1916 wrote: »

Hi,

If you look at http://www.charteredaccountants.ie/en/General/About-Us/Chartered-Accountancy/Becoming-a-Chartered-Accountant/Training-Vacancies/

There should be some vacancies if you are willing to go down the chartered accounting route. Most of them do not require any previous experience. Be warned, do not expect a brilliant wage starting off, most firms take into consideration paying for your exams etc when it comes to deciding your pay.

They all look for candidates with degrees though, or graduates. Which I'm neither of both, they surely wouldn't even consider me, would they?

Thanks to others for replies, so would you all suggest I go the ATI route and hopefully work on from there, albeit taking an extra 2 (possibly 4 if I don't get the experience alongside the course) years?

Thanks

The Jobbridge internship scheme could be for you. You will be at a disadvantage to others though as you don't have a degree.

SOLAS (nee FAS) offer various bookkeeping courses.

As you are unemployed and haven't previously been in higher education would you consider applying for the back to education scheme and completing your leaving cert and/or going to college?

Edit: Something like this looks good and includes work experience in a big name company.
solas course
It seems like a leaving cert or equivalent is required - I think this is something you have to tackle.

thomlin

Hi Peter Hook,

My advice would be to do the ATI course at the end of it you will have the basics of accounting and a qualification to add to your CV.

The reason I suggest this to you is that:

1. After you complete the first year of the course you might be in a better position to get work in this area.
2. After you have completed the ATI course you will have some exemptions towards the ACCA.
3. In the event that you still can't get work after completing it you could go back to college as a mature student and be exempt from the first two years of an accounting degree (In ITT Dublin anyway) and on completion of this you will be exempt up to F9 with the ACCA and Cap1 of the ACA.
4. In the event that you have not gained work during all this you will at the end of it as you will have an accounting qualification, an honours accounting degree and hopefully have gained some work experience along the way due to your pursuing this path as you will have demonstrated your dedication to this field and also to hard work at accomplishing your goal.

Even though we're coming out of the recession you will always be in competition with people with experience and those without any will have a degree that you don't a leaving cert that you don't etc.

Trust me been there done that and even with accounting experience was facing the fact that I didn't have a leaving cert, didn't have a degree etc. Still don't have the leaving but I am a qualified accounting technician, 1st Class honours degree in accounting and now part qualified ACCA accountant in a good job with very good prospects.

So keep you head up and fight the good fight just believe in yourself and you will succeed.

Best of luck

Tom

loveacca

I went down the ATI route and it worked out well, takes a little bit longer but if you are not sure at this stage if you want to finish ACCA it is a good option

Peter Hook

Thanks a lot for the replies, and thanks Tom for your detailed response, I found it really helpful and I'm going to take your advice, great help thanks to all who replied

Vincent50

I would agree with the previous posters about ATI. However if it is of interest to you I represent a private college (which will remain nameless) that would be willing to offer you a scholarship (no fees whilst unemployed) on our BA in Accounting and Finance which is a three year programme and gives the successful candidate exemptions from F1-F9 of ACCA. If you are interested please reply and we can arrange to discuss further.

shaydy

Wow, thats an excellent offer Vincent. Great to see reward to people pushing themselves

smcgiff

Vincent50 wrote: »

I would agree with the previous posters about ATI. However if it is of interest to you I represent a private college (which will remain nameless) that would be willing to offer you a scholarship (no fees whilst unemployed) on our BA in Accounting and Finance which is a three year programme and gives the successful candidate exemptions from F1-F9 of ACCA. If you are interested please reply and we can arrange to discuss further.

Hello Vincent, can you please PM me the college please and your position within. This is a fine gesture.

*edit* Thanks for the PM, Vincent50. Again, very generous offer.

billcullen1

Vincent50 wrote: »

I would agree with the previous posters about ATI. However if it is of interest to you I represent a private college (which will remain nameless) that would be willing to offer you a scholarship (no fees whilst unemployed) on our BA in Accounting and Finance which is a three year programme and gives the successful candidate exemptions from F1-F9 of ACCA. If you are interested please reply and we can arrange to discuss further.

Hello Vincent, can you please PM me the college please and your role, so I may get in contact, many thanks