Accounting Trainee

lestaf

I am a 27 year old man currently based based in  South Africa but  willing to relocate to Ireland as soon as i secure a training contract with either an accounting and audit firm or a registered company.I hold a Bcom. Hon Degree in Accounting and i am currently an ACCA student hence i need to fulfill ACCA practical experience requirement in Ireland.
I therefore welcome any advice or assistance in either providing me with the training contract or link me with prospective employers.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE EMPLOYER WONT NEED TO PAY FOR ANYTHING TO DO WITH MY VISA ISSUES AND TRAVEL EXPENSES AS I WILL TAKE CARE OF ALL THAT MYSELF.
Thanks in advance guys!

Jim2007

Are you an Irish citizen or a citizen of one of the following: EU/EEA/CH? If not then you are going to find it very difficult if not impossible to get a training contract in any EU member state, including Ireland.

The basic principle applied is that priority goes to citizens of the EU/EEA/CH and only after this are citizens from a third country considered. So if you rely purely on your qualifications, you'd need to show that you hold some kind of expertise to qualify for a visa - this is normally considered to be a master degree or equivalent plus several years experience as well.

You will appreciate that employers do not have much difficulty in finding graduates to take up trainee positions within Ireland, let alone within the entire EU. So the chances of getting a firm to even start such a process without some kind of edge to guarantee success is not very likely.

So in summary to get a visa:
- Irish citizenship
- EU/EEA/CH citizenship
- EU Blue Card

lestaf

Oh ok thanks for your reply Jim.Sadly i am neither any of the above i am from Africa so it seems like it will be a Mount Everest to climb for me to be able to secure such opportunities. 
But i would give it a try if i get an offer letter from the prospective employer i will try apply with that letter and everything i will be having maybe they may consider me.
Once again thanks a million times Jim.

Jim2007

Unfortunately it is the other way around, the employer must apply on your behalf if it is strictly a third country application. Have you investigate the blue card option I linked in? Other than that you could perhaps try to join the local branch of a Europe MNC and then see if they would sponsor your move.

lestaf

Oh ok i get it Jim. With regard to the blue card yes i have researched about it and realised that Ireland ,UK and Denmark no longer consider them.But however what i have found out is that if i want to apply for accounting training in Ireland when i am a Non-EEA i should apply for stamp 1A visa which is a special stamp that will allow me to work without a work permit.They say its specifically for accounting trainees and when i emailed them they gave me a list of their requirements of which the only thing i dont have among those is the employer offer letter.I may foward the mail to you if you give me your email address so that you can advice me if i am wrongly intepreting what they said.For the mean time let me be researching on Europe MNCs.

One big challenge i have met is that most employers want to employ someone who already have their papers (visas) in place yet the whole process of ending up with permits starts from them issuing an offer letter!

Thanks a lot

OMM 0000

If you were very experienced, I would have good news for you, as it's much easier to get visas for people who are exceptional or rare, but you're basically competing with fresh graduates so it will be near impossible for you to get a visa.
Can you finish your training and education locally and then make the move in a few years?

lestaf

oh ok thats fine thanks a lot for the advice.Was looking forward to try and take advantage of the currentl irsh immigration laws where a non-EEA trainee accountant does not have to obtain a work permit.So all i would need much will be the offer letter for accounting from an irish registered  accounting firm, a move i believe will strengthen my career as i will have received quality training than down here where i am.

OMM 0000

No harm in trying, but have a backup plan

lestaf

So true thanks a lot for the advice