Apprenticeship and work VS 3rd level

LirW

Hello,

My head is currently melted and I can't see myself out, so I'd appreciate every piece of advice I can get.
I have a level 6 qualification in an unrelated field, I have a few years of bookkeeping experience and after being at home with the kids for 2 years I need to go back to work. I recently signed on Jobseekers (heavily reduced rate) and I'm in the predicament that my CV is too "good" to get basic jobs but not good enough to actually get an interview (I had my CV and letter professionally checked).

Now I'm currently in the process of the ATI apprenticeship program, I have my interview tomorrow. The good thing is it pays me while I gain experience and down the line I want to become a chartered accountant. But I fear that this path would lead me into a dead end because it's another level 6 qualification and I'm aware that plenty of companies don't hire people without 3rd level.
Now to make it even more difficult, if I would go and do a third level, we'd seriously be scraping by for the time I'm studying because childcare needs to be paid and I live in an area that already has poor employment opportunities for students. I'm not too keen going into 3rd level to be honest but if needs must, I'm willing to bite this bullet.

Down the line, if I qualify as Chartered accountant, how much would it matter that I do not have a degree? Is it a dead end that I should avoid?
It is a really difficult decision and I don't really know what to do.

fishy_fishy

I don't know the answer to your question, but have you spoken to a recruiter about the decision? Going to college would also take an extra 1.5 years to qualify.

fishy_fishy

Forgot to add, have you asked prospective colleges about childcare? Many of them offer heavily subsidised childcare for students. Would you qualify for any back to education allowances?

LirW

The closest would be IT Carlow and I haven't looked into it yet.
The thing is my husband works and I'm on just below 50% of the full Jobseekers rate. Since his pay increases every year my claim gets weaker over time.
But all things aside I'm awaiting career counseling and will definitely ask that. I have no idea yet how good they are or if they just want to get you off the refister asap.

fishy_fishy

LirW wrote: »

The closest would be IT Carlow and I haven't looked into it yet.
The thing is my husband works and I'm on just below 50% of the full Jobseekers rate. Since his pay increases every year my claim gets weaker over time.
But all things aside I'm awaiting career counseling and will definitely ask that. I have no idea yet how good they are or if they just want to get you off the refister asap.

Get you off the register would be my guess. They don't have your long term best needs in mind...

Why not be a bit more proactive about the decision? Contact A&F specific recruiters (have your LinkedIn profile up to date) and ask about the impact of degree versus apprenticeship on the roles you'd have open to you. A lot of them are happy to talk to people.

Anyone from social welfare is likely to be a generalist who has no specific knowledge of the sector. An actual A&F recruiter knows the sector, knows who's getting which roles, and knows what's actually available out there. They might also have roles available that might suit you.

The other thing is that most college courses have a specific person to contact about each course and many websites give you indicative timetables. A&F is a fairly low-hours course with plenty of scope to keep working during it. If you know information like that, it would be helpful when talking to a recruiter. For instance, they might know of a company locally who needs someone to come in 2 days a week to do accounts admin - they might be perfectly happy to arrange working hours to tie in with your study commitments.

But as it stands, it seems like you need to gather a little bit of information on what's available to you before you can decide on which route to pursue.

And honestly I would work off the assumption that social welfare careers guidance will be uselsss in terms of knowing the difference between the two routes you're considering. They might be very good on what sort of financial assistance would be open to you though.

I'm sure someone can advise on ACCA if that's a route you're interested in.

thegolfer

Have you any exemptions for acca? If yes then I'd drop the ATI and get going on this. Working and studying at the same time qualifies you quicker. You need three years of experience under acca to formally become an accountant. Working and studying gets you there quicker. Also acca has a degree that you can qualify for with Oxford Brooks in the UK.

Acca also have exams every quarter.

A small accountancy practice may take you on for 2/3 days per week also, or a small business.

LirW

Thank you both for your replies!

I'll definitely try getting in touch with recruiters, I genuinely didn't think of that.
Regarding career guidance I never had to deal with Intreo before and the experience I had up until now has been quite disheartening, so I don't know how good or bad the guidance is.
My husband had a session with one in Dublin years ago and he found it helpful.

Unfortunately I don't qualify for any exemptions, I never got a formal qualification in the field.

Now the thing is I live in a pretty remote area, the closest university is 40km away and employment in the close area where I live is quite sparse but I'll talk to the course adviser.

See, the thing is we don't plan to move to Dublin but to a more affordable city since we moved here because we couldn't afford Dublin. I know that the big companies have degree requirements but it seems very varied with local employers.
Another downside is that I wouldn't qualify for back to education until the end of the year.
But I'll have to look into making it work somehow, hence why talking to a guidance counselor should happen sooner rather than later.

I'm just very overwhelmed but determined to make it work either way

MartyMcFly84

Hi

I am doing the finals of my ACCA's and didn't qualify for any exemptions either. I also had no other financial qualification prior to starting.

ACCA is quite flexible in that regard. I did not do the Accounting Technician course but went straight into the foundation level ACCA exams, they are F1/FAB, F2/FMA , F3/FFA.

These are computer based multiple choice exams and can be done through online courses and study. There are some free sites like Open Tuition that will give you the material needed to pass at this level. These are the first 3 of 13 exams you will need to pass to become a qualified ACCA accountant.

When you finish the first 3 you get a Diploma in Accountancy and Business. This is a good stepping stone qualification when looking for entry level jobs in finance. You can then work and study when doing the rest of the exams and often jobs will sponsor exam and tuition fees and sometimes give paid study leave. You will also be gaining practical experience on the way. This means by the time you finish all the exams you should have the required work experience already.

There are other Accounting qualifications like CIMA and ACA out there but the above is how I got started. Definitely look into all of them and see what the requirements are and which will suit you the best.

ACCA offer a degree with some extra work.
https://www.accaglobal.com/pk/en/qualifications/glance/oxford-brookes-bsc-degree-applied-accounting/oxford-brookes-bsc-overview.html
I don't know how popular or recognised it would be in Ireland or if it is offered here.

It might do the job of ticking a box on an application form later in your career if necessary.

LirW

Yes, I've seen they offer a degree, I'll have to find out about their recognition.
Can someone tell me how much it is for the Diploma on ACCA?

MartyMcFly84

All of the fee information is on the ACCA site.

You will need to pay one off registration £79 pounds and an annual subscription £105. Then you pay per exam I believe the first three are about £80 per exam (euro equivalent).

Immy

I did ACCA straight from school and don’t have a degree. I trained in small practice and don’t feel not having a degree has held me back in any way.

A degree is a good route to go if you are going straight from school but no need for it.