Where to apply for work experience (Limerick)

Aisling2013

Hello.
I'm a mature student who's going into second year accounting and finance next month. Told myself I'd have first year as a year for getting a feel of things, and I love accounting and will definitely stay with it.
We've placement after second year summer exams, so in 11 months time, for 6 months. And we source this placement ourselves.
Although I have no hands on experience at all, I think management accounting is where i want to go rather than practice. This is just from online research though!
Just wondering can anyone recommend a good company in Limerick that offers paid work experience for students that I could try to apply to? I'd love to find somewhere that also does a summer internship after 3rd year exams so that I might be considered for the following summer again.
I'm restricted to Limerick as I have children in school.
Thanks

Jim2007

Unfortunately I can't suggest anywhere...

But I think it is a very good idea to start as early as you are, time is on your side. I expect you are going to have to do a lot of networking to pull this off.

- Start by letting everyone you know what you are looking for, perhaps someone might have a contact.

- If you have not already done so, set up a linkedin account and get involved in some of the financial discussing groups so you build up some contacts

- Find out about any kind of corporate of financial events going on around your area and turn up to everyone of them. You never know how you might meet.

- As the time gets closer start cold calling

This kind of stuff does work, but it depends on people doing it and may of us are not so good at the social stuff.

myshirt

What do you mean by management accounting? As often the term is misunderstood.

Aisling2013

Jim2007 wrote: »

Unfortunately I can't suggest anywhere...

But I think it is a very good idea to start as early as you are, time is on your side. I expect you are going to have to do a lot of networking to pull this off.

- Start by letting everyone you know what you are looking for, perhaps someone might have a contact.

- If you have not already done so, set up a linkedin account and get involved in some of the financial discussing groups so you build up some contacts

- Find out about any kind of corporate of financial events going on around your area and turn up to everyone of them. You never know how you might meet.

- As the time gets closer start cold calling

This kind of stuff does work, but it depends on people doing it and may of us are not so good at the social stuff.

Thanks Jim!
Social stuff is my problem too but I'm going to have to learn to be good at it
I'm going to take all you've said on board.

Aisling2013

myshirt wrote: »

What do you mean by management accounting? As often the term is misunderstood.

I'm going to answer on the assumption that I've misunderstood it I'm embarrassed at my lack of knowledge but I suppose we all have to learn this stuff somewhere, and types of accountant hasn't been covered in college as of yet.
I mean I'd like to work as an accountant for a single company rather than in practice.

Jim2007

Aisling2013 wrote: »

Social stuff is my problem too but I'm going to have to learn to be good at it

It is for most accounting types, but it is something you got do if you want to get on....

My son has Aspergers syndrome, which means he lacks a lot of the social skills... up the upside is that he has no inhibitions about approaching people when he needs something. At the beginning of the summer I told him he needed to get a summer job and about a week later he told me he had two offers! When I asked who he got them he told me he asked the Economics Minister (we live in Switzerland)! He said this guy met all the criteria in the internet article and since they are both in the same sports club, he had the guy's private number so he gave him a call! It seems the minister got back to him with the details of two companies and contacts there for him...

So as my son said: all they can do is say no....

Aisling2013

Jim2007 wrote: »

It is for most accounting types, but it is something you got do if you want to get on....

My son has Aspergers syndrome, which means he lacks a lot of the social skills... up the upside is that he has no inhibitions about approaching people when he needs something. At the beginning of the summer I told him he needed to get a summer job and about a week later he told me he had two offers! When I asked who he got them he told me he asked the Economics Minister (we live in Switzerland)! He said this guy met all the criteria in the internet article and since they are both in the same sports club, he had the guy's private number so he gave him a call! It seems the minister got back to him with the details of two companies and contacts there for him...

So as my son said: all they can do is say no....

Wow! You should be very proud of your son. He sounds like a guy who doesn't mess around when something needs to be done.

I've been researching companies and trying to get every bit of info I can before I approach one.
Thanks again

Jim2007

Aisling2013 wrote: »

Wow! You should be very proud of your son. He sounds like a guy who doesn't mess around when something needs to be done.

Well of course every parent is proud of their kids... it is just the way people with AS are 'built'. If you don't have all the social hangs up the rest of us have, then approaching a person and getting a no, is not such a big issue, they just move on to the next person on the list....

Aisling2013 wrote: »

I've been researching companies and trying to get every bit of info I can before I approach one.

Used linkedin to discover who the players are in the companies so you get to target the right person and build up your own contacts list so you can also see 'third links' that might be able to introduce yourself to.

Humour Me

Don’t discount a summer working in an accountancy firm. You would get to see how things are done in number of companies, instead of just one. At the early stages of your career you want as much variety in your experience as possible, so you understand what you like and don’t like about the workload and your role.

myshirt

Aisling2013 wrote: »

I'm going to answer on the assumption that I've misunderstood it I'm embarrassed at my lack of knowledge but I suppose we all have to learn this stuff somewhere, and types of accountant hasn't been covered in college as of yet.
I mean I'd like to work as an accountant for a single company rather than in practice.

Would you like to do Financial Accounting? Like preparing financial statements? Management accounting should be better called "Decision Making", it's more like Financial Planning and Analysis.

If I were you, target the practice firms. They are more helpful in terms of your studies to be an accountant. If you go into industry you will get caught by Month End. There are lots of firms around Limerick. Go to career fairs, go to your careers office in college, talk to people on your course and anyone you know and tell them you are looking. Remember if you know 10 people, and they all know 10 people, and they all know another 10 people, then that's about 1,000 people in one easy move.

Also you don't seem very confident. Get your chin up, chest out, and believe in yourself. You are in college studying accountancy, you are no doubt a smart and able person with a lot to contribute.

So best of luck.