Accounting technician year 2 almost complete. What next!? Advice would be greatly app

hellylenn

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some advice. I’m awaiting to sit my Ati year 2 exams and wondering what next move would be best. I have the option to enter year 3 in LIT BBs Accounting and Finance programme. I would complete 2 years here and graduate with a level 8 degree. This gains the most exemptions from professional exams. I work in an accounting firm however I don’t know if I will be able to continue this given the spread out college timetable at LIT. Has anyone done this course? Did you find it worthwhile? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🀓🀓

unhappys10

hellylenn wrote: »

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some advice. I’m awaiting to sit my Ati year 2 exams and wondering what next move would be best. I have the option to enter year 3 in LIT BBs Accounting and Finance programme. I would complete 2 years here and graduate with a level 8 degree. This gains the most exemptions from professional exams. I work in an accounting firm however I don’t know if I will be able to continue this given the spread out college timetable at LIT. Has anyone done this course? Did you find it worthwhile? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 🀓🀓

The degree won't get you most of the exemptions.
If you were to continue to ACA you still have to do Cap 2 and FAE exams, you will only be exempt from. Cap 1 level.

I did ATI, then went the year 3 of a degree route before a training contract with a big 4 firm.

If you work in an accounting firm couldn't you get ATI exams and apply to Chartered as a flexible student and do your exams while working and gaining the required experience? Cut out the degree altogether. You will need to do 2 of 5 Cap 1 level exams also but they're handy enough I think.

So basically the degree would only save you 3 Cap 1 exams.

tanit

unhappys10 wrote: »

The degree won't get you most of the exemptions.
If you were to continue to ACA you still have to do Cap 2 and FAE exams, you will only be exempt from. Cap 1 level.

I did ATI, then went the year 3 of a degree route before a training contract with a big 4 firm.

If you work in an accounting firm couldn't you get ATI exams and apply to Chartered as a flexible student and do your exams while working and gaining the required experience? Cut out the degree altogether. You will need to do 2 of 5 Cap 1 level exams also but they're handy enough I think.

So basically the degree would only save you 3 Cap 1 exams.

I agree with this suggestion, it's what I did. I was working at the time during my second year ATI in an accounting firm, so I continue directly with professional exams instead of a degree. The degree would have been very difficult trying to fit the lectures with work (professional exams have their lectures outside working hours) and if you are going to continue after the degree with professional exams it will save you a year (Accounting & Finance degree will only exempt you from Cap1 exams in full, no exemptions from Cap2).

That said I am not going to lie to you, it was quite hard. The first year with exemptions is not so bad, but CAP2 and FAE were extremely hard trying to keep up with everything.

Best of luck with the exams.

tanit

Okay I forgot to add this before.

If you continue directly to professional exams with CAI your training period is not going to be 3.5 years as it is for people moving to them with a degree. You will need to be a trainee 4 years.

That said if you are already working in practice you can request they recognise the experience you have already gained. You can apply to have up to 1 year prior to starting with CAI and they will count it as 6 months bringing you in line with other people that move from college. But you have to request this I think within 6 months of starting Chartered. Otherwise you will not be entitled to this, and trust me if you have been working and studying during ATI once you move to Chartered it is going to be exhausting and you are going to want to finish as soon as you can, not to speak it makes a huge difference from the career/money point of view when you finish.

If you apply for Chartered after ATI get them to do this and keep your Competency Diary as up to date as you can.

hellylenn

Thank you so much for your reply. It is great to get this feedback