How can i study to be an accountant without going to Uni?

[aliloz]

I want to be an accountant but am only 16, i am studying accountancy at college along with a few other subjects but i hate it as i do nt enjoy any other subjects and am quite a mature person, it has been my ambition to work asap since i was about 11! Is it unrealistic to try and get an apprenticeship at this time in the year etc...I do not want to stay at college and then have to spend years at uni when i could learn as i work and earn but how easy is that really?

[Ethel]

No prospective employer is going to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of pounds training you - there are plenty of already qualified people looking for jobs, and their qualifications prove two things:

An ability
Commitment

Don't forget that if an employer trained you, spending all that time and money, there would be nothing to stop you going to work elsewhere once you are qualified.

Use your maturity to knuckle down at college so you can get in to the university of your choice. You can get a part time job as well.

[chazza]

I know that certain companies (civil service being one of them) will take you on in an accounts role if you have studied a similar course at college and will pay for you to train as an accountant.

A friend of mine is doing this at the minute, however it does still involve you going to uni part time to study while getting a lot of time off to revise/work towards the exams.

However if you were to leave the company within a certain timeframe you are liable to pay back what they have spent to train you (eg within 1 year you pay back 100%, 2 years, 80% etc)

Also, you may have to have an undergraduate degree to get into the job in the first place, my friend did but I'm not sure if it was essential

[Maypole]

Hi aliloz, Im sorry youre frustrated at college.

I dont think its as much of a dead dog as Ethel implies (I dont think Ive ver diagreed with your advice before Ethel!) - otherwise there would be no apprenticeships at all, because thats exactly what they are - training someone over a period of years even though there are qualified people out there.....

There are accounting apprenticeships out there but what the availability is in your particular area only you can find out. You need two things - a local college that offers the apprenticeship scheme and an employer who will take you on. If your local college doesnt offer an accounting apprenticeships then youre out of options immediately. By the way the payback type contract chazza mentions isnt always used by any means.

You could try and get a job where they will release you for college but I would advise against this. The job almost certainly be temp based and if they let you go then you probably wont have a Plan B. But if you do want to test the water make a quick call to a local employment agency like Kelly or Travail and explain your position will give you a feel for whats happening in your area.

Although accountancy pays quite well your earning prospects in the long term will arguably be greater by going to University as you will have a broader experience and be able to get onto graduate schemes. In the long-term if you have the aptitute and nouse it may well make the difference between being a �30k pa accountant or an �80k pa Finance Director. Hvaing said that my friend is a �90k pa Finance Director and she hasnt got a degree (although she did do an MBA).

If you want to try the world of work then try and get a placement for the holidays (see your tutor, or if needs must do it on your own initiative). If its the money you want do you qualify for EMA and/or are you working weekends?!

Go and talk to some people...your

[Miss-taken]

I actually disagree with some of these answers! I'm a accountant and I have never been to university. After GCSES's and A-levels I was taken on as a trainee accountant by a small local accountancy practice where I stayed for several years. I was then taken on by a top 10 accountancy firm and now 10 years on since I left school I'm accountant for a large charity. All the way through either the government (modern apprenticeships) or the firms themselves have paid for my training, exams etc. I have no student debt, earn more than some of my friends that did go to uni and to be honest out of the 100's of different accountants I've worked with over the years - the 'non university' ones have usually proved themselves far more capable! When I started at the top 10 accountancy practice, I started on their graduate scheme anyway as even if you have a degree in accountancy - you still have to do exactly the same training/exams as people who don't have a degree or who have in a nonrelated subject.
I would recommend you finish college (believe me you'll regret it if you don't) and then look into either a modern apprenticeship or finding a firm that will take you on and provide you with either AAT or ACCA training.
Hope that helps!

[Maypole]

Well there's nothing quite like the horses mouth Miss ;o)

Good answer

[Miss-taken]

Thanks Maypole!

Oddly I can't understand anyone wanting to be an accountant - I'm dying to get out of it - sadly I can't find a way out without taking a big drop in salary which I can't afford to do.
All credit though to someone who knows at the age of 16 what they want to do with their life - I'm 28 and I still have no idea what I want to be whaen I grow up!

[badgerchops]

What area do you live in

[Ethel]

I was trying to encourage this young person to stay at college and complete the course he/she is currently on, especially in the current employment market.

[mirela]

i would recommend AATcourse, it is very practical, one of my friends was learning its fundation level, part time course, after 6 months, she got a junior accounting job, and the work pay for her course fare as well. you can go to local college and check if they have this course, or go to
http://www.aat.org.uk/

[Skyline D]

There's no "simple" answer to this one mainly because there's no straightforward definition of "an accountant". People usually mean "Chartered Accountant" when they refer to an accountant and the usual way to qualify as one of those is to go to University, get a degree (not necessarily an accountancy one but it helps), get a training contract with an accountancy firm and then undertake three years training "in firm" whilst taking exams along the way. From leaving school it's probably a 7 year process.

The ICAEW and ICAS these days have opened up routes to qualify without a University degree by going straight into work and doing college classes etc from there but it's a longer route and in my opinion far more difficult. Personally I wouldn't recommend it but I guess Miss-taken's advice in that area is more relevant as she went that route and did so more recently than me (I went the Uni degree route).

Quite apart from all this, the main Chartered bodies don't have a monopoly on the term "accountant". You can train with ACCA as a "certified" or with CIMA/CIPFA etc. Indeed you can train with nobody at all and still call yourself "accountant". Unlike lawyer, and much to most accountant's annoyance, the term "accountant" is not protected. Nothing to stop a 16 year old straight out of school advertising their services as an "accountant" if they wish (though they can't claim to be a "Chartered Accountant").

In contrast to Ethel's first post, you would probably find if you can get a job with an accountancy firm that they would be quite happy to send you down the training route for qualification without a degree. It's a good way of encouraging staff really and if they don't make it through they probably benefit from the experience without the firm having to pay them significantly more than they do any other "clerk". If they do make it through, so much the better.

[aliloz]

Thanks for the answers guys, i know i can get an apprenticeship thank you ethel i am quite offended in fact that you imply your answer as though i am an idiot child but thanks for trying to get me to stay on at college?

Anyway ... I dont honestly know what kind of accountant I want to be hee why i use the general term although I have just really viewed it as becoming a chartered accountant.

I live in the south east of england near to the city of Brighton.

Thanks for everything i guess the answer is just that I am going to have to try and find an accountacny firm that offers apprenticeships and hope for the best as it really is my ambition!

PS> I would like to know why you think I would regret not doing my A levels? I dont really comprehend what they would do for me...they may look good but other than that the chance of me using them to get into uni are very slim ?

[Miss-taken]

My reason for getting you to finish college? I had the time of my life whilst doing my a-levels -still living at home, out every weekend - I had an amazing 2 years - make the most of not having a full time job while you can! Believe me - as soon as you start full time work thats it until you retire - its all downhill! Good luck with finding an apprenticeship!

[Skyline D]

"I would like to know why you think I would regret not doing my A levels? I dont really comprehend what they would do for me..."

You haven't done A Levels? You will be VERY lucky to find an accountancy firm interested in taking you on then. It's possible to do training without a degree but to actually get hired then I think they'd insist on a minimum of an equivalent entry standard to University courses.