A quick google of the ACA brings up a mixture of different horror stories about how hard the ACA’s exams are and how any chance of work-life balance during your training contract will be gone. The other end of the spectrum seems to suggest that the ACA exams are the easiest exams that some students had ever sat and that there is nothing to worry about (although we are yet to meet one of these people in person).
Read MoreThe ACA qualification allows you to learn whilst you earn, balancing practical work experience with 15 challenging technical exams. But it is not going to all be easy. Like any other professional qualification, it is not supposed to be easy. It has been designed to challenge and develop you both as an skilled accountant and as a professional employee. But is the hard work worth it? We think so. Here are seven reasons why.
Thinking about doing the ACA but not sure where to start?
Whilst a lot of people will go the ‘traditional’ route of joining a firm after doing a degree, that’s not the only way to end up ACA qualified:
We’re going to walk you through three different routes to getting ACA qualified.
Read MoreWhile it’s important to show academic success and display the right attitudes in psychometric tests, one of the most persuasive yet elusive qualities employers look for is a demonstration that you have commercial awareness. Put simply, this means that you understand the commercial setting that you will be working in – and how the advice you provide as a professional fits into this commercial environment. So how do you develop it?
Read MoreStudying for the ACA can be notoriously difficult. The exams can be difficult, and most people will be working whilst trying to revise. As a new ACA student, you need to make sure you prepare yourself to be in the best position to succeed.
Read MoreWith the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the move to online learning has only accelerated. Whilst a lot of people will be familiar with studying online from recorded university lectures, it requires a certain focus to ensure that you use online studying to its full potential. We have set out below some top tips for how best to study online.
Read MoreLove them or hate them, the fact is that MCQs – multiple choice questions – are going to be a key part of your accounting exams. All professional accounting exams now have an element of MCQ testing, whether this be parts of online exams or the whole exam.
Read MoreAs part of our series on different career paths within accountancy we turn to a popular route: audit and assurance.
Assurance is a professional service which aims to improve, validate or test the quality and transparency of information in order to reduce the chance of problems occurring due to incorrect information.
An audit is a type of assurance service
Read MoreThe ACA is the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)’s professional qualification in accountancy, business and finance. It stands for Association of Chartered Accountants. More than 5,000 employers are allowed to provide training by the ICAEW, with around 6,000 training vacancies open each year.
Read MoreAs the country rallies together in the fight to reduce the spread of COVID-19, workers and students are transitioning into a social distancing phase, which for most means a transition into a working from home lifestyle.
For many small business owners, this is the norm. However, for most, working from home full-time is a completely new scenario - the initial novelty quickly turning on itself as reality kicks in.
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