There's never been a better time to train as a CA. The services of a Chartered Accountant are always in demand and you can look forward to an interesting and varied career, with unparalleled job prospects. Take a quick look at the range of organisations we work with in the Featured Employers section and you'll soon see what we mean.
As a CA, you hold the most prestigious professional accountancy qualification available. This carries weight and influence the world over, and can unlock the door to working abroad. No matter where you go, employers will already appreciate who you are: a dynamic, capable, forward-thinking and versatile business professional.
Training with ICAS could put you on the fast track to some of the most powerful positions in business, with the ability and opportunity to explore many different areas of the accountancy profession, business and industry. Or for those with an entrepreneurial flair it can be the perfect foundation for your growing business.
Sectors CAs work in
As a CA, your career can be as varied or as specialised as you wish. Almost half of our qualified CAs choose to further their career in finance, commerce and industry. With just over a quarter currently working in accountancy firms, offering professional services to a range of business clients.
CAs can work in many different areas – below are some examples of the areas CAs can be involved in:
Chartered Accountants are often asked to provide an independent examination of a company's accounts, financial systems and controls. Larger companies will have their own internal audit departments. And external auditors such as CAs work closely as a team with these departments on site at the client's place of work. You need to get to grips with how the business operates, so you can check and scrutinise their financial accounts, and offer valuable advice.
From healthcare to education, huge multi-nationals to charities, in Government, Private and Public Sector Assurance, CAs work with an exciting range of clients from a broad spectrum of backgrounds. This means no two projects are ever the same. One day you could be auditing a local authority or reviewing an NHS Trust in the UK. The next you could be packing your bags to work abroad for a global multi-media company or petrochemical company.
Tax legislation is a complex and moving target. Constantly changing and evolving, you need to keep up to speed with all the latest developments. Clients rely on you to advise them on tax implications to maximise their bottom line, and help them run their businesses in a tax efficient way. With your detailed knowledge of EU tax legislation, Capital Gains Tax, VAT and Corporation Tax amongst others, you will work directly with their audit and tax departments to ensure the best possible results.
This is a very exciting, high pressure and popular area, often involving travel within the UK and overseas. It's also notoriously difficult to get into. Which is where your CA training will prove invaluable. Often working alone, you may be called in at short notice by a client on a management consultancy basis. As a “trouble-shooter”, you bring a fresh perspective and an objective approach to your clients. You must be able to quickly identify problems, research available data, come up with practical solutions and then implement any agreed changes. Projects can vary wildly and you can expect to be dealing with different situations from one job to the next.
This can be a very rewarding aspect of a CA's job. You will be involved in the exciting world of deals, mergers and acquisitions and management buy-ins/buy-outs. These critical projects are often undertaken with very tight deadlines, and you must work closely with your team to make sure they are met. The work is also of a highly confidential nature, so you must ensure that the deal is kept strictly under wraps throughout.
If a company is struggling financially then a CA can be worth their weight in gold. You might have to come up with a complete ‘rescue package’ to get the business back on its feet as quickly as possible. Or if the company is in really serious trouble, facing bankruptcy or liquidation, you may be required to conduct a damage limitation exercise, or compile an accurate financial picture for solicitors and creditors. Whatever the situation, your skills as a CA will prove invaluable.
If you have a particular passion for computers, then you might want to consider computer auditing. Here you conduct comprehensive investigation of your client´s IT systems, recommending and advising on ways to tighten up their security or risk management systems.