Chartered certified accountant : Employers and vacancy sources

Chartered certified accountants can opt to work in any sector and have the opportunity to train and work in a wide variety of organisations from large, multinational companies to small, local businesses.

Many organisations, covering all sizes and sectors are committed to providing their employees with the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification. By obtaining this qualification the range of career options available increases, allowing access to a broad range of complex and interesting roles.

ACCA reports that 49% of its members currently work in the corporate sector, 29% in public practice, 11% in the public sector and 13% in financial services. The ACCA qualification is recognised in over 170 countries with 404,000 students and 140,000 members worldwide and it is possible to train and work anywhere in the world as ACCA has a network of 83 offices and centres across the world. ACCA reports that 72% of its members and students are based outside of the UK.

Typical employers include:

• public sector, such as local and central government, health, educational institutions, charities and not-for-profit organisations e.g. National Audit Office, HM Treasury, etc;
• corporate sector, including major commercial companies, such as those in the pharmaceutical, retail energy and manufacturing industries;
• financial services, including fund management organisations, general insurers, building societies, banking (investment and retail), life insurers and insurance brokers;
• private practice, including international accounting organisations such as the big four PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), Deloitte, KPMG and Ernst & Young, or smaller accountancy firms, known as small and medium practices (SMPs) - all providing a variety of accounting and business services to clients.

Sources of vacancies

• Search graduate jobs on this site.
• Accountancy  
• AccountancyAgeJobs.com  
• eFinancialCareers  
• GAAP Web  
• Prospects Finalist  
• Totally Financial  
• Local and national press.
• Careers service vacancy lists.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)  provides a range of publications, videos, job listings and details of approved training practices. Links to jobs boards and some specialist recruitment agencies in 28 countries are available through the website. It also has an online vacancies database and job-matching service containing details of all UK practices that may have vacancies arising throughout the year. See also the online ACCA Graduate Guide  for UK graduates, which provide details of the key UK employers recruiting trainees into their finance graduate training programmes.

Vacancies are often handled by recruitment agencies. Agencies with a financial bias may also handle training vacancies and can be a good source for positions with smaller companies, as well as large multinationals. If you pursue this route it is advisable to register with several agencies in order to maximise your chance of finding suitable vacancies. See the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC)  website for details of member agencies.

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