Accountancy and finance : Career areas

Knowledge of finance or accounting and the relevant skills which you have developed are useful in a huge range of careers, such as law, journalism, advertising, marketing, public relations, sales and IT.

A 2010 HESA survey of 2009 graduates indicates that six months after graduation almost half of accountancy and finance graduates went into employment. Of these, around 44% went into business and finance professional roles (e.g. trainee chartered accountant) and associate roles (e.g. trader).

Around 15% of accountancy and finance graduates also took jobs as numerical clerks and cashiers, while around 9% were employed as commercial, industrial and public sector managers.

Where are the jobs?

Opportunities are widely available with accountancy firms, investment banks, high street banks, insurance companies, building societies, management consultancies and public sector employers.

The most prominent graduate recruiters are the very large multinational accountancy firms. They use large-scale recruitment campaigns to attract the most promising graduates and have high minimum requirements. There are also opportunities in small to medium-sized employers (SMEs) which specialise in a particular type of work or local area. In the UK, a cluster of public sector jobs are available in central London with others available nationwide.

For an insight into employment areas see:

• Accountancy and business services - covers many areas such as audit and advisory work, taxation, business consulting, insurance and management accounting.
• Banking, investment and insurance - covers a wide range of employers including investment banks, commercial banks and building societies, broking firms, independent financial advisers, insurance and reinsurance companies.

See industry insights for further information on possibilities in other employment areas.

Statistics are collected every year by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) to show what HE students do immediately after graduation. These can be a useful guide but, in reality, with the data being collected within just six months of graduation, many graduates are travelling, waiting to start a course, paying off debts, getting work experience or still deciding what they want to do. For further information about some of the areas of employment commonly entered by graduates of any degree discipline, check out What Do Graduates Do?  and your degree...what next?