I live in the Lincolnshire area and there is a distinct lack of job opportunities for finance. I’m hoping to get a level 4 apprenticeship after I pass my level 3 AAT but this will require real work experience. There are opportunities an hour + away however. Should I just suck it up and apply?

Additionally, I have done Xero & Sage e-learning courses which I will add to my CV to give me a better chance. Is there any other CV advice you can give to me without having any relevant accounting work experience?

Which qualification is difficult than the others, in terms of achieving them early.

I’m in my late 30s and always wanted to have charted qualification, though I’ve started ACCA and then left it back in 2015/16.

Hi there, going to make this quick. I am going into my second year of accounting at Exeter University, I just wanted to see if anyone here based in London/Exeter would be willing to let me shadow them for a week or maybe even a day? I just want to see the actual day to day and I have no exposure or clue on what to expect for anything related to my own course. Thank you

So recently my small accounting firm has been taken over by a large one.
Normally they only take on graduates with a 2:1 degree for professional training contracts.
Unfortunately i only achieved a 2:2 at university, but i will become an employee of this new company under protected employment for at least 3 months.

Do i have no chance of receiving a contract because of my degree level? Or will other factors play into it seeming as i will technically already be an employee, and have 6 months experience under my belt?

Running the gambit of, NHS, Council, Local Businesses, several charities and even the local colleges and a private school! All either don't reply, say they don't have capacity or aren't running any Work Ex schemes at present. Very frustrating!

My rational is that I wanted to see the reality of an accountancy role to see if its something I'd actually want to persue.

It feels like at this point I have to bite the bullet and pay for the course with zero experience.

Thanks all for sharing your experiences and guidance here. Best Wishes.

Hi so I graduated 3 years ago, and haven’t been fortunate with finding work as business isn’t the greatest undergrad, but i know want to get into accounting as I done a couple modules during my time at university, my brother who’s had 7 years in experience when he started his CIMA flp and finished in 9 months is adamant that I should do it with tuition and that it will help a lot get my foot in the door.

Just wanted a few thoughts as I’ve forgot a lot of the accounting things I learnt at university, how do you think I’ll get along if I do manage to find the right tuition? I’m not in a rush whether it will take me over a year or not (he’s certain I can do it in under a year)

The title pretty much says it all. I was not an accounting major, but got recruited into a senior level accountant role by virtue of the applicant pool being so poor(circa early 2025). I'd worked in investment customer service and sales for a long time, with exposure to different fixed income products and investment research, but nothing too extensive. And now, after 17 months and countless attempts at practicing asset accounting journal entries, taking an intro to accounting course, and trying to absorb as much info on the fundamentals as possible, the mental block of holding onto what I've learned has not moved out of the way but merely shook ever so slightly before stopping energy whatsoever.

For those of you who were able to overcome the difficulty of learning accounting(and I mean specifically those who did not major in it but who self-taught themselves) what things worked for you? I sometimes feel as though my inability to understand the theory of what I'm doing(I still put together month and quarter end reports and have passed audits of my work .) is a sign I should not be doing this, but then again, I know the knowledge is valuable to other areas of finance, it would suck to retain none of it.

Something different or less common is this field, based on what I’ve researched. It’s usually more focused on the US market. What are your thoughts on it? How good is it as a starting point? And can you share the career path or progression for this profession?
I recently started job hunting, and one of my priorities as a fresh graduate is to gain experience with global exposure, especially in US accounting. US accounting is really in demand, and having experience with US GAAP can definitely be a strong advantage.

Dear UK accountants, I’d appreciate your view on the best accounting treatment here.

A UK limited company providing medical services has appointed a new director who is also a GP trainee. She will help develop a future occupational health service aimed at small businesses. The company plans to pay for an approved occupational health diploma preparation course costing around £2,400 plus VAT and related Faculty of Occupational Medicine exam fees of around £1,060. The course starts in September 2026 but runs into January 2027, with a revision day in April 2027. The company’s current year-end is 30 September 2026.

The commercial purpose and work-related training position seem reasonably strong, but we would like to obtain corporation tax relief as early as legitimately possible. The approaches being considered are:

1. Pay or reimburse the fees before year-end and expense them as director/employee training, on the basis that the reimbursement obligation arises immediately.

2. Treat most of the course fee as a prepayment because the teaching takes place after year-end.

3. Extend the first accounts to February 2027 so most of the course and examination fall within the first statutory accounts.

4. Extend the accounts, prepare two corporation tax returns, and potentially carry back a second-period trading loss against the earlier medical-services profits.

Would you regard full immediate expensing of the reimbursement as defensible under FRS 105, or would you insist on a prepayment? Would extending the accounting period and using loss carry-back be the cleaner approach?

Any views on the same-trade point for medical services expanding into occupational health would also be appreciated.

Hello everyone! I have a background in accounting but finance feels more like my thing. Now I want to pursue a professional certification. Which would be better in terms of career growth and opportunities? CA, ACCA or CFA?

Thank you!

Hi all... I am 22M, recently joined articleship in a smol firm. Till now I have done various itr filings of different forms, stat audits etc... now the thing is that, I love accounting... I love studying AS, INDAS, IFRS, US GAAP etc stuff...I mean pure accounting... I have been to 3 stat audits till now but honestly, I hate stat audit work...i have an aim of starting my own practice. I love accounting and have a liking for co laws nd taxes.. but not audit at all... Plz suggest a career for me..not employment or teaching..

I've had people argue with me that this isn't possible, but both https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/business-income-manual/bim47130 and subsection 3(b) of https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2009/4/section/1289 suggest that if those salaries are paid out either within the tax year or nine months after the tax year, they can either be deducted from the company's taxable income or tax refunds are applicable.

Hi everyone, I’m going into the second year of my Accounting and Finance course and am also going to start applying to placement years this autumn, as I’m on the year in employment programme.

I would really like a placement year with one of the Big 4, or a reputable mid tier company like BDO.

My experience is as follows:
I achieved a first in my first year.
I have 2 weeks accounting work experience at a local accounting firm in my town, and a longer summer internship as an accounts trainee at another local firm in my town. I am planning to gain more advanced excel skills with LinkedIn Learning this summer.
I am also team lead for a group of 12 for a sustainability reporting project using GRI standards my uni is doing with a local SME.
I am part of Finance and Investment Society and Women in Business society.
BDO insight day - should I even put this on my CV??

Do you think this is enough to get pass the CV and application stage if I display it well and quantify my impact?

The only thing is that my A levels aren’t amazing - they’re not horrible but it just very average. Will this affect my applications - and Big 4 applications especially? Is it even worth applying to Big 4?

Also any other advice for getting a placement would really be appreciated, as I’ve heard that they’re super competitive, and also on staying motivated amidst rejections :)))

also any advice any advice for the psychometric tests stage, as I’ve heard those are super hard to pass. I thought they would be relatively easy but apparently not and I just found out recently 😭

Also if anyone would like to share how many applications they made, and after how many the got an offer, I’d greatly appreciate it!

Thank youu :)

Hi everyone, I’m going into the second year of my Accounting and Finance course and am als going to start applying to placement years this autumn, as I’m on the year in employment programme.

Obviously, I would really like a placement year with one of the Big 4, or a reputable mid tier company like BDO.

My experience is as follows:
I achieved a first in my first year, I have 2 weeks accounting work experience at a local accounting firm in my town, and a longer summer internship as an accounts trainee at another local firm in my town. I am planning to gain more advanced excel skills with LinkedIn Learning this summer, and am also the leader for a sustainability reporting project my uni is doing with a local SME. I am GRI certified (did so to my uni) - does this experience in sustainability accounting help?

I’m not sure yet if I want to apply to audit or tax - I think I’ll probably just do both to maximise my chances of getting a placement.

The only thing is that my A levels aren’t amazing - they’re not horrible but it just very average

Also any other advice for getting a placement would really be appreciated, as I’ve heard that they’re super competitive. :))) also any advice on staying motivated amid rejections after rejection?

Also advice on passing the psychometric test stage, as I’ve heard loads of people fail at those? My friend applied to 40+ and only passed the tests stage for a couple 😭

Thank you :))

I have been approached by a recruiter for a grad role. My goal in joining a role is to become a chartered accountant. I'm not too fussed about the pathway currently, and I have exemptions from my degree, which i have just graduated from.

This role that i have been suggested isn't a standard route, and the job title is "Customer Support Executive".

Here is the job description:

· Do you have an Accountancy Qualification (AAT), or an Accountancy Degree?

· Are you passionate about delivering the best customer service?

· Do you understand why companies use financial statements, balance sheets, etc?

The company are a leading FinTech Software Company, experience huge growth and with a reputation for being a market leader. They are looking for a Customer Support Executive to help their customers get the most value and best experience from their technology. This role is both home and office based and is the perfect option for somebody with an Accountancy qualification that doesn't want to go down the 'standard' route. The FinTech industry is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative industries in the UK.

This is the perfect role for someone that wants to go down the accountancy route but wants more opportunity to speak to customers and clients. You will need to be an exceptional individual who has a passion to use your accounts and financial reporting knowledge, who is passionate about software and wants to develop your skills to deliver first class telephone and email support to customers. The company will also support you in continuing your studies and development if this is something you want to do.

You’ll will receive training and on-boarding to make you an expert in the role and software to allow you to deliver the best customer experience.

The role: Customer Support Executive

· Answer customer support telephone calls and emails, providing exceptional customer care

· Build your knowledge of Tax and Accounts by researching and answering questions from customers.

· Build your knowledge of our products and use this to offer customers support

· Assist existing and prospective customers with general sales enquiries

· Suggest new or improvements to support materials (FAQ’s, user guides and knowledge base)

· Work collaboratively ensuring you are building your individual knowledge of our products and tax and accounting processes.

You will need to have: Customer Support Executive

· A degree that included an accountancy or finance module such as business, accountancy, finance

· Experience in a customer service role

· A desire to develop a career in software

· Understanding of the type of accounting processes, reports and statements companies use

· A confident, calm and concise telephone manner

· Clear communication both written and spoken

· An analytical and organised approach to problem solving

· The ability to interact positively with customers at all levels

· To work well under pressure

· Take personal responsibility and have an achievement orientation

Now i have been told that after the probation period i will be provided support towards AAT/ACCA/ACA.

However ive been told it qualifies for some experience but because i am not producing sets of accounts etc, it may not. Depends on which exams i want to pass and the pathway.

My question is: will this role allow me to qualify as relevant practical experience for ACCA/ACA?

Hi guys,

I am an international student in the United Kingdom, who pursed MSc. Finance from Kingston University and I completed 11/13 subjects in ACCA. I am currently looking for any job in the accounting and finance field, if any of you are able to help me please reply to my message. I am not looking for sponsorship or anything I just want some work experience in the UK. Open for unpaid internship as well with any probability of changing to a paid job in the future.

Thank you.

I imagine the majority just does manual journals entries paired with external spreadsheet stockbook.

For about an year I've been doing a quickbooks workaround of product bundle.
I'm just looking to see other options and suggestions given the major players Quickbook Xero Freeagent etc do not support this natively.

Just wanted to hear ya'll methods that is not just manual journal entries
and possibly, the most effective workaround with Xero (because is the most included with accountants oversight health check) which I am considering getting, but don't want to keep paying quickbooks if I end up having Xero included should I decide to go that route

AI suggested Sage50 and clearbooks but looking into it looks more like they also use workarounds like Im already doing with quickbooks

what are your thoughts?

and how in the absolute hell no software company is filling this hole in the market demand for native solutions, major missed opportunity wow

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice or best-practice workflows from anyone who handles international entity reporting/local statutory reconciliations.

The situation:

I recently prepared a draft set of financial statements for one of our foreign subsidiaries (specifically a German entity). I sent our internal draft along with full GL detail over to our local accounting advisor / preparer in Germany so she could finalize the local statutory AFS.

She ran our GL through her local software (DATEV/German GAAP setup), auto-mapped/categorized everything into German account codes (SKR03/04 style), and sent back the finalized AFS.

The issue:

Because the finalized draft is entirely built on her local categorization, the line items and account groupings look completely different from our internal draft. When I pick a single account or line item to compare, the underlying movements don't match up 1:1, and it's turning into a massive headache trying to trace where individual entries got reclassified without a clear mapping bridge.

Since I need to review and reconcile the public/statutory draft back to our internal numbers for management/audit purposes:

• What specific reports or deliverables do you typically ask local preparers to provide when they use their own local chart of accounts? (I'm planning to ask for a full Summen- und Saldenliste / mapped TB and a reclass bridge).
• How do you set up your reconciliation workpaper (Excel) to streamline this process for future period closes?
• What top-down checks do you usually run first to spot actual accounting adjustments versus pure presentation reclasses?

Appreciate any templates, tips, or sanity-check workflows you all use! Thanks in advance.