ICAEW (The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)

No one’s better qualified

Becoming a chartered accountant shows you are at the top of your profession. In order to be a chartered accountant you need to undertake a professional accountancy qualification. The ACA qualification from ICAEW can take you to the top in your chosen career - in fact 84% of FTSE 100 members have an ACA on their board.

‘From the first day as an ACA trainee there was a steep curve of responsibility and whilst initially daunting, everyone I work with thrived on it. Completing my ACA is the best thing I have done. It is hard work but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it.’ Ed, Audit Senior, KPMG, Leeds

ICAEW Chartered Accountants work within practice, business, not-for-profit and the public sector, in areas such as audit/assurance, corporate finance, tax, business recovery, financial accounting and forensic accounting.

‘I like the variety of the job - there are always different projects we're required to investigate.’ Alex, business analyst, Barclays, London

Getting started

To become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant, you need to complete a training agreement with an ICAEW authorised training employer. Training agreements usually last three years and are made up of four essential elements: the ACA modules, technical work experience, initial professional development and structured training in ethics. Visit icaew.com/careers to hear more about the ACA qualification.

‘The things you learn through your career as an ACA never go away, you just build on them. I still use the knowledge and understanding I gained when I was starting out in understanding what makes a business successful today.’ Amy, CFO, TalkTalk.

Work locations

ICAEW has over 136,000 members in more than 160 countries which means you can train and work in places such as Dubai, Russia, Malaysia and Singapore to name a few. One in eight ICAEW members work outside the UK, so the opportunities are endless. Visit icaew.com/careers for more information.

Take the next step

To secure your training agreement, apply direct to the employer of your choice. Employers expect you to possess a proven academic track record and to demonstrate key employability skills, including presentation, team work and time management skills as well as commercial awareness. You will earn a competitive salary while working and studying, and this usuallyincreases throughout your training. Visit Training Vacancies at icaew.com/careers to find details of ACA training opportunities across all business sectors.

Salaries and entry requirements

Employers often require a 2:1 in any degree discipline and 280-300 UCAS points; this varies depending on employer. Salaries for ACA trainees are competitive and differ between each authorised training employer, generally your salary will have doubled by the time you qualify as an ACA. Visit icaew.com/careers to find out more.

The Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business

The Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB) from ICAEW will give you practical and essential knowledge that can be used in any industry or financial arena. There are no training agreement or entry requirements making CFAB incredibly flexible. CFAB modules can be taken one at a time, so it's great to consider as part of your summer vacation. CFAB's modules directly reflect the knowledge modules of the ACA, so it will give you an insight into business, finance and accountancy. Visit icaew.com/cfab for more information.

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