Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant
Apr 01, 2015
Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant
ICAEW
ACA – A combination of four components
Work experience
Initial professional development
Structured training in ethics
Examinations
ICAEW
Entry requirements and entry routes
ICAEW
The ACA – minimum entry requirements
• Minimum entry requirements:
– Two A levels (or international equivalent) and three GCSE passes including Maths and English
ICAEW
The ACA – multiple entry routes
• Graduate route
– Don’t need maths/accounting at A-level
– 84% of ACA students have a degree
– Majority of these have a non-relevant degree – eg, law, civil engineering, modern languages, history…
• School- leavers (A-levels or international equiv.)
• Fast Track programmes (from AAT)
• Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business
ICAEW
Exams
ICAEW
ADVANCED STAGE
6 application modules – paper-based exam
Each 2.5 hours long
Case study
4 hour assessment
Exams
PROFESSIONAL STAGE
2 Advanced Stage modules – paper-based
Each 3.5 hours long
6 knowledge modules – computer-based exam
Each 1.5 hours long
ICAEW
ACA exam structure
ICAEW
Credit for prior learning / exemptions
ICAEW
Credits / exemptions available
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Initial professional development
ICAEW
Initial professional development
Personal effectiveness
Technical and functionalexpertise
Professional judgement
Business awareness
Ethics and professionalism
Set up to ensure continuous development in the following key areas that define a chartered accountant
ICAEW
Structured training in ethics
ICAEW
Structured training in ethics
• Web-based interactive programme
• Updated ethics guidance and activities
• Three stages designed to be spread across training
• Ethics also integrated into exams
ICAEW
Work experience requirements
ICAEW
Work experience requirements
• 450 days of ‘real’ work experience of a financial, business or commercial matter
• Can include but is not limited to one of (or multiple) of:– Accounting– Audit/Assurance– Taxation– Financial Management– Insolvency– Information Technology
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Employers – they include:
• Practice: From Big Four to sole practitioners
• Public sector: National Audit Office, Ministry of Justice, Department of Transport, Thames Water, Portsmouth City Council, Wales Audit Office
• Financial services: Barclays, American Express, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Royal SunAlliance, Royal Bank of Scotland, Old Mutual
• Business: T-Mobile, BUPA Care Homes, Barratt Homes, British Land Company
ICAEW
ACA training across the world
ICAEW
ChinaOffice. Local tuition and exam centres for top-up ACA course from CICPA qualification
Cyprus and GreeceLocal tuition and exam centres
MalaysiaOffice. Local tuition and exam centres
RussiaLocal tuition and exam centres
UKHQ. Local tuition and exam centres across UK
Europe
Tuition at selected centres in France, Germany etc
Singapore Office. Local tuition
Pakistan Tuition. Exam centres
GulfTuition in Dubai and BahrainRomania
Local tuition and exam centres
Where can students train for the ACA
Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant