Pursuing a Career in Accounting? Opportunities Are Yours For the Taking

If you're interested in pursuing a career in accounting or auditing, the opportunities may be yours for the taking. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition, the accounting profession will experience strong job growth over the period from 2006 to 2016. Accounting jobs are expected to grow by 18 percent between 2006 and 2016. This growth is faster than the average for all occupations. It is projected that almost 226,000 accounting jobs will be created during the ten year period. The strong growth in accounting and auditing jobs is expected to result from economic expansion, changes to financial laws, and stricter corporate governance. Accounting career opportunities will also be created by changes to financial reporting standards, business investments, mergers and acquisitions, and other events that are expected to lead to greater scrutiny of accounting practices and company finances. Growth in accounting jobs will also be driven by the desire to make government agencies more accountable. According to the Handbook, candidates with a master's degree, who obtain certification or licensure, or who are skilled at using accounting and auditing computer software will have the best career opportunities.

What jobs do accountants and auditors do? The role of accountants and auditors is quite broad. Generally speaking, accountants and auditors prepare, analyze, verify and communicate financial information for clients that may include corporations, governments, non-profit organizations, or individuals. But the specific job descriptions of accountants and auditors vary depending on the type of accounting and auditing job.

What types of accounting career opportunities are there? There are four major fields of accounting and auditing: public, management, government accounting, and internal auditing.

Public accounting jobs: Public Accountants provide a wide range of consulting services relating to accounting, auditing, tax, and other financial activities. A career in a public accounting involves providing services such giving advice to companies or individuals to help them get certain tax advantages and preparing and filing income tax returns. External auditors are responsible for auditing financial statements for companies to ensure that they have been prepared properly. Many public accountants have the professional designation Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and they may work on their own or in public accounting firms.

Management accounting jobs: Management accountants prepare and analyze the financial information of the companies for which they work. If you pursued a career in management accounting, you would be responsible for maintaining budgets, managing expenses, analyzing financial information, preparing financial reports and managing company assets.

Government accounting jobs: A career in government accounting means you would be employed by a Federal, State, or local government agency. Government accountants are responsible for maintaining and analyzing the financial records of these agencies. They may also be responsible for auditing private businesses and individuals. For example, accountants for the Internal Revenue Service are employed by the federal government to review taxes received by businesses and individuals. In addition, they are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the various government agencies are making expenditures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

Internal auditing jobs: Internal auditors are responsible for ensuring that the financial records of a company or individual are accurate. They check for fraud or non-compliance with laws, and they help to prevent financial loss. Other responsibilities of an internal auditor may include reporting on audits, advising on or recommending changes to a company's operations an/or financial activities, reviewing data regarding a company's assets, liabilities, stock, income and expenditures, preparing reports and financial statements, and reviewing compliance with corporate policies and government regulations.

What are the educational requirements for a career in accounting or auditing? Your duties as an accountant will vary according to what type of accounting you decide to specialize in or what kind of accounting job you want to pursue. Accordingly, if you are pursuing career opportunities in accounting or auditing, the education and training requirements can vary depending on your role. Most accounting jobs require at least a bachelor's degree in accounting or a related field but some employers will only consider job applicants with a master's degree in accounting, or a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in accounting.

Licensure and certification for accounting jobs: Only a Certified Public Accountant is permitted to file reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Accordingly, if you're interested in a career working for a public company that's registered with the SEC, you need to be licensed as a CPA by your State Board of Accountancy. Most States require CPA candidates to be college graduates and to have some accounting experience. To become a CPA, you must pass a four-part examination prepared by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). This is required by all States.

Things that can help increase your accounting career opportunities:

o Previous experience in accounting or auditing, such as experience gained in summer or part-time internship programs, will help your chances of getting an accounting job.

o Knowledge of computers and financial software applications will make you a stronger candidate for an accounting job.

What skills do you need to succeed in an accounting career? If you're interested in accounting career opportunities, you must:

o be proficient in math and you must have excellent analytical skills

o communicate effectively

o be good at working with people

o have basic accounting knowledge

o be familiar with accounting software

If you're seriously thinking about accounting or auditing career opportunities, information is available from the following organizations:

o AACSB International

o American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

o National Association of State Boards of Accountancy

o Institute of Management Accountants

o Accreditation Council for Accountancy and Taxation

o The Institute of Internal Auditors

o ISACA

o Association of Government Accountants

Want more accounting career advice? Looking for an accounting job? Fins great accounting career opportunities Andrea writes for FoundCareer, the totally free job site that's unlike other job web sites. No fees to post jobs and no subscription fees to search jobs.
Need more career advice like how to negotiate a job offer letter? Read Andrea's article The Job offer Letter - How to Negotiate a Job Offer Letter.

READ MORE - Pursuing a Career in Accounting? Opportunities Are Yours For the Taking

New Merchant Account Quick-Start Guide For Small Businesses

The process of getting a new merchant account can be pretty intimidating. There's a lot of information out there about merchant accounts and most people don't have time to wade through all of it before getting a new account. If you're that person, this tutorial is for you. If you're pressed for time, here's the vital information that you need to know before, during and after you get a new merchant account.

Merchant accounts are very important and we suggest investing the time to learn about them when possible. But for now - this tutorial will get you started down the right path.

Laying the Ground-work:

There's a lot of competition out there. Use it to your advantage.

The market for new merchant accounts is highly competitive and providers are willing to do whatever they can to get your business. Use this competition to your advantage and get quotes from at least three different providers. Most importantly, don't be afraid to let each provider know what their competitor is offering. Processing rates and fees aren't set in stone. Providers can move things around to try and best their competition. Let each provider know what the other guy is offering and you'll see rates and fees drop.

An online service called CardFellow is a great resource for getting quotes for a new merchant account. All you need to do is create a free account and providers will give you quotes right online. CardFellow will also help you select the best quote by working with you and the provider through their on-site Merchant Message Board. It's great service definitely worth checking out.

Not all contracts have a term.

Technically, all new merchant accounts have a contract - it's the contract term and the cancellation fee that you should watch out for. A contract term is the period in which if you cancel a merchant account, you will have to pay a cancellation fee. Month-to-month merchant accounts without a term can be cancelled at any time without a fee.

Don't disqualify a merchant account just because it has a contract term. Sometimes imposing a contract term will make it possible for a provider to lower rates and fees or lend a piece of equipment free of charge for the length of the term.

If you do end up considering a merchant account with a contract term, here are a couple of things you should be sure to ask about.

Term Auto-Renewal - Some merchant accounts have language in the contract that automatically renews the contract term if the account isn't cancelled within a certain timeframe. The cancellation period is usually about thirty day, but all accounts are different.
There's no guarantee - Merchant account contracts with or without a term don't guarantee that rates and fees will remain the same. Merchant account agreements have out-clauses that make it possible for providers to change rates and fees so long as they give notice of the changes. The notice of any changes will be posted on your monthly merchant account statement - that's why it's so important to read them every month.

You have to pay all rates and fees.

Even though discount and transaction fees account for the majority of credit card processing expense, you still have to pay all the other fees. Keep this in mind when you're comparing new merchant accounts. Providers know that discount and transaction fees are scrutinize the most by prospective providers and you may not find there's much of a difference in these fees between providers. However, fees like monthly minimums, statement fees, and other important but less visible fees may vary greatly. When you're looking for a new merchant account, compare all aspects and fees of the accounts, not just discount and transaction fees.

Equipment doesn't cost a fortune.

One of the biggest misconceptions about credit card processing is that credit card machines cost a fortune to purchase. That's just not the case. Very good terminals with thermal printers and other bells and whistles can be purchased new for $400 or less. Wireless terminals and other specialty equipment may be slightly more expensive, but it's still very reasonable if you find the right provider.

Before jumping into an expensive leasing agreement, shop around for different equipment prices and deals. Many providers even give terminals away with a new merchant account. Sure, you'll have to give it back if you close the account - but you didn't have to pay for it in the first place.

When you're applying for a new account:

There are no hidden fees.

I know it goes against all of the horror stories you've heard - believe it or not - merchant accounts don't have hidden fees. With that said, they do have hard to see, often overlooked fees. Merchant account providers can't charge you anything that you haven't agreed to in the merchant service agreement that you have to sign when opening a new account.

When you're opening a new merchant account, the provider will give you a couple documents to review. The first document is called the merchant service agreement and it's usually between fifteen and twenty-five pages long. The second document is called the schedule of fees and it's usually two or three pages long.

Be sure that you receive and review both of these documents very carefully before signing anything. It won't be the most interesting read that you've ever had, but it will be one of the most important. If you've unsure of anything in either document, ask the provider for a thorough explanation.

Give thought to your processing volume and average ticket.

When you're filling-out your new merchant account application, you'll have to declare a monthly processing volume and an average ticket. The term processing volume refers to the gross credit card sales in a monthly period and average ticket refers to the average dollar value of a credit card sale.

The underwriter at the processor uses these two figures to access the risk associate with your new account. Basically, that means they take these numbers pretty seriously. If you grossly exceed either of these figures once you begin processing, your account may be frozen or even closed.

Declaring processing volume and average ticket is especially difficult if you're starting a new business and you don't have prior processing history to look at. In this case, work with your provider to arrive upon realistic numbers and then pad those by 10 or 20 percent to be on the safe side. But again, every business is different so be sure to ask your representative for assistance if you're unsure.

Once you start accepting cards:

How much you're charged is determined by how you process transactions and the types of cards that you accept.

It's a bit of backward terminology, but when a credit card transaction charges at a higher rate - it's said to have downgraded. The way a transaction is processed and the type of card that's being processed are the two main reasons why transactions downgrade.

The main types of credit cards that downgrade are:

Business or corporate cards
Rewards credit cards
Government cards
Foreign cards

There's not much you can do to limit downgrades due to card type because card issuers have strict regulations that bar merchants from discriminating against cardholders because of the type of card that they're using. The good news is that you can limit downgrades that are a result of processing errors. Two common and easily corrected processing errors that cause downgrades are:

Failing to clear your credit card batch daily

Credit card batches must be sent to the processor within 24-hours or every transaction in the batch will downgrade. Failing to clear your batch every day can be a very costly mistake. For example, imagine that you've processed $8,000 worth of credit card transactions and you forget to clear batch. The next day you send the batch to the processor, but instead of being charged the qualified rate of 1.7%, the transactions downgrade to 2.5%. That's a difference of $64 just for not clearing your batch in the allotted time. Providers offer something called auto-batch close. As the name implies, this feature will automatically close credit card batches when there are transactions that need to be settled. There's no charge for this service and it will help you avoid expensive downgrades.

Punching-in transactions on a card-present merchant account

If your merchant account was issued under the assumption that you'll be processing transaction when the credit card and the customer are present, you were given what's called a card-present account. Card-present accounts have lower rates when you're swiping credit cards, but all transactions that are manually entered will automatically downgrade. This is a common problem for retail businesses that also process catalog of Internet orders through the same machine. All keyed-in transactions will downgrade to a higher rate. The solution to this problem is to open a card-not-present merchant account.

Chargebacks are serious business

A chargeback occurs when a cardholder contacts the issuer of their credit card to dispute a transaction. When this happens the merchant that made the charge will get a notice regarding the dispute. If and when a chargeback happens to you, it's very important to deal with them quickly. Merchants are given a limited amount of time to respond to a chargeback dispute. If the window of opportunity passes, the cardholder automatically wins the dispute.

Ignoring the fact that chargebacks are very costly, excessive chargebacks may result in your merchant account being terminated.

The best way to protect you business from chargebacks is to stop them before they happen. To do this, create a chargeback prevention plan and be sure to follow it for every transaction. When you do receive a chargeback notification, deal with it immediately.

Scrutinize your merchant account statements

For many businesses, credit card processing charges account for a significant portion of monthly operating expenses. This is reason enough to read your processing statements every month. Statements are confusing and it takes time and effort to learn to read properly - but you can't afford not to!

If you throw your processing statements in a pile each month - stop! Open the statement every month and scrutinize the charges. If you're not sure how to decipher the statement, call you're provider and ask them to explain everything in detail.

Don't forget your processing volume and average ticket

This can't be stressed enough. Grossly exceeding the processing volume of average ticket amount that you declared on your merchant account application can result in your account being close and your funds being frozen. If you need to, write these figures down and post them where you can see them when charging credit cards.

Merchantcouncil.org offers new merchant account information as well a wealth of additional unbiased merchant account information to help businesses make an informed choice about their processing solution.

READ MORE - New Merchant Account Quick-Start Guide For Small Businesses

Outsourced Accounting - How Different is it From In-House Accounting?

Let's first understand the importance of accounting before we delve into the specifics of the choices that any business has.

Whenever anyone ventures out to start any business, there are three primary reasons:

a) Make profits

b) Grow to a global level

c) Give back to society by way of employment & revenue by way of taxes & duties

In all the above three reasons, a business is helped by accounting to not only know where the business stands vis-à-vis the goals, but also helps the business in taking measures to achieve the goals faster & in a better way.

But how does Accounting do this?

a) By making sure that all the transactions that the business is entering into is recorded in a timely manner

b) Ensuring that all such transactions are grouped under the correct account heads

c) Ensuring that the profit & loss account and the balance sheet along with other reports like the Cash Flow Statement, Funds Flow Statement, Debtors Aging report are prepared in a timely manner & presented to the owner for taking the right actions.

Given the importance accounting has on business, it is natural that businesses the world over consider accountants very critical. Probably that is the reason why a CFO goes hand in hand with the CEO of a company.

Now that we have understood the importance of accounting and accountants, let us now understand the differences between an in-house accountant and an outsourced accountant.

An in-house accountant means a business hires an accountant as full time employee to keep its books and manage the finances. The benefits attached to having an in-house accountant are:

(i) In-house accountant is a person from the same region as the business and thus understands the business and its environment better. This can be beneficial when the accountant has to analyze the conditions affecting the business.

(ii) An in-house accountant may be called on to extend a helping hand in areas other than accounting whenever there is a requirement of the business.

An outsourcing accountant is a person not under the employment of the business and has a contractual relationship with the business to provide accounting services. An outsourced accountant can be in the same country as the business is in or may be in a foreign country. The benefits associated with outsourced accountant are:

(i) Since an outsourcing accounting firm is a professional service provider, it would have highly skilled experts at its disposal who can be of immense help to a business as they can add tremendous value to accounting.

(ii) Unlike in-house accountants, a business does not have to bear with leaves since outsourced service provider will have someone to back up the person who would be working for the business's accounts when that person takes leave.

(iii) Since most of the outsourced accounting providers serve clients in different countries, they have people available 24/7. A business cannot ask an in-house accountant to be available 24/7.

(iv) If the outsourced accountant is in a different country like India, there are a couple of additional benefits like:

a. Due to the difference in time zone, people in India work when it is night at US. So, work can be done overnight by an accountant in India.

b. Due to the foreign exchange difference, the Indian accountant can provide services at costs much lesser than the costs incurred on in-house accountant.

Thus the benefits of an outsourcing accounting provider are far more than the benefits in having an in-house accountant.

Visit http://www.aptservicesonline.com for more details on the benefits from outsourced bookkeeping.

Steve is a qualified accountant and is the founder of APT Services which is the fastest growing outsourcing accounting service provider from India.

READ MORE - Outsourced Accounting - How Different is it From In-House Accounting?

Choosing the Best Accountant For Your Business

Deciding on and employing the right accountant or accountancy firm for your business, be it large or small, is an important decision. Not many people realise that almost anyone can set themselves up in business and advertise and label themselves as an accountant.

Here are some key factors you should consider when determining which accountant to employ if you are UK based:

Qualifications.

The qualification you need to be looking for is Chartered or a Chartered Certified Accountancy practice. (Whilst anyone can call themselves an accountant, only people who have passed rigorous professional examinations can call themselves chartered).

Chartered Accountants or Chartered Certified by passed the examinations set by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) or alternatively the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

The ICAEW is the biggest professional accountancy body in the European Union with over one hundred and twenty five thousand members. The ICAEW's qualification is recognised throughout the world as a reputable business qualification. Upon passing this examination institute members can call themselves a Chartered Accountant and to use the letters ACA or FCA, which one they use depends on the amount of experience the member has and the length of membership.

ACCA offers the Chartered Certified Accountant qualification which carries with it the letters ACCA or FCCA.

Qualified accountants need to maintain their knowledge to ensure that it is up to date. Consequently members under take Continuing Professional Development or CPD for short. This is similar to other professions such as surveyors. CPD requirements normally involve so many hours each year furthering ones knowledge and can be achieved through a variety of methods including self study, attending courses or workshops. If the majority (typically 75%) of owners or partners of an accountancy firm have achieved chartered status then the firm is eligible to call itself 'Chartered Accountants' .

Whilst it is optional to use a chartered accountant for your accounts, in the UK if your company or firm has a turnover over a certain limit you will need to have your accounts audited. The auditing of your accounts however can only be done by a firm of registered auditors.

Essentially when deciding on which accountant to use you should select from a list of accountants who have professional qualifications or is from a firm labelled Chartered Accountants to adequately ensure your financial matters will be handled and supervised by fully qualified personnel.

Type of Firm

You should try to choose a type and size of accountancy practice suitable to your business. If you are a international enterprise a small regional accountancy firm is unlikely to be the correct choice. Likewise a small to medium sized enterprise (SME) with a small turnover or a start up business would probably not get the best service from an international accountancy firm.

One important factor to remember is that the firm you choose should be able to accommodate you as your business grows. So when selecting an accountancy firm choose one which has clients larger than you so that they have the experience of working with size of firms at a size which you intend to become. Also, whilst tax advice is the bread and butter of accountancy, most accountancy now offer a broad range of associated management functions and analysis to help you make informed decisions on how to structure and grow your business. These services can be of great benefit for people intending to grow their business.

The other item to check is the accountancy firms field of specialism. The major point to look for is if they are currently working for similar businesses from the same sector.

Personality

Knowledge aside for one moment, you need to get on with your accountant on a personal level. Without this it will be harder to get on with them. The best accountants will take a keen interest in your company and also in the business world in general. Remember also that your accountant is running his own business and will have had to address many of the issues and problems that you will face during the course of your daily business activities. The ability of your accountant to relate to you and to exchange information on how to deal with things will be a great asset to you and your business organisation. There will be however instances where your accountant will have to tell you that you are doing something wrong or there is something that you need to address. If you have mutual respect for each other this process will be a lot easier. Remember that your accountant will work for you as part of your team and is trying to ensure that you succeed

Technology.

Once upon a time all accounts were done by hand in ledgers. Nowadays this is almost unheard of. Also nowadays it is usual to find that many companies will keep their accounts on relatively easily to use software. What you need to check however is that your accountancy firm can accept the electronic files into their system. Also, if they require the files using a proprietor y software system is this going to entail you investing in the software to be compatible with them. Electronic document management systems are becoming more and more popular. There are also systems that allow you to store copies of your documents on remote servers which you can then grant your accountant access to. This rapidly enables the transfer of information whereas previously it might have taken days, with the benefit being your accountant can respond faster and more efficiently.

Recommendation.

Many people rely on personal recommendation when selecting an accountant. Almost every business networking group has an accountant on board because they know that the personal recommendations that come from these networking groups produce good leads. Choosing an accountant through recommendation does give you a significant amount of confidence when compared to, say, selecting an accountant from the phone book or from an advertisement on the internet. Consequently ask any friends or colleagues in business about which accountant they use 9or wouldn't use!) and the reasons for that. Also ask other professionals you come into contact with, such as bank managers or solicitors for any information they have on accountancy firms.

If you've made a decision on an accountant or accountancy firm on these five factors you should have ended up with a firm and an individual who will be able to work with you as your business expands and grows.

If you are looking for a professional chartered accountancy firm then Brighton Accountants Knill James is a firm of Chartered Accountants that provide expert financial advice to business and organisation in and around the Brighton area.

These Brighton accountants offer a wide range of service including company tax advice, management accounting, financial planning and tax planning to envy any other Brighton Accountants to businesses requiring a professional level of service for a very competitive fee.

This article has been researched and written by R Reed who works for Sussex Web Design Company Switchplane Ltd.

READ MORE - Choosing the Best Accountant For Your Business

Job Overview For Accounting Technicians

Designation

The designation of an Accounting Technician is supported by their Association in the United Kingdom (AAT). This designation together with that of Chartered Accountant is used primarily in the United Kingdom, although the title is sometimes seen in the United States. Here, a comparable occupation would be a professionally trained bookkeeper or accounting clerk. A comparable United States certificate to the AAT is awarded by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers (AIPB).

Profile

Accounting technicians are required to produce entry level accounting work in accounting or finance departments. Their focus should be relative to data entry, accounts receivable, accounts payable and payroll. In many offices, they act as office managers for generally small companies, as it is considered beneficial to have an office manager with a firm understanding of accounting principals. There are also many accounting technicians who have supervisory positions over personnel without degrees, or clerk-level accounting staff. Similar positions of responsibility to an accounting technician are an accounting clerk or bookkeeper, office manager and accounting analyst.

Functions

The functions relating to this position involve aspects of accounts payable, to classify and record bills, vendor invoices and liabilities. With regard to the accounts receivable department, they will record invoices, payments and produce aging reports on receivables. Their roll in the payroll department, will involve payroll figures and liabilities, together with tax with-holdings, reports runs and preparation of the of the payroll cheque runs.

Additional Functions

Further focus is needed on data entry, the checking for errors and account reconciliations. As the work is of a repetitive nature, dedicated attention to detail is required! They are relied upon to discover and correct accounting errors, generally caused by mistakes in data entry. This calls for an analytical mind, which is a requirement in a proficient Accounting Technician. It is also required that he or she carries out basic audit functions. They may be responsible for the monitoring of payable and receivable accounts, bank deposits and balances and for the perceiving of any irregularities. In addition, they are accountable for the maintaining of proper separation of duties and the procedures related to internal control. As and when any irregularity is discovered, then it is generally their perogative to initiate an investigation.

Required Knowledge

Generally, financial statements are prepared by professional or accountants who have degrees, as part of their responsibilities. Although Accounting Technicians are rarely engaged in the preparation and analysis of financial statements, they must be familiar with the process of the creation of them and from which accounts the data originated? This does assist them in the coding and entering of transactional data, as well as the discovery and correction of any errors, in the event of an unbalance.

General

Account Technicians generally commence working in a support role at a firm of accountants. Alternatively, it may be within the accounts or finance departments or sections, of commercial organisations', industrial companies or the public sector. Whatever their choice, there is work available for them in all areas of the financial world. There are independent opportunities in the business environment for experienced Account Technicians. It could be as a self employed provider of a variety of accountancy related services, to the many small and medium business owners, who either cannot or do not wish to employ a permanent accountant.

Entry Requirements: What You Need to Start

Although a reasonable level of literacy is needed, there are no minimum entry level requirements specified to begin training as an Accounting Technician.

On the job training is usually involved at entry level, whilst studying with distanced learning or on a part time basis. Qualifications may be obtained through schemes conducted either by their Association (AAT) or the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)

Two routs are offered by the AAT to the accountancy qualification; the NVQ/SVQ and diploma. The offered courses are vocational and provide practical knowledge and skills that are required to perform the tasks demanded.

There are three stages in the NVQ/SVQ route, which is based on competence.

? Foundation - NVQ/SVQ in Accounting Level 2

? Intermediate- NVQ/SVQ in Accounting Level 3

? Technician - NVQ?SVQ in accounting Level 4

Those Graduates in possession of a UK degree in accounting need only complete the Technician stage. Should you possess an A-level in accounting, an HNC or recognised work experience, it is possible you could be eligible for exemptions from the Foundation stage. In this connection, the AAT and the other accounting bodies should be contacted for more information regarding the validity of your qualifications.

In order to obtain technician status, it is required that you complete at least one year of work experience. For those who are already working in a finance environment and can easily provide evidence of work experience, this is a preferred route.

As an alternative, the diploma route is available for those not working in finance or who are unable to provide workplace evidence. There are three stages and completion of all three leads to technician status:

- Certificate in Accounting (foundation)

- Advanced Certificate in Accounting (intermediate)

- Diploma in Accounting (technician)

Additional vocational qualifications are offered by the AAT which may be suitable for your preferred career path. For more details, visit their website.

The ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) offers the CAT (Certified Accounting Technician) scheme. This is a route that combines study and practical experience and involves studying for nine papers, split into three levels. These are Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. For further details visit the ACCA website.

Candidates are required to produce evidence of the following:

- Strong written and oral communication with IT skills;

- Ability to work in a team, often alongside accounting professionals;

- Ability to multi-task and time management.

- A High-level of numerical skills;

- Good attention to detail;

- Your ability to work accurately and methodically with numbers

Training as an Accounting Technician and How to Become Qualified

Evidence of practical skills is required by the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), towards your becoming certified as an Accounting Technician. In accordance with AAT practice, this procedure is conducted by means of assessments, designed to display theory in practice. Included are practical work base exercises or for those not involved in the accounting sector, testing will be by simulations. Voluntary work or hobbies, such as being treasurer of a local society, may be used as examples of work experience!

ACCA accounting technician trainees must, in order to qualify as an accounting technician, produce evidence that one year of work experience has been gained and that they have demonstrated competence in a technician training record (TTR). This must be verified by a person approved by the ACCA.

On the job training is received by most accounting technicians. Software packages and procedures will vary, according to the respective sectors, company and area in which they are working? It is recognised by employees that there is a need for continuing personal and professional development (CPD) in their career paths. Employers are becoming increasingly aware of this factor and are prepared to offer forms of support, to enable their employees to update and improve upon their skills and knowledge.

Career Development and Progress as an Accounting Technician:

There are opportunities for Accounting Technicians to progress to positions such as finance controller. Alternatively, an Audit senior, tax analyst, internal auditor or payroll manager.

A recognised accounting qualification in its own right is from the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). Some accounting technicians are able to attain senior levels with the AAT qualification, whilst many view it as a stepping stone towards further professional qualifications.

READ MORE - Job Overview For Accounting Technicians