Careers and salaries

The ACCA Qualification gives you the multi-sector experience, which is highly valued by top employers.

45% of ACCA students have worked in a different sector in the past, showing the strength of the ACCA Qualification as a passport to new employers and experiences.

The four main accounting sectors you can work in are:

Public Practice Sector

Accounting Starting Salary: Between £18K and £25K

Opportunities

Deloitte, Mazars, RSM Tenon, UHY Hacker Young as well as medium and small accountancy firms.

Public practices provide a variety of accounting, business and advisory services to clients. They are accountancy firms that offer fee-paying services including: Audit and Assurance, Business recovery and insolvency, Tax, Management Consultancy, Corporate Finance, Forensic Accounting.

Potential roles

Audit/Assurance trainee, tax consultant, forensic accountant, business advisor and financial analyst.

Financial Services Sector

Accounting Starting Salary: Between £18K and £25K

Opportunities

HSBC, Santander, Barclays, Zurich as well as internationally recognised Blue Chip organisations. Financial Services is the sector where accountants deal with the management of money. Accountants in this sector deal with complex financial products so must be astutely aware of the relationship between risk and return within the banking, insurance or asset management fields.

Potential roles

Risk manager, corporate financier, anti-money laundering officer and fund accountant.

Public Sector

Accounting Starting Salary: Between £15K and £26K

Opportunities

The NHS, UK Government Departments, charities, police and education. The public sector comprises of not-for-profit organisations which deliver public services in the UK. Accountants in this sector help these organisations deliver value for money and manage public finances.

Potential roles

Finance manager, management accountant, internal auditor, financial accountant.

Corporate Sector

Accounting Starting Salary: Between £18K and £22K

Opportunities

Dyson, IBM, Arcadia, British Airways to small or medium-sized enterprises. The corporate sector is where accountants assist and support an organisation to make decisions through business insight and by developing investor and partnering relationships.

Potential roles

Management accountant, business analyst, risk manager, group accountant.

Job Roles

Using the ACCA Competency Framework, review the different roles which form part of the finance function and identify the performance objectives and options exams you will need to take to progress in your chosen sector.

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