Social Mobility Facts

According to the Financial Reporting Council’s Key Facts and Trends in the Accountancy Profession 2010, the six Chartered Bodies have over 293,000 members and over 168,000 students in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The total number of members of the six Chartered Accountancy Bodies in the UK and Republic of Ireland grew steadily at a compound annual growth rate of 2.5% for the period 2004 to 2009.

A career in accounting offers excellent career options, a steady career development path and a good salary. Accountancy Age provides a neutral salary tracker using information sourced annually directly from 33,000 accountants across the UK. According to this tracker, a newly qualified ACCA accountant, anywhere in the UK, earns c.£40,000.

For a student completing the ACCA qualification in five years, the cost of ACCA registration, subscription and examination fees is a total of £1,455. The additional cost of tuition fees would be dependent on the method of study the student or employer chose.

• 49% of the ACCA UK student base is female (nearly 35,000 students).
• 48% of ACCA UK’s students are non-graduates.

Although there is no definitive figure for how many accountants there are in the world, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC), the global organisation for the accountancy profession, represents 2.5 million accountants employed in public practice, industry and commerce, government, and academia and who are members of professional accountancy bodies.