ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

What skills have I gained through my studies?

Among your answers may be:

 

To these can be added your own personal skills and interests developed through out-of-class activities: social and interpersonal skills, responsibility, leadership, teamwork, time management

For more information about skills, and advice on how to assess your own skills, see our employability skills pages at www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsmenu.htm

Careers related to Accounting and Finance

Accountancy

The majority of graduates entering professional accountancy careers will train as chartered accountants. Most of these will train in public practice, offering audit and business advice services (including tax advice) to clients. There are also numerous opportunities to train within industry and commerce, normally through CIMA or ACCA. Local authorities and other public bodies often recruit public finance accountants who train for the CIPFA qualification.

The boundaries between different types of qualification and employer are becoming increasingly flexible. Some of the Big 5 chartered accountancy firms offer CIMA, ACCA and CIPFA training alongside the ICAEW or ICAS qualification; some public sector employers (such as the Civil Service) train their accountancy staff for the CIMA qualification and it is possible to qualify as a chartered accountant outside public practice.

For further information on the work and training of accountants see the websites of the various professional accountancy bodies which you can find on our "I want to work in ..... Accountancy" page

Banking

Retail banking (the provision of financial services to individuals and small businesses) covers not only the traditional high-street banks and building societies but also supermarkets, insurance companies (e.g. Prudential’s Egg) and other companies such as Virgin.

Corporate and investment banking involves advising major organisations on mergers & acquisitions, flotations and financial strategy. Graduates are recruited into areas such as analysis, customer liaison and dealing. Entry at graduate level is relatively small and highly competitive – opportunities may be greater for qualified accountants.

For more information see our "I want to work in ..... Banking" page

Insurance

Large composite insurance companies are growing ever larger through mergers and takeovers, often on an international scale. Graduates are recruited into areas such as actuarial work, customer services, accounting, broking, investment management, underwriting and claims work. Other graduates enter via clerical or call centre positions which may get them onto the first rung of the ladder to move up within the organisation

For more information see our "I want to work in ..... Insurance" page

Other finance-related careers

These may include stockbroking, corporate treasury management, tax work, IT in the financial sector, company secretary, solicitor, financial information services and pensions management.

Alternative careers

There are many other occupations which Accounting and Finance graduates can enter: over 40% of graduate vacancies are open to graduates in any degree discipline. A further 10% may specify a numerate or business-related degree, increasing your opportunities still further.

Some careers open to graduates in any subject, where Accounting and Finance graduates may be able to successfully apply the skills mentioned earlier, include:

  • Advertising
  • Civil Service
  • Computing
  • Law
  • Library and Information work
  • Management Services
  • Market Research
  • Personnel
  • Retail Management
  • Purchasing.

 

In the longer term, qualified accountants can and do move into many areas of business, management, finance, sport, media and the public sector.

For further information on careers for Accounting and Finance graduates, see Prospects.ac.uk www.prospects.ac.uk/links/AccountFinDeg

Postgraduate Study

The percentage of Accounting and Finance graduates continuing into full-time postgraduate study is under 10% - about half of the figure for graduates overall. Most will study for a professional accountancy qualification through part-time study while working rather than a Masters degree. Higher degrees in Accounting and Finance tend to be academic rather than vocational, although there are exceptions such as the MSc in International Securities, Investment and Banking at the University of Reading. Graduates who do not wish to follow a finance-related career may consider a general postgraduate business degree, such as the MBA; however, as noted above, many graduate employers are happy to recruit Accounting & Finance graduates into general business functions straight from their first degree.

For more information see our Postgraduate Study pages www.kent.ac.uk/careers/postgradmenu.htm

What do Accounting and Finance graduates do?

Over the last 3 years destinations of Accounting & Finance graduates have broken down as follows:

In employment

78 %

Further study

7.4%

Time out/Unavailable

5 %

Unemployed

6 %

Other

3.6%

(Figures from HESA www.prospects.ac.uk/links/wdgd )

 

These statistics only cover the first six months after graduation. A significant number of graduates are, at this stage, engaged in work which they would regard as temporary - using a short-term job to gain work experience that could act as a stepping-stone to a better position, or earning money to finance postgraduate study or time out travelling, for example. Please remember this if some of the graduate destinations listed seem surprising or discouraging

Examples of jobs & postgraduate study entered by past Kent graduates in Accounting & Finance

Chartered Accountancy training

 

 

 

PriceWaterhouseCoopers

Associate

Baker Tilly

Audit Junior

Price WaterhouseCoopers

Audit trainee

Larkings Chartered Accountants

Trainee Accountant

Stephen Hill Ltd

Client Manager Assistant

Deloittes

Chartered Accountancy trainee

Ward Williams

Chartered Accountancy trainee

Larkings/BPP

Chartered Accountancy trainee

Kirby Haslam

Chartered Accountancy trainee

 

 

ACCA/CIMA Accountancy training

 

Abbey National

Junior Auditor (ACCA)

Brakes

Finance Analyst (ACCA)

London Financial Training Group

ACCA

British Council

Tax Assistant

Ernst & Young

Trainee Pensions Auditor

Manroy Engineering

Trainee Accountant (ACCA)

Pall Corp.

Internal Auditor

Perrys Accountants

Trainee Accountant (ACCA - Taxation)

Price WaterhouseCoopers

Auditor (ACCA)

Home Retail Group

Trainee Accountant

EDF Energy

Operational Accountant

Shepherd Neame

Trainee Accountant

 

 

Other accountancy/financial work

 

 

 

Hodson Architects

Admin/Accounts Assistant

Kent County Council

Pensions Administrator

Dentists Provident Society

Insurance Administrator

IG Debt

Credit Controller

Gerald Edelman Business Recovery

Insolvency Administrator

Goldman Sachs

Private Wealth Analyst

John Parker Steel

Credit Controller

BDO Stoy Hayward

Trainee Chartered Tax Adviser

Groupama Insurances/CII

Claims Graduate/ACII Course

Shadubi Bank

Analyst

Financial Services Authority

Administrator

International Financial Data Services

Investment Trust Administration

 

 

Other areas:

 

 

 

Kingston Hospitals NHS Trust

Administrator

Resident Broker Ltd

Human Resources Assistant

Coral

Trainee Assistant Manager

British Council

Project Co-ordinator

 

 

Further full-time study:

 

University of Birmingham

BSc Law

Cranfield University

MA Finance Management

University of Kent

MSc Management Science

Canterbury Christ Church

PGCE

London Business School

PG Diploma Finance & Accounting

Loughborough University

MA Information Management

Nottingham University

MA Risk Management

Some useful Accounting & Finance links

These provide links to organisations and information sources mentioned in this section. For a fuller list see:

Graduate Directories

Professional Accountancy Bodies

Other professional bodies

Definition of an accountant

"Someone who solves a problem you did not know you had in a way you don't understand"

Grant Thornton

Financial information

As well as providing information that may help you to research graduate recruiters or the financial world in general, these organisations are themselves regular or occasional recruiters of graduates

 

 

Last fully updated 2011