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Having worked on the corporate side for more than a decade in the roles ranging from statutory auditor at a BIG4 to Financial Controller at World’s largest bank, I can certainly vouch about the career opportunities after completing the ACCA course. Especially now with the ACCA having its dedicated office and team in India, the career opportunities are only going to increase.
In my recent conversation with the regional head of ACCA, he mentioned a very peculiar problem ACCA faces in India; the BIG4’s and MNC’s have huge number of openings for the ACCA professionals however the Indian market don’t have enough qualified ACCA’s. The opportunities range from Accountants working as executives in General Ledger, AP, AR, and Tax processes, to Consultant at a BIG4 under internal audits.
To be fair, the ACCA’s have all the same if not more career opportunities what CA’s have. Therefore if your interest is to work at an Investment Bank like JP Morgan, Credit Suisse or BIG4’s like EY, KPMG, etc. you just have to complete the ACCA course (ensure you chose the right ACCA classes in Mumbai or anywhere in India). The Jobs in Accounts and Finance sector are abundant and waiting to be taken by the qualified folks, however you have to be fully qualified and ACCA gives you the best opportunity to be a fully qualified Chartered Accountant in as short duration as 2.5 years.
Incase you are still wondering what are the roles that you can apply for after completing ACCA, below are some taken from the ACCA jobs portal and are the live jobs with very good salaries ranging from jobs in Finance sector to Assurance and Advisory:
- Financial Analyst – responsible for investigating finance flows, generate and improve reports with insightful commentaries
- Accounts Officer – responsible for bookkeeping, maintaining accounts, general ledgers, produce P&L, Balance Sheet and other monthly reports.
- Audit Assistants – responsible for statutory as well as internal audits, involved in testing of controls, evidence review, reporting, etc.
- Manager/Sr Manager (Consultancy) – responsible for projects related to provision of accounting advisory support (IFRS) and GAAP conversion services to clients along with planning, budgeting, reporting and also advising clients on IPO preparedness including the paper work required. Additionally develop people to take on higher responsibilities
- Taxation – responsible for all tax related transactions, ensuring TAX accurately calculated and reports filed as per the timelines set by the government
- Finance controller – responsible for completion of the Divisional Budgets / Monthly and quarterly forecasts, overseeing the completion of monthly reporting and the provision of variance analysis and insightful commentary with full balance sheet ownership and identification and management of any potential risks
The list is endless and the opportunities after doing the ACCA course are abundant, therefore please do not think twice before embarking on this challenging yet rewarding journey of completing the ACCA course. All the very best!
About Author:
Zaheer A Sayed is an ACCA member, currently working as an Associate Director with UBS (Union Bank of Switzerland) as a Financial Controller and have worked in countries like UK, Australia and Bahrain. Also in his free time teaches the ACCA course at FPA Edutech, Mumbai (fpa.edu.in/) and is a strong advocate of the qualification due to the job opportunities available in the Accounts and Finance sector for the qualified professionals.