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Hello everyone,
I am struggling to get a job in accounting, have done a lot of bookkeeping roles and Accounts Assistant roles so have been applying for Assistant Accountant roles but struggling to get a job due to lack of experience.
Is it worth paying for Practical experience with some Accounting firms?
I have even sent my CV to some accounting firms asking for voluntary unpaid jobs but it’s hard to get Accountants who have time to train you.
Please advise me on the best way to get the experience.
Thanks
Yes I’m in the UK, Birmingham.
Have been applying for many assistant accountant roles but keep getting turned down due to the lack of experience.I don’t think working for free or paying to work is a particularly great idea. I can’t imagine many firms being willing to do this for long enough for you to get enough quality experience.
Have you tried looking at apprenticeships? These could be a way to get a foot in the door with a company without requiring experience. You may be older than a school leaver but some companies may still accept you. They may require you to study AAT but if you get level 4 you will be exempt from ACCA F1-F3.
Alternatively, you could try joining a large company in industry which has a finance department but not in a financial role initially, self study for the first few ACCA exams and then try to get a transfer into the finance department.
I joined my company on an apprenticeship (in IT, not finance) at 26, then decided I wanted to go into accounting. I took and passed F1 by myself and then an opening went up on the internal job board for an assistant accountant. I applied and got the job. I don’t think I would have got the job without the exam pass as there were a lot of external applicants who were more experienced. The combination of my knowledge of the business and the fact that I showed willingness to study got me in.
Do you have any passes or exemptions for AAT or ACCA yet? Having a few passes would help you overcome the lack of experience. Also, you say you do have some experience in accounts assistant positions and bookkeeping so you’re not completely lacking in experience. Maybe you need to frame this slightly differently on your CV so employers see the link?
Thank you so much for the advice. I am currently a finalist waiting for my results. I would really like to go into practice but no practice will take me on due to lack of practice experience.
These days employers value experience more than qualifications. So I will try working on my CV to highlight my current skills and see what happens.
Feel so disheartened that noone is giving me a chance. Hope it goes well as it will be a shame to be fully qualified without any job.Yes, it does seem that practices want you to have practice experience. I think I’d struggle to get an assistant accountant job in a practice if I applied as the work I do is quite different, whereas I think I would be able to get another assistant accountant job in industry relatively easily as I now have 2 years experience.
Do you have a LinkedIn profile? If not it is worth getting one and filling in your profile so you have a picture, description, career history and skills. Then set it so recruiters can see you’re looking for work. It will also give you notifications of jobs being posted. More and more recruiters are using it and I frequently get approached for jobs (which I am turning down at the moment as my current role is going well).
With regards to apprenticeships, perhaps something like this would work?
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/-188221
Although you’d be studying AAT which would be a step down in level from finalist ACCA, and the pay would be low, it would get you something to put on your CV. You might actually have the opposite problem with this in that they think you’re over-qualified – you might decide not to tell them how far you’ve got with ACCA.
This is very helpful will work on a LinkedIn profile and my CV,hopefully will get some offers that way. Thank you so much for responding and giving me good advice.
Best wishes.You’re welcome! It’s a tough world out there with jobs sometimes and a chicken and egg scenario with experience. Everyone seems to want you to have experience, even for junior level roles. But I’m sure if you pitch your CV right and apply to the right roles you will find something. Don’t give up!
I think you have to capitalise on what you already have. It’s being in the right place, at the right time. If you move to places like London or other big cities, you are likely to have more options.
Try doing voluntary work as well, AFID, accounting for international development, or try going for public sector roles…Review your CV and then enhance your interview skills.
I know from experience, some people have secured jobs they are not qualified to do because they know how to talk or sell the themselves.
@eagledave Thanks but moving to other cities is not an option for now have two kids and don’t want to uproot them and disrupt their lives. So I probably will work on my interview skills and capitalise on the skills I already have hoping it will help me land a job.
Many thanks for your response.Birmingham is the biggest city in the UK after London so I don’t think that’s the problem here!
@cr333 said:
Birmingham is the biggest city in the UK after London so I don’t think that’s the problem here!You’re right I just have to keep trying my luck, I am bound to get something even if it means taking low wage just to get into the industry and gain the experience.
You can’t be great if don’t humble yourself right!
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