I'm currently a sixthfrom student but I will be leaving in June. My two options at the moment is either go to uni which i have already got a few offers or I could do a 5 year apprenticeship at the Armstrong Watson accounting firm but what bugs me the most is that I have always wanted to go to university but after a recent conversation wiht my business teacher, I started looking at apprenticeships mainly because I won't walk out at the end with debt and I'll become recognised by the ACCA as a chartered accountant which is a part of the training course. A lot of people have told me to go uni because the degree is very important for future job seeking but I know many people who have come out of uni and not being able to find a job. Any advice?
If you want to become an accountant at the end of all of this, then although years ago I would have said go to Uni, I am leaning towards the apprenticeship to be honest. I always wished I had gone to Uni, but if I had been offered an apprenticeship with the ACCA qualification at the end of it then I would have taken that.
I do know someone who didn't go to Uni, due to circumstances at the time, and had to find employment where by they paid for all her courses, AAT, CIMA and ACCA, it took a long time and she juggled a young family at the time, but now with all the experience she has got shes worked her way to the top and probably earns a 6 figure salary to go with it, and is very happy with her decision. So if it were me I would take the apprenticeship and at the end of it you will have ACCA, and 5 years experience working in the real world, and no Uni debt. Experience counts for alot in the real world.
If by any chance you don't want to do Accountancy at the end of it then go to Uni. Did you want to go to Uni for the Degree and the experience?
Excellent advice from Amanda but one more thing to add.
If you do ACCA after the first nine papers you have the option to do a project at the end of which you would be awarded a BSc in applied accountancy from Oxford Brookes University.
This is no tuppenny aipenny american mail order degree, to get to that by passing the first nine you will have done a damn site more study than three years at Uni.
The opportunity to gain your experience whilst taking the qualification is priceless and most would snap up the opportunity. And as said above, you could gain a BSc as part of the ACCA qualification, not instead of.
One monor point. ACCA is chartered certified, not chartered which would be ACA (ICAEW... Or ICAS if its over the border).
The only remaining question then comes down to the social life of a student as opposed to real world experience which you would still need to find once leaving Uni so in many ways you are just adding years to the time before you are able to start commanding serious salaries.
your choice. Whichever one you take good luck going forwards,
kind regards,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I know what you mean. There are many on here who would give your left tentacle (or even their own) for that opportunity.
Irony is that if he goes to Uni then he will come out desperatly searching for an equivalent opportunity that was handed to him on a plate.
If he takes it he comes out with a win win, a degree probably better than the one that he would have got at Uni and the ACCA qualification, plus, icing on the cake, his PER signed off so that he can get the letters and potentially two years later a practice certificate.
Or... University... And student debt... And no guarantee of employment... But, there are more girls at University.
I remember when I was that age which would have swung matters.
p.s. Like the new Avatar Neil.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Just a thought, but you can always go to Uni later as a mature student. You are not 'closing the door' on university but in the UK today I think an apprenticeship is the best way forward.
I would go down the apprentice route, no massive debt, lots of experience and a recognised qualification, personally I think it's a no-brainer. I have known people go through uni for 4 years and get taken on at a low level by one of the big 4, you would have 4 years experience by then and maybe the ACCA qualification pretty much sewn up. also fees were a lot less then so it was like £20000 compared to around £45000 that you are looking at now.
Also I'm with Neil and would give anything to be taken on as an apprentice by a good accountancy firm. Amanda is right as usual and always has some good advice, and Shaun, well I skim read but it is well worth taking his advice as it tends to never be wrong.......... (unless you are Bob).
Thank you all for all the great advices! Although I'll have a great time at uni, its wise to go for the apprenticeship, I shall focus on my application and get it sent off asap!
