Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant

ICAEW

ACA – A combination of four components

Work experience

Initial professional development

Structured training in ethics

Examinations

ICAEW

Entry requirements and entry routes

ICAEW

The ACA – minimum entry requirements

• Minimum entry requirements:

– Two A levels (or international equivalent) and three GCSE passes including Maths and English

ICAEW

The ACA – multiple entry routes

• Graduate route

– Don’t need maths/accounting at A-level

– 84% of ACA students have a degree

– Majority of these have a non-relevant degree – eg, law, civil engineering, modern languages, history…

• School- leavers (A-levels or international equiv.)

• Fast Track programmes (from AAT)

• Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business

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Exams

ICAEW

ADVANCED STAGE

6 application modules – paper-based exam

Each 2.5 hours long

Case study

4 hour assessment

Exams

PROFESSIONAL STAGE

2 Advanced Stage modules – paper-based

Each 3.5 hours long

6 knowledge modules – computer-based exam

Each 1.5 hours long

ICAEW

ACA exam structure

ICAEW

Credit for prior learning / exemptions

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Credits / exemptions available

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Initial professional development

ICAEW

Initial professional development

Personal effectiveness

Technical and functionalexpertise

Professional judgement

Business awareness

Ethics and professionalism

Set up to ensure continuous development in the following key areas that define a chartered accountant

ICAEW

Structured training in ethics

ICAEW

Structured training in ethics

• Web-based interactive programme

• Updated ethics guidance and activities

• Three stages designed to be spread across training

• Ethics also integrated into exams

ICAEW

Work experience requirements

ICAEW

Work experience requirements

• 450 days of ‘real’ work experience of a financial, business or commercial matter

• Can include but is not limited to one of (or multiple) of:– Accounting– Audit/Assurance– Taxation– Financial Management– Insolvency– Information Technology

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Employers – they include:

• Practice: From Big Four to sole practitioners

• Public sector: National Audit Office, Ministry of Justice, Department of Transport, Thames Water, Portsmouth City Council, Wales Audit Office

• Financial services: Barclays, American Express, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Royal SunAlliance, Royal Bank of Scotland, Old Mutual

• Business: T-Mobile, BUPA Care Homes, Barratt Homes, British Land Company

ICAEW

ACA training across the world

ICAEW

ChinaOffice. Local tuition and exam centres for top-up ACA course from CICPA qualification

Cyprus and GreeceLocal tuition and exam centres

MalaysiaOffice. Local tuition and exam centres

RussiaLocal tuition and exam centres

UKHQ. Local tuition and exam centres across UK

Europe

Tuition at selected centres in France, Germany etc

Singapore Office. Local tuition

Pakistan Tuition. Exam centres

GulfTuition in Dubai and BahrainRomania

Local tuition and exam centres

Where can students train for the ACA

Qualifying as a Chartered Accountant