Private practice accountants help people and businesses manage their money effectively.
£18,000 Starter
to£100,000 Experienced
37 to 39 a week
evenings / weekends occasionally
You can get into this job through:
You could take an accountancy degree and then further professional training to qualify. Degrees include:
You'll usually need:
You may be able to take a higher or degree apprenticeship in accountancy through a professional body like the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
You'll usually need:
You could start as an accounting assistant with a firm and take professional training while working.
You'll need A levels or equivalent to apply for a school leaver programme. This would involve working for a company at the same time as studying towards professional or degree level qualifications in accountancy.
You could take training with one of the following professional bodies to become a qualified accountant:
They all have different entry requirements and ways to qualify, so it's important to check with them which is the right route for you. If you already have relevant accounting or business-related qualifications, you may be able to qualify in a shorter time.
If you've qualified with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), you can offer most accountancy services in private practice but you'll need to register as a 'member in practice' with CIMA.
You can find out more about becoming a private practice accountant from:
You'll need:
Your day-to-day duties might include:
You could work in an office or at a client's home.
With experience, you could specialise in an area like auditing or forensic accounting, or become a manager in a practice. You could then move into a partnership or become a finance director.
You could also become self-employed or set up your own company.