Training as a Chartered Accountant opens the door to a vast range of exciting career opportunities in every sector of business and finance, in Ireland and internationally. Irish Chartered Accountants are in constant demand, here and abroad, as their technical competence, professional standards and expertise are essential in business, public practice and government.

Training as a Chartered Accountant will give you an opportunity to join Chartered Accountants Ireland, the country’s largest and fastest-growing accountancy body. Tuition combines innovative coursework with mentored work experience. That proven approach produces accountants who have a greater ability to analyse business problems and develop dynamic solutions. Perhaps that’s why Chartered Accountants rise further and faster in a diverse range of important roles in organisations worldwide.

1. Why Chartered Accountants have the edge

What’s the difference between Chartered Accountancy and other accounting qualifications? Prospective students often ask that question. The answer is that no other professional accounting qualification gives students the same support, structure, guidance and quality of tuition in the training process. Every professional accountancy body in Ireland requires trainees to have a minimum of three years’ practical experience. We are unique because we ensure that our trainees are supported while they get their experience.

As an Irish-based organisation with headquarters in Dublin and Belfast, we are in a unique position to support and guide our students. Members of our Student Services team are available at any time to advise you or answer queries, a fantastic resource at exam time.

2. Exam success

Our  purpose-built training centre in Pearse St, Dublin, with its comfortable lecture theatres and restaurant, underlines our singular commitment to students. Our investment in cutting-edge technology means lectures from our Dublin and Belfast centres are available online. Training support extends to our active student societies, which organise a full calendar of social events and give students a voice at the Institute.

Unlike other professional accountancy bodies, we don’t outsource our education; classes are run directly by Chartered Accountants Ireland. Which means that the lecturers and tutors are closer to the material and able to better prepare the students for their exams. Which ultimately means the students do better in their exams.

Our approach to exemptions is transparent and easy for our students to understand. We don’t charge fees to check exemptions, so our students can confirm their starting point before committing to the programme, giving them a clear and accurate picture of what exams they need to sit in order to qualify. We don’t try to lure students with exemptions they should not receive – we believe we must ensure each student starts at the right level. We consider each student’s prior qualification on a case-by-case basis, and where we see an overlap, we award the relevant exemptions. This means that our students ultimately perform better and qualify faster than students of other accountancy bodies. 71% of students pass their exams at the first attempt.

3. First class training

Chartered Accountant training involves a combination of academic and professional training regardless of the route you take. We offer a variety of courses, each with different structures based on local requirements.

We also have a distance programme that offers great flexibility. Students enrolling on a regular course attend lectures for the equivalent of four to five days a month, from October until May. Some venues have a mixture of evening and weekend lectures; others offer face-to-face lectures at weekends with streamed lectures and home assignments.

Students opting for the distance programme will watch content online and attend workshops approximately two days a month. This means students can study at their own pace.

Our lecturers are committed to equipping students with the kind of technical knowledge that will form the bedrock of their professional careers. Trainees are taught how to apply the technical knowledge learned in the classroom to real-life situations. Broad business skills are developed and mentors instil the values that are the foundation of our members’ reputation.

Training can be either in industry (any sector) or in traditional accountancy practices. In both, trainees can expect to learn about financial accounting and reporting, business finance, management accounting, taxation and planning, and auditing and assurance.

4. Chartered Accountancy, a global qualification

An accountancy qualification is truly global if an institute abroad recognises your education and the training you completed to qualify. Despite the claims of other accountancy bodies, Chartered Accountancy is the only Irish professional accounting qualification that has this recognition. Your pre-qualification training and the experience you gain post-qualification are necessary to qualify for auditing and practicing certificates which, in turn, allow you to sign off on audits and accounts. Without these, the ability to operate in a foreign country is severely limited.

Irish Chartered Accountants have true global mobility as their training is recognised internationally. Those looking for an Antipodean adventure will be facilitated by exclusive agreements with the Chartered Institutes in both Australia and New Zealand. Numerous others are in place with countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, England, Scotland and Wales.

We have unique Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) that offer our members an outstanding entry point to business in any part of the world. An MRA is an agreement between professional bodies that allows membership to transfer from one jurisdiction to another.

Chartered Accountants Ireland is a member of the Global Accounting Alliance (GAA) and Chartered Accountants Worldwide and is part of a global network of almost 320,000 Chartered Accountants. This brings enormous benefits to our members living, or working, in foreign countries. Of the Institute’s 24,000 members, more than 3,500 are working in 90 countries.

So, the next time you hear an accountancy body is global, or has ‘links’ with other institutes, make sure to ask for some details.

5. Career paths and rewards

A Chartered Accountancy qualification offers you an exciting career path in the industry of your choice, anywhere in the world. Today’s member takes on the role of a business adviser, who makes high-level strategic decisions aimed at driving business, improving profit margins and increasing market share for their clients/employers.

Many Chartered Accountants also use their expertise to set up their own businesses, becoming highly successful entrepreneurs. Chartered Accountants generally also have a solid foundation in economics, marketing and management information systems.

As well as dominating public-accounting practices, Chartered Accountants are found at the highest level in virtually every sector, from financial services, to healthcare, and the music industry.

The rewards that go with the Chartered qualification are significant. The average starting salary for a newly qualified Chartered Accountant in is €56,800, according to a 2017 survey in Leinster.

Seven in ten people said their salary increased by at least 10 percent over the last three years. And, hopefully, that’s just one of the benefits at the start of a long and challenging career.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us via email.