The Training Contract pathway is a structured programme that combines working and training. Traditionally employers will hire recent college or university graduates, often as part of a larger graudate programme.

The Training Contract is a formal agreement between the student, the employer (a recognised training partner) and Chartered Accountants Ireland. This pathway is highly structured; you complete your studies and your practical experience at the same time, within the term of the contract typically 3, 3.5 or 4 years depending on your educational background. 

The employer’s obligation is to pay your training fees, and give you relevant work experience, study leave and support. The student’s responsibility is to commit to their studies and training and to complete their training contract in full with the employer.

Business graduates with a 2:2 honours degree or better can expect exemptions from the first programme level, CAP 1. Postgraduates from accredited Masters programmes who may be exempt from CAP 1 and CAP 2, meaning you will just have your FAE level to complete. Non-business graduates are often actively sought after by employers looking for diverse skillsets and consistently do very well in Chartered exams. Your starting point is our first programme level, CAP1.

Curious about your starting point? Check your exemptions here.

Apply directly to accountancy firms that you are interested in working with. Use our Training Vacancies list to see which firms have vacancies.

Due to our unique working relationship with Ireland's top employers, we have a freely available list of training vacancies positions. This is a list of firms and companies with open Chartered Accountancy trainee positions.

If you are interested in a position please contact the organisations directly. While most of the positions are in practice with a Training Contract on offer, there are also some companies in Industry hiring trainees via the Flexible Route.

Milkround

The "milkround" is a process that the larger firms go through each autumn when they are recruiting for training positions. Usually the milkround process takes place in colleges and universities around the country, focusing on the graduate classes of degrees in accounting, finance, and other relevant areas.