Student life

Students across the country are patiently and anxiously anticipating the results of their respective exams, from FAE’s to Junior Cert.  But what if you don’t get the results you were expecting? Failing an exam or not getting the result you hoped for can send you into a spin, leave you questioning yourself and your abilities, and feeling a whole range of difficult emotions – disappointment, dejection and embarrassed. However, while it might feel catastrophic, failing an exam isn’t the end of the world. Such setbacks are an inevitable part of life, but it is how you learn to overcome these that will help you grow and bounce back. Perspective It is essential to absorb and accept the unforeseen turn of events but don’t dwell on it too much! Gaining perspective on the situation will help you cope and alter the emotions you are feeling in response to the setback. It is important not to berate yourself or place your worth in exam results, failure and setbacks do not define a person. Falling into destructive and negative thinking when it comes to your exams or repeat may affect your performance in the future. Identifying the positives in your life and what you like about yourself away from the setback can help you gain a new perspective on the situation. It might even help to write them down. And remember, everyone experiences failure at some stage in life and everyone reacts differently. In fact, experts believe setbacks are the foundation for success as it offers invaluable opportunities to grow and learn. So, digest the setback, get back on your feet and don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others In the age of social media, it can be difficult not to compare your life, career or path to those you see online. And seeing celebratory post in your timeline can make it even harder not to compare yourself to others. However, it doesn’t really matter how anyone else has done – you are your own competition and benchmark. Comparing yourself to your peers will only make you feel miserable and feed into that hurtful self-talk of not being good enough. Talk to someone close to you – family members, friends or colleagues will all have suffered their own setbacks and can offer different perspectives, advice, and life experience of their own. If you are then still struggling with the aftermath, you should consider talking to a professional. What next? After the initial shock and feelings have subsided, it is time to take stock and consider your options and next step. It is also important to reflect on the lead up and the exam itself analytically to determine if there were reasons behind the less than expected result. Did time management, wrong selection of questions or nerves hinder your performance? Was your study efficient enough?  Is there anything that might have produced a better result? What can you learn from the experience so that you perform better next time? Take some time with these questions and be honest with yourself as you answer them. They will help you prepare for your next step and provide you the opportunity to learn and grow. Setbacks are some of life’s biggest hurdles but also offer important life lessons, and always remember you can do better next time!

Professional learning and development is key to career progression, but asking for financial support from your company can be difficult. Dearbhla Gallagher outlines how best to approach your employer when it comes to requesting support. Learning and development are critical in the workplace. As dramatic changes in technology have changed the way we work, employees can’t afford to rest on their laurels and ignore their professional development. Ongoing training is key to everyone’s professional progress. However, professional training can be expensive and not always within our budgets. It makes good sense to request financial support from your employer: many firms and companies generously support professional development if they can see the value of upskilling their workforce. Requesting training support demonstrates to your employer that you are committed to developing and growing in your role. But simply asking for financial support is not enough; your employer needs to see the potential for a clear return on investment. So, let’s take a look at a good approach to identifying and requesting support for your learning and development from your organisation. Do your research Start by doing your research. Do a self-assessment. Consider your skills deficiency in relation to not just your current role but the skills you need for the next promotion. Get feedback, ask your colleagues what training they undertook to progress in their own careers. Ask a mentor if they can help identify potential skills gaps that could prevent you from progressing. Be prepared to listen and take on board what your mentor is saying. Research training options and the costs. Can you commit? Do you have the time and energy for 3,000-word assignments after work and after the kids have gone to bed? Demonstrate the benefits The next step is to be able to demonstrate the benefits to your employer. They will want to see a strong case for increased productivity and performance. They will want to know if the training will improve the quality of your performance and output. Link your request for education funding to specific performance objectives. Think about the bigger picture – how will the investment in your training benefit the broader organisation? Is it possible, for example, that you can share what you have learned afterwards with a wider group of your colleagues by way of a presentation, thus avoiding the cost of sending multiple employees on the same course? Make a commitment Finally, investing in employee training is generally seen to increase employee loyalty and commitment to the organisation in the future. By and large, employers are very generous with training budgets, but they will want some level of comfort that you are not going to jump ship at the first offer with your newly acquired knowledge. You are more likely to get a positive response if there is a strong sense that you are committed to a future in the organisation. Dearbhla Gallagher is the HR & Learning and Development Manager at Baker Tilly.

A good night’s sleep should not be underestimated at any time but when you are trying to delicately balance work, family, hobbies and study, it is even more important. Sleep is just as important a part of your success and health as other parts of your day like eating, exercising, studying and working. Just as you prepare and plan your study time or work time to optimise the benefits, have you thought that you might need to invest a little more in your sleep? If you do not sleep well or if you have poor quality sleep, there may be something fundamental that needs attention. If it’s ongoing it may well impact on other parts of your life in a detrimental way and this needs to be looked at. Poor sleep has been linked to wider physical and mental health implications such as diabetes, depression, obesity, high blood pressure amongst others. Not only these but our moods can deteriorate, we can get clumsier, but critically for any of us studying and working, our concentration and memory retention is lowered. A lot of our hard work may therefore be being sabotaged by our sleep cycles. Anyone who has listened to the Freakonomics podcasts may have heard two episodes of the economics of sleep. Many of those with poorer sleep patterns had lower economic and educational outcomes. These are all very tangible effects that should not be ignored. If you feel you are not sleeping properly, you can certainly try to address environmental and lifestyle factors in the first instance. It could be that you are unfortunately doing this to yourself but little changes may well improve your sleep. One of the main things to note is that mental stimulation and sleep are just not compatible. 1.       Don’t work or study in your bedroom. It’s really important to separate your leisure and relaxation space from your workspace. If you are working through course notes or a work project propped up on your pillows, you’re probably not working very productively but crucially you are blurring the lines for your mind between the two activities. You may not be able to switch off and have trouble getting to sleep or poor sleep. 2.       Keep your sleep space organised Your mind will get frazzled in a cluttered, hectic physical space. Try to do a little neaten up to make it a pleasant sanctuary at night time: hang up clothes, neaten up the piles of papers and books, have as soft lighting as possible, make your bed in the morning. That way when you walk in at bedtime, it is restful which will relax your mind. 3.       No screens! Any kind of screen in the bedroom is a no-no. The blue light in devices like television screens, tablets, smartphones and energy saving light bulbs are proven to disrupt our day-night rhythm. Effectively you are telling your body and mind that it’s daytime, activity time. To avoid temptation to tweet that witty musing at midnight, just leave all of these devices in another room. Read a book, flick through a magazine or newspaper if you need to wind down your brain after the day. And what’s more, you’ll probably really enjoy the mental retreat. 4.       Have a bedtime It’s really important to establish a rhythm. Our bodies and minds love routine. The hours between 2am and 6am are when your body is best at healing and regenerating after the rigours of the day so this is when you should really try to be asleep. Going to bed at a set time each night is a really positive way to encourage good sleep. There is an adage that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two after, so it’s well worth trying to get to bed and lights out by 12. 5.       Have a good pre-bed routine Don’t do too much just before bed. Again, if you’re busy right before bedtime, you won’t have a lot of time to wind down before you need to be asleep, plus you might find your heart and mind racing. You might think physical exercise is a good way to get tired, but that 10km run at 10pm isn’t such a good idea. Pull it back to 8pm and your body will have time to cool and slow down. Basically before you go to bed you should try to do calm, leisurely activities: reading, TV in another room, a stroll around the block, a phone call with a friend…anything that tells your mind it’s now time to switch off. 6.       Limit fluids before bed It’s fairly obvious that what goes in must come out! Don’t drink too much just before bedtime. Avoid in particular caffeine and alcohol as they are too stimulating. 7.       Temperature and comfort The temperature and ambience of your bedroom is important: you will wake up if you are too hot or too cold, if the room is stuffy, your covers are too hot…simple changes like more comfortable pyjamas, opening the window a little to allow fresh air, a better quality duvet or even a new mattress might all be excellent investments. Good sleep will make you feel fresher, more energetic and motivated, as well as improve your mental concentration and physical health. With all these factors in place, you may be setting yourself up to perform better at work and study tasks which can lead to better professional outcomes too. As a former insomniac myself, I can attest that making the changes is well worth it. Feeling like the walking dead at work and at social functions is really not very nice. Try the small changes first and see how much better you’ll feel (and hopefully how much better you’ll do too!) Good luck and sleep tight! (If you need information about sleep clinics around Ireland, see your GP or visit http://irishsleepsociety.org/index.htm)    Amy Dawson Amy is a member of the Specialist Qualifications team at Chartered Accountants Ireland. With over ten years experience in arts administration, she has also worked in education administration providing support for distance learners. From a postgraduate diploma to an online Masters to swimming, oil painting and theatre production, she's always looking for the next learning indulgence or to help you find yours.

With CAP1 exams completed in late May and CAP2 in June, The Bottom Line asked the exams team where students ran into problems with the exams platform, and what lessons FAE students can learn to make for a good exam-day experience. Bryan Rankin explains. 17 and 19 August 2021 are doubtless indelibly printed on FAE students’ minds as the dates for the main exams. CAP1 and CAP2 have already completed their exams, and are taking a moment of relaxation. What we can be learnt from their experience? When it comes to professional exams, there are many unknowns – what topics, questions, or indicators will come up? Yet, what is certain is that you’ll be undertaking your FAE exam on Chartered Accountants Ireland’s eAssessment platform, Cirrus, and entering the exam (on-boarding) through the invigilation service, ProctorU. Most common problems Where a student flags a problem in accessing the exam platform during testing, a resolution can almost always be found. It may be instructive to look back at individual problems encountered by a small minority of CAP1 and CAP2 students recently as a predictor of potential problems. According to the Exams team, the most frequent causes of CAP1 exam-day problems were: Students using a training firm laptop and not switching off VPN; Issues associated with using an Apple laptop; and A student successfully tested their equipment in one location, but ended up sitting the exam elsewhere, and encountered some connectivity issues. While the success rate for CAP1 and CAP2 students in on-boarding the exams platform this summer was extremely high, it’s not uncommon for students to experience a connection issue. In most cases, this is momentary – but it can happen, so don’t be perturbed. Reconnect by going through the usual procedure. Preparation There’s so much you can do to prepare for the online exam experience ahead of time. Take the time to visit the eAssessment pages on the Exams section of the website. On these pages you will find videos and screenshots of the practice papers, and a video tutorial on how our eAssessment platform, Cirrus, functions. Students must ensure that they have run all the checks as per question 23 on the FAQs page prior to exam day to identify possible issues, and contact us as soon as possible so we can assist rather than waiting until exam day. Students should also shut down their laptop the evening before each exam and turn it on fresh each morning. If a student experiences issues on the day, they should use the dedicated ProctorU chat. If their issue is not resolved, they should then contact the Exams executive and Exams team, who are contactable by phone and email. Students should provide the exact details of the error message or issue, and keep the details concise. Finally, it is worth recognising that exams are always a stressful experience. Managing your stress is key to exam success. Simple techniques, such as mindful breathing, can reduce your stress levels. Anticipating issues and having a plan to manage your response can mitigate any anxiety you may have. If students intend using an Apple computer, they must contact ProctorU in advance for assistance in adjusting security settings. Practice papers FAE students have had access to practice papers since 10 May 2021, with one paper per subject. You have four attempts at each practice paper, so make the most of them. The Exams team recommends that you keep a number of practice attempts to use in advance of your main exams so you can test your knowledge and timings in an exam setting. Try writing the whole practice paper in one sitting in exam conditions at least once. Communications The exams team will be in contact with you via email on several occasions with important updates in advance of main exams. The practice on-boarding will take place on Wednesday 28 July, which is approximately three weeks before your sitting. The exams team will issue the practice timeslots to students a couple of days before this date. Final timeslots will be issued in the week beginning 9 August. The practice on-boarding session, in particular, can be extremely valuable as a test run; however, the Exams team report that only a minority of CAP1 and CAP2 students engaged in the exercise. Please take the opportunity to go through the process when notified. “If in doubt, test it out!” Students can only test their equipment once they have received their exam time slot. Students should not try to create a ProctorU profile. Once the student clicks on the exam link, which will be visible on the student portal on the ‘My Enrolments’ page, they will be automatically re-directed to their ProctorU dashboard. Here, students can test their equipment in advance of their exam. Before receiving their exam slot, students can check that their camera and microphone are working by using settings on their laptop and check their internet by doing an internet speed check at www.speedcheck.net. And the FAE Exams team can be contacted at faeexam@charteredaccountants.ie if you have any queries. Bryan Rankin is CAP1 Lead at Chartered Accountants Ireland.

In this article, Charlotte Keating gives some tips on how you can keep energy levels and motivation up the week before and during the exam period.  Mindset shift - converting fear to excitement Did you know… fear and excitement are pretty much the same feeling? Think about it- your body displays almost identical symptoms, as it’s getting ready to take action. According to neuroscientists, the difference is all in the mind. In fact, when participants of a 2014 Harvard Business School study re-labelled their fear as excitement, they performed better in important tasks. When you feel those pre-exam nerves kicking in, you can work with them positively by choosing to feel excited instead. Interpreting what you’re feeling as excitement can make exam anxiety easier to manage as it puts you in an “opportunity mindset” which focuses on the ways the exam could go well, increasing energy and confidence. Here are some ways you can practice this approach while reflecting on your past, focusing on the present and looking towards your future as you prepare for your exams: Reflecting on past achievements Think of all of your accomplishments and the challenges you’ve overcome so far in your life- go back as far as you can remember and write them down. Look at this list daily, especially the night before and the morning of the exams, really focusing on how proud your achievements make you feel. Use these memories to get excited about what you have the ability to achieve!  Focus on the present As you revise and practice questions this week, the following tips can be useful to keep your energy high by focusing on taking care of yourself:  Wake-up calls- use the alarm on your phone to not only wake you up in the morning, but throughout the day as well.    Set different alarms for whatever intervals work best for you. These are a great reminder to take a break, stretch, get a drink of water, have a snack, or get some fresh air for a few minutes.    You might label the alarms with different words and phrases, such as: “I am really good at what I do” “I am successful” “I always do my best” “Alive, grateful, happy” …anything that’s going to lift your spirits when you look at them and help you to be mindful of the present moment! You could also use these “wake-up calls” as an opportunity to play an upbeat song, dance to it like no one’s watching, or simply feel the rhythm to give you a surge of energy. Listening to the music you enjoy triggers the brain to release more dopamine, the “happy hormone”, which also helps to increase energy and focus.    Postural Feedback, or “Power moves”- Getting into as good a posture as possible, chest out, with your hands on your hips like a superhero, over your head like a bear, or to the side like a peacock, is a technique that you can use to feel in control and confident. Take some deep breaths as you do this. You might also say out loud “I feel excited”, even if you don’t feel it at first. Repeating this creates an authentic sense of excitement. Try holding the pose for two minutes to increase the feeling. You can practice this throughout the day when you take a break from the books and also right before going into the exam.    Exercising whatever way you prefer is a great way to gain more energy, absorb information and come up with solutions…maybe you’ll get clarity in an area you had a mental block with while out for that walk?    Switch off after your day of study as best as you can. Activities that will distract your brain and allow it to rest are ideal, like watching a movie that makes you laugh.    Look towards the future Visualisation is a technique that’s long been linked to high performance in sport and it works for exams too. Spending five minutes each day visualising your future success can help to settle the nerves. For best results, close your eyes, take some deep breaths and allow your thoughts to wander into a day-dream: Imagine the day of the exam- how do you wake up? Refreshed, focused, motivated? On your way to exam, how are you feeling? Confident, prepared? Take yourself to where you will be sitting the exam in your mind- notice anything you see, hear, smell, feel, … maybe you can taste the mint you’ve been eating? Block out thoughts of everyone else- what they are doing is not important and doesn’t matter to you and your success. See yourself opening up that exam paper/logging into the online exam system and it all going successfully, answering questions with ease, taking deep breaths and being able to come up with a plan to answer anything challenging. Imagine the exam has gone really well. Try to feel the emotions you would feel afterwards. Give yourself permission to get excited about it! Always do your best As a final thought, in his book, The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz says that: “Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick, when you are tired as opposed to well-rested. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement.” Remember, you’ve done the bulk of the work and achieved so much already. A great use of your time this week before the exams is to work on preparing yourself mentally so that you can approach them feeling excited and ready and come out the other side knowing that you’ve done your best. By Charlotte Keating, ACA and founder of Act On It Coaching (www.actonitcoaching.com; email: charlotte@actonitcoaching.com

By Leo Norris, Head of Education Delivery The launch phase of the Institute’s move to exclusively online education for 2020/21 academic year has now completed, as last evening all FAE students were given access to the Learning Hub, the Institute’s new online education platform.  But the key piece in the puzzle has been developing tailored support and training material for students, to ensure the progression is as smooth and easy as possible. There has been a significant investment in time and resources into producing new web pages, technical ‘how to’ guides, as well as recording videos to advise students on how to approach the new online way of learning. New induction page containing three new training videos for students, with bespoke materials for new CAP1, CAP2 and FAE students. Induction sessions were conducted as recorded videos for each programme year. New video on the importance of students taking responsibility for their studies and success in the new online-only environment, called “Owning Your Journey”. New video – five-minute tour of the Learning Hub and what you’ll see on Day 1. Three ‘Meet & Greet’ one-hour live webinars for CAP1, CAP2 and FAE students – excellent engagement and lots of questions for the panel! The webinars were recorded and available to students to view. New, expanded Student FAQs that aim to answer most questions that arise at course commencement. Accountancy Ireland Extra article “Top tips for study in exclusively online environment.” Online education has meant new ways of handling academic queries and contacting lecturers.  Each learning session is a combination of recorded lectures, other online learning materials (practice questions, surveys etc) and live webinars. The first recorded lecture in each subject gives an introduction and overview of the subject. Each session has its own discussion forum for students to pose a question to lecturers, either before (ideally) during or even after the webinar. The use of forums to deal with queries mean that students can benefit from each others’ answers and allows for peer learning and support. So far the process has worked well, with students asking lots of good, pertinent questions – and receiving answers from the lecturer team! Apart from technology, support also extends to Institute staff members who are on hand at each live webinar to ensure everything keeps to time. There are two experienced lectures on the larger webinars, one to present and the other to deal with incoming live queries. So far we’ve received positive feedback from students on how webinars are operating. And investment in learning isn’t confined to our students. We’ve invested time, energy and resources training up our own staff support teams on learning the new processes and technologies inside out, so that they can provide knowledge quickly to students when they need it. There’s also been a big focus on working with our lecturers on new approaches to learning, dictated by the move to online education. Many of our lecturers this year come with significant experience and specialism in the area of online learning, and have already shared knowledge, skills and helpful technology applications with the rest of the lecturer team to good effect. Clearly the shift to exclusively online learning is a significant change for all students, but online learning need not be distant learning. The network of training firms, from Big 4 right down to small training firms have excelled in creating a strong bond and sense of community with their trainees, especially the new intake. We’re receiving positive feedback from new and progressing students that they’re enjoying the flexibility to choose how and when they engage with their recorded learning (live webinars are scheduled and provide a strong sense of structure to the academic week).   Indeed, surveys in previous years with Institute students indicated that they wanted the learning principles to be offered in recorded sessions with live sessions dedicated to case studies and practical application, and the new offering does precisely that. Looking to the future, we’ll continue to adapt and innovate, to support students in every way we can. We’ll investigate and adopt new technologies that help students in this move to online, but most importantly the Institute’s Education Department and lecturing teams will continue to be on hand at every step of the journey, from day one to admission to membership.