r/ukaccounting

i am autistic and have qualified with aca and find that alot of gl accountant roles which i like are being offshored overseas and with the rising risk of numbers lowering as compliance work can be done quicker with help of ai and lower staff members seems like fbp is the only option which is safer.

but not sure if its the right move or rather to stay in financial accounting positions like monthly recs, year end accounts and audit queries with risk of possible redundancies like would fbp on civil service be ok for autistic people or better to get a pay cut and get more experience in tax something like vat.

would like an advice

Hi just wondering how you guys landed that first job in finance. I’ve applied for 75 entry level roles and sen 120~ cold emails asking about helping out during the upcoming tax season. I’ve passed level 2 AAT and the FAPS exam in level 3 AAT so far. I’ve also done some Sage online training as well as a Xero course in level 2 AAT. Even this I get no responses from employers. I have no relevant accounting work experience but held a job for 4 years and another for 2 years (made redundant in August). I’m thinking of trying to get a quickbooks certification to see if that helps my chances but I feel quite hopeless right now. Any advice is much appreciated

Has anyone moved from full time to contract work? I am thinking of one in near future. Have been in auditing and accounting for more than a decade and thinking of moving to contract work just to get paid by day rate.

Background

I’m FCCA without a practice cert. Left the corporate world after 20+ years and for last six months been building a practice mgmt solution for a small practice in UK - new website integrated with pm solution, lead gen, onboarding, MTD, open banking etc. Client is happy and relationship will continue.

Plan was to sell the solution into other firms. However, now considering setting up my own practice using the software. Was always the plan long term but now thinking to just go for it and bin the idea of being a tech vendor (has its own challenges). Can foresee going the acquisition route as have avenues for potential funding leveraging the tech. Without the tech the whole idea is a non starter.

Problem, of course, is I don’t have a PC.

Obvious route is to partner with an existing ACCA PC holder who would sponsor me to become PC holder over time. Terms need to make sense for the partner ie equity/salary etc. Launch client might be an option but is not local. Would prefer SE ie Herts where i’m based but not essential.

What i’m wondering is how best to try and find such a person? Maybe here! Network is limited as i’ve not been in the practice world.

Any thoughts appreciated

Hi I am about to start my MSc in accounting soon and my masters will give me some paper exemptions in both. Unfortunately I have no prior accounting work experience and would be starting off from scratch (which I am ready to do). I have BA in economics and sales experience of two years.

How do I go about choosing which accreditation is suitable? I obviously am doing the research and googling everything but i wanted to hear from you who had the option for both and ended up choosing one.

for more context : I will be on a graduate visa seeking skilled worker visa, but I don’t want to make a life long career decision based on VISA circumstances, unless it will have a big impact on the visa outcome

Just interviewed at an accounting firm in Manchester lead by a ex PWC member. The job was for semi senior accountant with “ competitive salary” listed in the description. I was told that the director expected me to hit the ground running with accounts / bookkeeping / vat and taking ownership of a portfolio of clients with no study support or financial support towards exams or courses. The salary offered was £26,000 with the minimum annual leave. I declined and was told I missed out on a great opportunity. Is the market this bad ? I was also told £26,000 is a very good salary for a part qualified accountant.

Please let me know - whether I have a Dark mind or sharp mind

While closing my clients account I have found a peculiar trend . I see that my client who is married 3 kids he always a visit to city where he has no clients and every time makes a visit to the city. He always goes to the pharmacy ( drug store ) in that particular city .

While he is on such tours such no client visits on the pretext of business trip or what’s so ever - In paying role data , one of his secretary is always on some leave during the same time period .

Once I tried pitching it to him and asked the reason for such Visits . He simply brushed it off by saying he is trying to develop a relation with his upcoming clients since he is expanding into that city .

Am I thinking too much by connecting the dots..
please suggest .. how dark is my mind ??

If I own two legally separate companies, which aren’t connected except by my ownership/directorship, what’s the best and most compliant way to transfer money from one to the other?

A contract/invoice for services rendered?

Drawing money as salary and investing it?

Anything else?

Hi everyone, I’ll cut a long story short. In 2022, I self-studied Levels 2, 3 and 4 of AAT, gaining Distinction, Distinction and Merit.

At the time I suffered with a debilitating condition. I wanted to work for myself, as I wouldn’t have been able to sustain employment. I quickly realised you really need years in the job before that becomes even the remotest possibility. That wasn’t possible, so I left it there.

I’ve recently had surgery and it’s much, much better and it might last forever. 🤞 Can you see a pathway into the industry for me, what that might look like? I’m 41, male, living in Shropshire, was a teacher before my condition put paid to that. I really like the idea of being an auditor. I found that area of study most interesting and feel I could be good at it.

Just started an assistant accountant role as an accounting & finance grad with a placement year as a finance assistant and looking at these balance sheets, posting journals etc. is very complex and still getting my head account debits and credits. Does it get better?😭 Not trying to lose my job😅😅

Hi everyone,

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone a bit with this post, but I wanted to be honest. I launched my own practice back in July as a licensed AAT Bookkeeper based in Leicester, and to be completely transparent, the marketing and cold outreach side of things has been a real struggle.

Networking and pitching haven’t quite clicked yet, and I'm finding it tough going out there on my own!

Instead of forcing more cold outreach, I’d love to pivot and connect directly with fellow bookkeepers and accountants who might have a high workload and need an extra, reliable pair of safe hands.

If you have overflow work or need a sub-contractor you can trust to jump straight in,
here is a bit about my background:
Fully Compliant: AAT AML supervised, ICO registered, and covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance.

Tech Stack Fluent: Experienced across Xero, QuickBooks, FreeAgent, Sage 50, Sage Intacct, Sage Business Cloud, and Odoo. (Have experience in Implementing SageIntacct as a Implementation Consultant)

Detail-Oriented: I pride myself on meticulous accuracy and leaving records in top-notch shape.

If you ever need extra support, or even if you just fancy a virtual coffee and a chat with another local professional who understands the growing pains of a startup, I would love to connect.

Please feel free to drop me a PM or comment below. Thanks so much for reading!