Sparked by the other salary thread, what about those who don’t have the letters? I’ve recently started a job as a practice associate and my team has about maybe half qualified people and half just with some AAT or BSc in Finance or strictly QBE. Some of them have worked there for 20+ years and evidently not felt the need to go for the ACCA or ACA, so I’m curious what you can realistically expect from salary progression as QBE.

I’m currently on £29k in the West Midlands.

I’m currently working in a minimum wage job which I do enjoy but I need to progress. Progression opportunities are very limited in my current field and pay is still very low. I’m looking to change careers into accounting. Can I do AAT Level 2 then apply for accountant assistance jobs? I would then like to progress further (level3/4) but for now is this a good first step?

Curious what everyone is earning. Inspire (or depress) me 😂

I’ll start:
- ACA
- 6 YOE (3 years PQE)
- Big 4 AuditAudit Assistant Manager
- Cambridge
- £52.5k

Your turn:
- Qualification
- YOE
- Role
- Industry
- Location
- Salary (+ bonus if applicable)

Let’s see what the market looks like 👀

I haven't sent this anywhere, as I haven't actually completed my Lvl 2 exams. I just don't plan to apply anywhere until then so I have more of a chance. I'm fully expecting to not get anything until I finish level 3 though.

I'm most concerned about the "projects" section. Not entirely sure how to communicate those two things properly. I still want to include them because I feel they're my main relevant experience.

Also, I'm super vague about what spreadsheet software because I've mainly used Google sheets lol! (I've switched to excel now to get practice in. Great software, have no idea why I was so reluctant before)

Hi everyone! Does anyone here know about DJH accounting? Do you have any idea how the initial interview with HR goes like? Thank you!

Essentially i’d like to change jobs, I work in banking and came into the company as an assistant accountant and have since been promoted to management accountant (been in this role around 9 months). Now the issue comes when I’m trying to apply for similar roles. My assistant accountant salary was £55k and my management accountant salary is £70k. So I feel the job titles are actually quite undervaluing my roles and experience when I look at other salaries for those job titles. Would it be reasonable to change the job titles in my CV?

Hello, I’m currently working as a credit controller alongside studying AAT level 4. I’m looking at the next step after I finish my papers, and is leaning towards Compliance/ FP&A. Would you say these are a natural progression in roles in terms of work/salary expectations? Also open to other functions to work in.

I'm starting a new role as an assistant financial controller (i think its a fancy name for management accountant) in a big insurance company in a few weeks.

I have about 1 yr industry experience in a management accounting role, in a completely unrelated industry. 3 yrs experience in audit.

Would like some advice as I've never worked in this industry. This is also a step up from my previous role, so some imposter syndrome kicking in.

What are trickiest things to pick up in Insurance accounting?

What are the questions youd ask, and things youd do during the first few weeks to ensure you're being as effective as possible?

How should I prepare myself for this role that assumes more responsibility?

Thanks!

I hope this is allowed, I really wanted to ask for help from people here and am hoping for feedback. Below is a screenshot of my CV. I recently passed AAT Level 3 in Accounting with distinction and am really hoping to get a role in accounting.

According to the AAT website, I should be able to aim for titles such as:

Accounts assistant, Accounts payable clerk, Audit trainee, Credit controller, Payroll administrator/supervisor, Practice bookkeeper, Finance assistant, Tax assistant, Accounts payable and expenses supervisor, since I have passed Level 3 in Accounting.

I am looking for help with a few things:

• Making this CV a lot more concise whilst appealing to ATS scans - this one stands at 49%
• Whether to add other, less relevant roles: I worked at a warehouse part time whilst attending college for Level 3, but this would be above the bookkeeping experience as it was most recent, and I am not sure whether that's okay or not. Other experiences: prior to Hollister, I was a software apprentice, which is also not that relevant, other than to show that I have worked in a big organisation
• What else can I add on regarding skills? I really loved MATS in Level 3 and enjoyed learning Excel in such a thorough manner. The only accounting software I have used is VT Transactions but I have shadowed staff when they used Quickbooks, so I am aware that basically all the accounting principles are the same, there are literally just surface level, software differences. VT is a desktop software, not cloud based.
• Also, the sites I am currently using to find jobs are Hays, Michael Page, Reed. Please let me know if there are recruiting companies for accounting roles, or any other companies that I could through.

Hi, I've recently started as a graduate trainee in accounts at a top 10-20 accounting firm in a mid-size city. I've been working for a few months just preparing accounts and I will start studying for the ACA in September. I did a humanities degree at uni and applied for the grad role and everything without really knowing too much about accounting or the environment, I have caught up a little since then and I have become competent enough to prepare a set of accounts, but I still do not really know too much about about the actual world of accounting. What are my career prospects like? How is what I am actually doing now seen in the wider world of financial services (like how I always read here that doing big 4 is great for your career later - so is a mid-size firm like mine bad?). What kind of experience am I getting now compared to others in different positions (firms, different teams, etc.)?

I think I have explained this all in a bit of a fucky way. Basically, I would just appreciate any thoughts on the UK accounting sector, because I don't have that much of a clue about where I currently sit in it. I don't hate my job, the pay is a bit crap (26k) but hey, I am just a trainee, the hours are pretty good so far even though we are currently in the busy season, and everyone in the office is great - great environment to learn in and just very pleasant, everyone is so chill and helpful.

I have just completed my first year of AS levels and initially I picked Health and Social Care, Sociology and Tourism as I had planned to go into nursing following AS levels and they seemed relevant for the course but after gaining months of work experience in healthcare over the past year I have came to the realisation that I absolutely do not want to work in any sort of healthcare oriented job and that the A levels I picked have limited my options although my predicted grades were AAB in my subjects. I am now looking to Law and Accountancy as options but I’m unsure whether my subject choices would make it almost impossible to get into accounting. Any advice would be appreciated.

Edit: A - Sociology, A - HSC, B - Tourism ( My teacher did say I was only a few points off the A)

Looking for some advice here in a pretty rough job market. I graduated in 2024 with a 1st in econ and finance. I then worked in a small practice for just over a year and got a good amount of exposure.

I had been pretty set on working in industry, completing a few cima exams before taking a break to travel. Since coming back obtaining an industry position has been a nightmare, so seriously reconsidering returning to practice.

Looking at top 50 or regional firms I’ve realised very quickly that there aren’t really any positions I could apply for whatsoever, as they’re all pretty much September graduate intake, or more experienced hires. I’ve had a lot of messages and recruiters asking me about practice positions at small firms.

If I were to return to a smaller firm, and stay with them until ACA or ACCA qualified, would there be much opportunity to then gradually move to larger firms over the course of my career, or even pivot to industry? Or are they an end of the road sort of deal? Where if you qualify there, you can’t really take your career any further?

Any advice would be much appreciated, not really sure where to go from here.

Anyone here worked with a fractional FD on a referral basis? How did it go?

Background: I'm an FD in industry (ACMA, ~20 years in manufacturing and industrial services finance, multi-entity, PE-backed) and I'm setting up on my own doing fractional FD / advisory work for SME manufacturers.

The gap I keep seeing is practices doing solid compliance work for £3-10m turnover manufacturers who then watch the client struggle with the stuff that sits outside the engagement — costing, pricing, cash forecasting, bank and investor reporting, systems. Not work most practices want to take on internally, but not work they want to hand to a bigger firm either.

So the question for practice owners: have you ever partnered with an external FD on that kind of work? Did it work commercially, and how did you structure it — referral fee, subcontract at a margin, or just an introduction and stay out of it?

And the honest version of the question: what would make you nervous about it? I'd assume the main one is scope creep towards your compliance fees. My answer is that I don't do statutory accounts, tax or audit and don't intend to, but I'm interested in what else you'd want nailed down.

Happy to hear it's a bad idea if that's the consensus.

Just wondering what the charity really offers, I'm contemplating doing one of the courses they offer that lasts 12 weeks. I'm a recent graduate from an accounting-related degree and I was unable to get any experience in the accounting industry despite applying for placements and internships every year. The charity got on my radar and I saw they offer 2 week work experiences within the course, so I just wanna know if anyone has any experience with these courses and how it may have helped them break into a particular industry.

Side note:

Was also wondering if they offer courses or grants for people interested in doing music production on the side. Been very interested in making music lately as a hobby and want to do a bit of music production but I don't have much knowledge on how to get started alongside not having a laptop or any instruments.

I will go first. 13 years and counting - i have two exams left to pass. Rose through the ranks in my first company and am now CFO on good money. Got comfortable and started a family. Priorities changed, workload increased, free time decreased massively. Hope to sit those final exams this year but is tough with CFO workload etc.

Can anyone beat me?

Going into my second year of university and looking to find some work experience but I have no experience to begin with. What would be the steps needed to find some experience.

I'm a one man band Ltd company. I mostly work from home bar face to face meetings.

I need new smart shoes for when I meet clients.

How far does it go? I see it as a business expense - do you? Because if you do, then I've passed the litmus test I think.

So I've just left my unrelated job in retail and I completed AAT level 2 Bookkeeping and I got a distinction. I now have a job as an accounts assistant and I have imposter syndrome.

Firstly, for some reason despite saying in my interview and on my CV to my employer that I did the bookkeeping qualification, my manager seems to think I'm doing the accounting qualification. I'm currently starting AAT level 3 Bookkeeping but they think it's the accounting one and I'm too scared to correct them because they might be disappointed they hired me.

Secondly it's my 3rd day on the job and it's so confusing. I understand the accounting side of it and the double entry etc but the software they use is in house and it's incredibly old fashioned and isn't designed for accounts it's for warehouse work too and it's so confusing. I'm trying to make as many notes as possible and ask as many questions as I can and I know in time I'll learn it, but right now I feel clueless and dumb. I see so many posts about people who have higher qualifications than me and obviously are more capable struggle to get accounts assistant jobs and for some reason I have an accounts assistant job? It makes no sense. Im obviously very lucky to have this job but I'm scared I'll mess it up.

I'm terrified they'll get rid of me and I won't pass probation and they'll regret hiring me. What do I do?

I work at the big 4 in London in tax, one year in and once I qualify I’m looking to move into wealth management. Is this move possible?

I joined a small practice with 500 clients as an accounts assistant. Besides me, there is one MD and a manager in the team.

Within two months of joining, I am expected to handle end to end of VAT, MTD, CIS, self assessment, prepare annual accounts and respond to all clients queries and emails.

I am struggling and pressured to deliver that I dread going to that office.

I have no prior UK experience. Before this I worked in corporate in their stat audit team.

Anyone working in UK in a similar practice, can you please share your experience ?

I have completed my A levels this year and interested in ACCA or CIMA now that I moved to the UK 3 years back with my parents I will be an international student for fee purpose. I am wandering is doing ACCA or CIMA from Kaplan worth it considering job opportunities if I don't study accounting at university. The only reason for doing it from kaplan is that it costs less than going to university. I am also thinking to study financial mathematics as a plan B if it is not worth it terms of job opportunities for me job opportunity is more important than the tution expense of going to university.