ICAEW and the ACA
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional body with more than 145,000 members across the world.
ICAEW runs the ACA professional qualification which enables students to qualify as chartered accountants, opening up a wide range of career opportunities and significant earning potential.
The ACA is made up of a combination of three to five years on-the-job training and a series of 15 rigorous exam modules.
The quality of the ACA training means that ICAEW Chartered Accountants are highly sought after and more than 80% of FTSE 100 companies have at least one on their board.
School and college leaver routes to the ACA
Gone are the days when students had to complete a university degree to pursue a career as a chartered accountant.
Employers are recruiting ACA trainees from a variety of backgrounds and ICAEW offers a number of routes that enable students to start their training straight from school, via a specialist degree or after they have graduated.
How we can help you
Free resources
ICAEW offers a range of free online resources to support your students develop key skills many of which will help them secure a job in accountancy, finance or business, including:
- Lesson plans and other resources on personal finance.
- Tips on boosting their appeal to employers.
- Register to receive lesson plans to run your own business game.
- Careers adviser newsletter
Working with employers
ICAEW has a network of more than 5,000 employers all over the world, from global accountancy firms to UK-based charities.
Our knowledge on what employers want in their candidates, allows us to provide your students with first-hand advice and guidance to prepare for interview and help them land their ideal job.
ICAEW can support your school or college to make connections with employers, contact us to find out more.
Virtual Work Experience
Created for year 12 students (or equivalent) at a UK school or college, our virtual work experience programme is designed to showcase the surprising world of chartered accountancy. It doesn’t matter whether your students are interested in doing an apprenticeship, going to university, or are uncertain. We just ask they are curious about business and interested to find out more.
By taking part, students can enhance their skills across the board, from communication and organisation to resilience and commercial awareness. As well as this, they will receive crucial feedback throughout the process and gain invaluable experiences to add to their CV's.
What is included?
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An introduction to the accountancy profession and a chance to explore the infinite career options available.
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Develop key skills through our employability sessions, including mock interview and CV workshops.
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Enjoy interactive Q&A panels with key employers and current ACA students.
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Work on a business project throughout the week with your peers, being given a new focus each day.
Events
ICAEW’s student team support events at schools and colleges introducing students to a career in accountancy throughout the year. These include:
Careers fairs
A representative from ICAEW to attend careers fairs to talk to students and parents about what a career in chartered accountancy looks like. Often we are supported by local ICAEW members who share their experiences of ACA training and a career in accountancy.
Presentations
ICAEW can arrange for a member of staff or a local member to visit your school and speak about a career as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant; the different routes available to study the ACA qualification and what the training involves. These presentations are suitable for a general audience, but can also be tailored for those who are studying a related subject.
Employability workshops
These sessions are designed for students aged 16 and over, to help them in creating their CVs and university application forms and in preparing for job interviews. We draw on students day-to-day lives and demonstrate how their activities and attributes can be transferred to their career. The workshops focus on five key competencies: communication and teamwork; commercial awareness; integrity and resilience; client service and being career minded.
Commercial awareness sessions
Being commercially aware is a key attribute that many employers look for in future employees. Aimed at students over the age of 16, these events discuss students’ current commercial awareness and how they can develop it further. The sessions provide students with the ability to view situations from a commercial or business perspective and recognise what makes a business successful.
Business games
These events see students put in the shoes of an ICAEW Chartered Accountant for the day. Teams are presented with a pack of information about a fictitious company which they work through identifying the firm’s weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Designed for students aged 14 and above, these games emulate activities that students may face as part of recruitment processes in the future.
Personal finance
For ICAEW it is vitally important to help school students become financially aware at an early age. Volunteers from our membership work closely with schools to support teachers and delivery financial education sessions to students as young as five-years old. Topics for these sessions include: how to manage money; becoming a critical consumer; managing risk and emotions; and understanding the important role of money in our lives.
ICAEW Training Vacancies
ICAEW Training Vacancies is a job board from ICAEW, a professional membership organisation supporting over 147,000 chartered accountants around the world. Our employers advertise their early-career accountancy, finance and business roles for school leavers, university students and graduates who are looking to complete the ACA qualification as part of a training agreement.
