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A career in business

Do you have a passion for fashion or an interest in engineering? You can use your financial skills to support companies working in any sector. ICAEW Chartered Accountants work within the finance departments of countless commercial companies from aircraft manufacturers to sports teams.

Key skills:

  1. Commercial awareness

  2. Numerical skills

  3. Communication skills

  4. Analytical skills

  5. Strategic-planning skills

  6. Decision-making skills

Working in business

Training as a chartered accountant offers the opportunity to work at the heart of a business. In-house accountants provide insights and data upon which business-critical decisions are made, helping to shape the company and its commercial strategies.

Chartered accountants working within companies forecast and monitor revenue coming into and leaving an organisation, as well as having a broader operational role, such as providing advice on business risks.

Many ACA students completing their training at a commercial organisation work on rotation gaining a broad range of experience in different areas of the business. 

Key responsibilities of in-house accountants include:

  • guiding the business owner to develop strategies for growth and success;
  • developing profit projections and cash-flow forecasts;
  • identifying strategic and operational risks;
  • planning the allocation of available funds and developing budgeting strategy;
  • maintaining financial records and preparing and interpreting statements; and
  • formulating accounting and reporting policies.

Why work in business?

Working within a commercial organisation offers chartered accountants and ACA students the opportunity to focus on the growth and development of a single business, while earning a very competitive salary.

Working in-house provides the opportunity to advise and shape a company, while gaining insight into an industry sector and a range of experiences from across different areas of the business.

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Who can you work for?

Choosing to use your skills within businesses means that you can work in any industry. At every company there are individuals and teams responsible for monitoring and managing the organisation's finances.

This means that you could work for a small online business and have a wide-ranging role or work for a specialist team within a large multinational corporate.

Find out who you could work for

Find your ACA training agreement

You can find ACA training opportunities, placements and internships via our Training Vacancies website, where you can sign up to receive alerts when new vacancies are posted.

Start your search

77

of the FTSE 100 companies have an ICAEW Chartered Accountant on their board

(Source: ICAEW member data and FTSE 350 data at December 2019)

Hear from our members working in business

Read more testimonials

  • "Laura

    I’m one of those irritating people who has found the job they love and want to stay in forever.

    Read more

    Laura de Poitiers

    Finance Manager, Belu Water Ltd

    London, UK
  • "Peter

    The ACA is rich in depth and breadth of coverage. The focus on compliance is a big plus for those who want to be leaders in accounting and finance.

    Read more

    Peter Ndungu

    Finance lead, East African Breweries Ltd

    Nairobi, Kenya
  • "Zoe

    I love working in areas which I’m passionate about – fashion and ecommerce.

    Read more

    Zoe Wong

    Chief Growth Officer, Vivobarefoot

    London, UK