Hi, l am now in a position in life where l will need to retrain in the next 3 yrs. Having always had an affinity with numbers l am thinking of accounts & in time becoming an accountant, could anyone tell me the best way of getting into this. Thanks.

This depends on which part of accountancy you want to go into.

The short answer, is to train for the ACA qualification (generally, this will require university graduation, however, may be possible if you have good A-Level/Higher/Equivalent results, at the centre is discretion). From there, you take further advanced and specialist training based upon your interests, and find a job.

Following the first answer above, it very much depends on your existing qualifications. The easiest way is to apply for a gradualte job at one of the largest acountancy firms.

A list of these can be found on the following site:
http://accountancyage.com/resources/top50

This is assuming you're from the UK! In the US you need an accountancy degree.

Link to learning might point you in the right direction.

It depends on what field of accountancy u wish to enter, & also what level u r capable of achieving. Some people have the idea that they want to be an accountant because they r drawn by the prospect of high salaries & prestige. Only those that reach the higher levels of the profession attain the top financial rewards. For many, even those that r qualified the salaries r of course above the national average, but not necessarily that brilliant when u consider the amount of training that is required.

That said, there r many opportunities for accountants, including working in private practice, in industry as a company accountant, or in the public sector.

You should consider ur future aspirations when looking at the qualification that u choose.

There r six CCAB bodies which r the professional accountancy bodies. These r the ACCA, ICAEW, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAS & ICAI.

In England & Wales, people pursuing private practice roles traditionally opt for ACCA or ICAEW. Industry, its CIMA & public practice its CIPFA. (The other two r Scotland & Ireland, so may be those if thats where u live)

If u do not have A levels or a degree in accountancy, u may choose to begin ur training with one of the technician level qualifications such as AAT or CAT (see ACCA for CAT). However, if u r starting without at least A-levels, u need to honestly consider if u have the academic ability to pursue the CCAB qualifications. You cannot register without a minimum academic qualificaiton (see each body is own site for entry requirements), however the AAT provides a ''springboard'' onto the professional qualifications - this qualification is acceptable as an entry requirement for all CCAB bodies l believe - u would have to check though!

It should also be said that u need to consider ur current financial & family committments - as with all training positions, the salary at entry level is not brilliant - think carefully about it.

It also depends on whether u r intending on funding ur courses yourself, or if u expect a prospective employer to fund it,

You cannot learn to be accountant by just going to college & completing a course, even if u achieve the professional qualification. There is an enormous amount of on the job training that goes with it. As with all professions, u cannot learn to be an accountant by just study alone.

When l was studying for my ACCA qualification there were several people on the course that had funded it themselves & succeeded at the exams, however they were not in any position to be employed as they had no practical experience.

Depending on ur personal circumstances, one of the best ways to train to be an accountant is to obtain a training position, in ur chosen field. Both large & small practices offer training contracts. l believe public practice does too.

If u want to become a company accountant in industry, there is less emphasis (in smaller companies in any case) on the qualification, & more emphasis on whether u can do the job. You need to gain the practical skills at a lower level, & work ur way up.You r much less likely to find a company that will provide study support.

If this is where u see yourself, u need to think seriously about starting as a purchase or sales ledger clerk, or general accounts assistant, & gaining some experience, before moving onto nominal ledger work, & then perhaps budgets & cashflows.

In practice, u would start as a junior, where ur pay would be probably much lower than in industry, but u would be getting some kind of study support. You would perform the more mundane aspects of accounts preparation, assist on audits, & gradually, as u pass ur exams u would take more responsibility & do more of the work. You would work up to semi senior (part qualified) & then senior (qualified).

If after all this, u still think u want to be an accountant, then go for it, & good luck - it can be a great career, & can be financially rewarding, however do not go into it for money - u may not earn as much as u think! It really depends on what level u achieve.

To get a taster, what about attending a book-keeping course - most local colleges run short courses, which would be beneficial to u in any case before u start any formal training. You can then ask advice from ur tutor, they r often accountants with many years experience in the profession.

Sorry for the long post, but there is such a lot to consider, hope u found it helpful, & good luck