Hello! We at ArivuPro understand the confusion students often face after completing a professional course. The big question of “what next?” after the exams lingers at the back of every student. So, let’s take a look at various job positions and opportunities that awaits an ACCA affiliate.

The best way to start looking for opportunities is via the ACCA Job Portal - https://jobs.accaglobal.com/

When you land on the page, you will see location wise job openings available. You can select your preferred location and proceed with the search. The portal is home to a range of ACCA job roles within sectors such as accounting and public practice, financial services, consulting, global business services and outsourcing.

Upon the landing page, you shall see a list of vacancies available in leading companies such as EY, PwC, Deloitte, and KPMG, Grant Thornton, Embassy group, Prestige group, Pepsico, Tata, Accenture, JP Morgan, Microsoft etc to name a few.

You can click on “View details” and read through the detailed job description of each role. After meticulously going through the job descriptions, shortlist a number of jobs which meets your expectation.

Now, you’re all set to start applying. When you click on the “Apply” option, the job portal will automatically redirect you to the website of the respective company and you can directly apply with them via the website.

This is one of the easiest ways to find job opportunities for ACCA members in India as well as abroad.

What are some of the common job roles awaiting ACCA affiliates? (this is simply illustrative and not exhaustive)

1. Financial Analyst - responsible for investigating finance flows, generate and improve reports with insightful commentaries
2. Accounts Officer - responsible for bookkeeping, maintaining accounts, general ledgers, produce P&L, Balance Sheet and other monthly reports.
3. Audit Assistants – responsible for statutory as well as internal audits, involved in testing of controls, evidence review, reporting, etc.
4. Manager/Sr Manager (Consultancy) – responsible for projects related to provision of accounting advisory support (IFRS) and GAAP conversion services to clients along with planning, budgeting, reporting and also advising clients on IPO preparedness including the paper work required. Additionally develop people to take on higher responsibilities
5. Taxation – responsible for all tax related transactions, ensuring TAX accurately calculated and reports filed as per the timelines set by the government
6. Finance controller – responsible for completion of the Divisional Budgets / Monthly and quarterly forecasts, overseeing the completion of monthly reporting and the provision of variance analysis and insightful commentary with full balance sheet ownership and identification and management of any potential risks

Other options:

Continuing your studies – ACCA students often go for further studies to strengthen their portfolio and professional expertise. If your ultimate aim down the lane is to reach key managerial positions, pursuing a master’s degree could be your way. An MBA focuses more on business aspects and is likely to land you a role such as Chief Financial Officer or Senior Financial Analyst. You can also pursue CFA. Chartered Financial Analyst status is globally recognised and a common qualification for many accountants who’ve completed an ACCA course. Potential roles for those who are CFA certified include: Asset Management, Risk Management, Consulting, and Corporate Banking.

Self-employment – You can also work as your own master by attracting clients and taking up freelance work. Networking, social media, a good website and creative online advertising can help you expand your client base.

If you’re still unsure you can start by asking yourself the following questions-

1. What area of expertise do you want to stick to? Is it finance, accounting, taxation etc?
2. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What is your ultimate goal?
3. Are you more inclined towards managerial roles or do you wish to stick to technical areas of expertise?

We hope you got a better sense of direction after reading this article. You can always reach out to our team at ArivuPro and we’d be happy to guide you!