Accountants work in virtually every sector of the finance industry. They are well respected, highly trained and can have long and varied careers. Another bonus is that much of the training to become an accountant is done through your employer, so it’s paid for and there is real support from those you work with.

Gaining a professional accountancy qualification means that you can work in a higher position within a firm, get paid more and increase your travel and career options once qualified.

The subjects taken at A level are not really important. Firms want to know that you are comfortable with both figures and words and that you are strong academically.  Many accountants are graduates but you don’t have to be. If you choose to enter the profession after A level you can do an accountancy foundation course, Association of Accounting Technicians or Certified Accounting Technician exams before beginning Chartered or Certified studies.

Chartered accountants, and most certified accountants, train with one of the established accountancy firms in the island. This involves in-house courses and in-depth training away from the office, locally or in the UK. Some people, who do not work for an accountancy firm, study alone, either through a correspondence course or by attending training courses.

Subjects that have to be studied include auditing, law, information systems, management, taxation, bookkeeping and accounts production and on average accounting technicians take three years to qualify. Chartered and Certified Accountants take three to five years.

If you fail an exam you can take that paper again. Accountancy firms are usually supportive of their students re-sitting exams, although they may not pay the course and entry fees the second time around.

As far as salary goes, generally, trainee accountants in Guernsey are well paid and once qualified you will be amongst the highest paid sector of local employees.

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