ACCA Tales

Having a career as an Association of Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) can be very rewarding if the person knows what they are doing. The big pay checks, staying at luxury suites during holidays, the nice cars and what not? However, contrary to popular belief, that's not all: the workload can also come in equal measures. The high stress level that comes with the job, dealing with financial management and everything in between, can be very taxing. So why should students pursue ACCA? Read on to find out.
For those who are not familiar with this, ACCA is a professional accounting degree completed over 36 months that may lead to a career in chartered accountancy or professional auditing, among other ends.

Recently Alexandra Chin, Vice President and Alan Hatfield, Director of Learning from ACCA Global, and Pauline Hobson, Council Member, ACCA's primary governance body, were in town to assess and work with their local affiliates. Regarding the visit, Ms. Chin explains, "[Our] objective was to gain an understanding of the issues faced in Bangladesh, and the surrounding countries and markets. Our aim was to achieve our objectives as effectively as possible in the course of our short visit during which time we also hosted a conference on 'corporate reporting' and a celebratory ACCA night themed the Complete Finance Professional."

Talking about why they think youngsters should consider having an ACCA qualification for their careers, they noted something quite interesting: they have a very unique partnership with Oxford Brooks University through which a student can gain a BSc Honors degree in Applied Accounting either during or after gaining the ACCA qualification. Students can pursue ACCA immediately after their A Levels (or equivalent) or immediately after their O Levels, in which case they have to do a separate foundation course prior to the ACCA qualification. Hatfield added, "The courses offered to the potential students are intense; they instill certain values and allow them to branch out to different fields and sectors, something which can be very desirable these days." However, the representatives acknowledged that any kind of profession would have its pros and cons and managing the level of stress that comes with it can be a major issue. As an advice to those who do have a problem with this, Hobson says "One of the most important traits to have is organizing skills which 'work wonders' in managing stress levels. I always relate to my younger years when I was a young mother trying to balance things between my studies, work, and caring for my child."

Having established itself in 173 countries, and still growing since its inception in 1904, Hatfield says that ACCA Global aims in providing the best accountants and financial professionals that the world needs. He adds that while there has been a shift in the practices and ideas in the financial sector since the financial crisis, such personnel's are still of great importance. The presence of women is also important. When asked how the women are performing in this field, at a time when people are still working on creating bigger and better chances for women, they had very positive responses: 46% of present ACCA Global current members and 50% of students preparing to be ACCA qualified are female.

Talking about their perception of ACCA as a brand globally, both Chin and Hobson agreed with Hatfield when he assured, "ACCA is a very authentic brand. The core values harbored by us, which has remained true ever since the inception of ACCA, acts as a driving force for the organization, its objectives, and the brand itself". According to them, ACCA has 'opportunity, accountability, integrity, innovation, and diversity'. This means preparing individuals to be different and to stand up and say "This might not be right so it needs to be changed". Ms Chin adds, "I personally think ACCA and the qualification that comes with it is very highly regarded and respected outside the UK, especially in my home country Malaysia where even high profile leaders are ACCA qualified".

From their years of experience, the representatives also emphasized on how important it is to have hobbies and interests outside ones work life since they add to the overall personality of a person. They also shared some of their mottos that they follow in their professional lives: Alexander Chin's motto is what she learnt at school, What we do, carry through; Pauline Hobson's (not one but two mottos that she holds dear) are, Love what you do and do what you love and secondly, Always expect the unexpected; lastly Alan Hatfield's motto was Grabbing every opportunity or simply put in a Latin phrase, Carpe Diem meaning 'seize the day'.
ACCA Global provides its qualifications here in Bangladesh through its affiliate Chartered University College. For more information, visit the ACCA Centre, Mohakhali (opposite BRAC Inn Centre) or their website: http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en.html