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Matthew Dwyer
Private Practice team
London
Newly Qualified ACA
As a newly qualified ACA, you now have an exceptionally broad range of career options open to you. These include working for a range of different sized accountancy firms, working in-house at a corporate or a bank, or moving and working overseas.
However, as soon as you choose your area of specialisation and where you intend to practice, you immediately close down a number of future options.
Choosing the right area of specialisation is therefore vital. To avoid making the wrong decision you should talk to Brewer Morris to find out which specialist practice areas will best equip you for your ideal future career. In order to get this right, you should be thinking about where you want to be in, say, three to five years’ time.
Having decided your area of specialisation, you next need to decide which organisations you would consider working for. Often this means looking at the market to see if there are any better opportunities around than those offered by your current employer. Factors to take into consideration include:
- Reputation
- Location
- Size
- Culture
- Salary Package
Warning
It is sometimes easier at this stage in your career to stay where you are, either because it is simpler to do so or because a move might be perceived as disloyal. This can be a major mistake, because changing specialisation at a later date is difficult and you may not be working in an area that helps you in your longer-term aspirations – for instance, working abroad. If you decide not to move that’s great – but do so because you have made a positive decision, and not out of lethargy!
Recommendations
• Talk to your recruiter
• Decide what you would like to do in the future
• Agree upon your best strategy (including specialisation and firm)
• Avoid disappointment by career planning
Basic Examples
If you see yourself working outside London or one of the larger UK cities in the long-term, you need to specialise in an area of tax that is commonly practiced in the regional firms – avoid capital markets, financial services or international tax.
If you are keen to go in-house, then specialise in corporate tax – avoid personal tax.
Fancy overseas? Then concentrate on international corporate tax or transfer pricing
