Entering the final year of your degree in any profession is daunting, but if you’re looking to embark on your accounting career it can be additionally tough as you try to navigate which firm or speciality will best work for you – and how you can stave off the competition.
Some of Accountancy graduate schemes London
With around 165,000 students currently studying accountancy at university, You can expect some friendly competition when filling in your application for a accountancy graduate scheme.
The ‘big four’ professional services and accountancy firms are Deloitte; KPMG; EY and PwC, but jobs can also be found at all the UK’s high street banks. When it comes to investment banking, there is also a demand for graduate accountants with Deutsche Bank; The Goldman Sachs Group; JPMorgan; Barclays Investment Bank and Morgan Stanley.
There are a large number of opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses too. There are some opportunities for accountancy graduates schemes within not-for-profit organisations and charities, but the bulk of jobs are in businesses that generate profit.
The financial industry is known for being tough, so how do you know if you’ll be able to hack it? University website Prospects predicts that the hours in the industry are often longer and more fast-paced than other professions.
Accountancy Graduate Schemes– They say starting salaries can begin at around 16,000 up to 42,000 in accounting, while those in banking can expect 27,000 to 50,000 and 35,000 to 56,000 for investment banking.
But how do you bag the graduate job in the first place? Here are three tips to help you on your way accountancy graduate schemes
1. Start your research early
Plan possible schemes in your first term at university, but if you are reading this in your final year, see which schemes are still available to you and go from there. The real benefit of starting as early as your first year of study is the opportunity to get to know companies and contacts way ahead of your competition. Lots of companies now offer summer internships, placements and taster days to undergraduates. This can be an invaluable way of getting your face known and making contacts outside of the university.
2. Spend time on your application
Make your application signal strongly your relevance and suitability for the company. Spend time on making sure it is custom-made for the employer, i.e. no copy and pasting from a previous application. Mirror their language and wordings.
3. Build your network
Even after you have sent off your application, the work is not done. Track down your potential bosses or chiefs of the companies on Twitter and LinkedIn, follow them and make yourself professionally known. Work your contacts book and invite people you admire out for a coffee under the guise of learning more about their workplace.
If you are looking at studying accountancy or want to find out more, Mont Rose College is a higher education provider and based in Ilford, Greater London. Contact us today.