This article was updated on March 2020
Chartered Accountant Job Description
As a chartered accountant you will be one of a group of professionally qualified accountants and your services will be very much in demand. You will be tasked with auditing accounts, providing financial advice and giving clients trustworthy information about their financial records.
You will often be asked to provide your employer or clients with advice that boosts their profitability. As a chartered accountant, you’ll have your pick of sectors with companies in the industrial and commercial sector in need of your skill-set.
Let’s dive in:
Typical Responsibilities of a Chartered Accountant
Life As A Chartered Accountant
How To Become A Chartered Accountant
Get Chartered Accountant Jobs delivered directly to your inbox. Click the button to start applying to Chartered Accountant Jobs.
Apply for Chartered Accountant Jobs
Typical Responsibilities Of A Chartered Accountant
Your day-to-day duties will depend on whether you work in the commerce or public sector. In the commerce and industry sectors for example, you’ll need to:
- Liaise with external and internal auditors to handle any financial irregularities that occur.
- Prepare financial statements such as monthly and annual accounts.
- Prepare financial management reports including planning and forecasting.
- Creating reports or offering recommendations after internal or public sector audits.
- Discussing terms with your company/client’s suppliers.
- Providing advice on tax affairs.
If you decide to go down the public practice route, your duties will be as follows:
- Providing clients and businesses with financial information and advice.
- Undertaking a full review of your employer’s systems and analysing risk.
- Advising clients on acquisitions, mergers and other business transactions.
- Forensic accounting to prevent and detect fraud.
- Maintenance of accounting records.
- Preparation of accounts and providing small businesses with management information.
Recommended jobs for you
What Is Life As A Chartered Accountant Like?
You are unlikely to find a role where you primarily work a standard 9-5 Monday to Friday week as you would in other accounting professions. If you work in a larger firm you can expect to routinely work weekends and long weekday hours in order to meet deadlines. If you’re a trainee, you may receive time off in lieu of the overtime you work.
If you’re performing audit work you will have to travel to meet your clients and you may occasionally have to stay away from home overnight. If you work in the tax field or are employed by a small firm, the work will be office based with little in the way of travel.
Ready to take the next step to becoming a Chartered Accountant? Check
these Chartered Accountant jobs and apply!
Living in Ireland area? Find Chartered Accountant
jobs near you!
How to Become a Chartered Accountant
You can study to become a chartered accountant regardless of your degree although a degree in Accounting or a business discipline will give you a significant advantage. You can then decide to complete your qualification via a Training Contract or the Flexible Route with the Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Training Contract
This route involves gaining your qualification via a Training Contract within an accounting practice. You must stay with the practice for a defined time period which varies depending on your existing qualification level. For example, graduates stay for 3.5 years while Accounting Technicians must stay for 4 years. You could be exempt from first and/or second year exams if you have a Bachelor’s or Postgraduate degree.
Flexible Route
You can continue working in your current job and study to become a chartered accountant. You will need to complete specific exams and fulfil experience requirements. You can read more about these options on the official Chartered Accountants Ireland website.
Chartered Accountant Salary
According to research performed by Chartered Accountants Ireland, there was a 13% increase in salary from 2014 to 2015 and the future looks bright. Even as a newly qualified chartered accountant you can expect to earn a salary package worth €58,000 a year. This is likely to increase to €100,000 per annum once you have racked up a few years of experience.
At present, approximately 98% of chartered accountants are employed, 75% received a significant pay rise in the last 3 years and 49% have received promotions since becoming qualified.
What Kind Of Skills Do I Need To Succeed?
In order to become a successful chartered accountant, you need to display the following traits:
- A high level of commitment and self-motivation.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Good time management and organisational skills.
- Outstanding problem solving and analytical skills.
- The capacity to lead a team.
- Proficiency in IT.
- Honesty, integrity and trustworthiness.
Find other similar Chartered Accountant Jobs:
IrishJobs.ie has been helping people find the job they want for over 20 years. Our team is delighted to share our job hunting tips and advice with you.