A career in accountancy offers an exciting and rewarding path, where you can make a significant impact on businesses and individuals alike. As a chartered accountant, you will work with teams across a range of sectors, developing strong relationships with business leaders and individuals, and contributing to the success of their organisations.

A diverse career

A career in accountancy can cover a broad range of roles and offers opportunities to specialise in a number of areas. Many firms work with both individuals and businesses, supporting them in every aspect of their financial wellbeing to help them achieve their goals.

Working with businesses

Working with businesses means that chartered accountants are involved with every step of their journey – whether it’s advising startups, helping businesses grow, or guiding owners through exit strategies. Chartered accountants provide comprehensive support and advice on an ongoing basis. This includes tax services where they help business owners navigate a complex world, providing technical advice whilst ensuring they pay the right amount of tax and meet their compliance requirements.

Chartered accountants also work closely with businesses in providing audit and advisory services. These services are crucial not only for compliance with regulatory requirements, but also in providing valuable insights into business performance. They help businesses identify potential risks, uncover control inefficiencies, and suggest improvements to drive long-term success.

There are so many ways in which chartered accountants contribute value to their clients and their financial decision-making. This is in addition to more ‘hands-on’ and practical support such as payroll services, or outsourcing solutions, where businesses may not have the resources to handle these functions in-house.

The sheer variety of industries and organisations with which chartered accountants work also makes a career in accountancy extremely interesting. By understanding these different sectors, accounting firms can offer bespoke advice that addresses the needs and concerns of businesses in each industry, and provide real insight for their clients.

An example of some of the sectors supported by chartered accountants include:

• Hospitality, Sport and Leisure
• Retail, E-Commerce and Consumer Goods
• Technology and Media
• Healthcare
• Financial Services and Fintech
• Education
• Farming and Landed Estates
• Manufacturing
• Consultancy
• Professional Services
• Charities and Not-for-Profit
• Transportation and Logistics
• Property and Construction

Working with individuals

Chartered accountants work with individuals and their families, providing a wide range of services including personal tax advice, financial planning and estate planning. In many cases, accountants assist the same individuals with both their personal and business financial needs, ensuring comprehensive and joined-up support across all areas.

Building lasting relationships

Across every service provided by chartered accountants, the relationships they develop with their clients are of the utmost importance. These relationships are built on trust, and often last for many years. Not only are they personally fulfilling, but they also ensure that the advice and support provided are of the highest quality. A strong relationship is integral to understanding a client’s needs and offering tailored solutions.

A dynamic career

One of the most engaging aspects of a career in accountancy is the continual change in legislation and technology, and the evolving needs of clients. Chartered accountants are tasked with understanding complex financial areas and reporting on them in a way that is both clear and easy to understand, even in the face of constant and sometimes rapid change.

Like many sectors, advancements in technology have revolutionised accountancy in a number of exciting ways. Not only has it allowed for more flexible and remote working, but technology has also become essential in financial reporting, auditing, and other disciplines, enabling accountants to provide deeper, more accurate insights, and help clients make better-informed decisions.

The evolving technological landscape ensures that the profession remains dynamic and exciting, and offers continuous opportunities for growth, learning, and innovation.