I'm doing A levels atm.
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- Thread starter lixxus
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I'm doing A levels atm.
![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Not true. Try and apply with a First from Oxford but 280 UCAS points. You won't get through the sift*
*Yes yes I know, you wouldnt get into Oxford with 280 UCAS points but you know what I mean.
Soldato
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Ahh young un, I wish i started doing this when I was at college
tbh I'd of liked to gone the part time study route
Permabanned
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I'm not quite sure, it's relatively easy to get into one of the Big 4 if you go to a decent uni and have a few EC's, the pay isn't particularly great and the work for the most part is boring.
[TW]Fox;13298760 said:
You sure or you basing that on what you have read?
A good mate of mine now works for KPMG with a degree in law from Bournemouth. I work for BP after joining their graduate scheme with only 60 UCAS points, however a 1st in Engineering.
Well I need 180, then they dropped it to 160 not including General Studies.
I actually got 120 with General Studies and they still let me in.
To be honest I did no work during my A-levels. Much like my GSCEs, however seems you can get away with it with GCSEs lol (7As 3Bs)
What I've read - direct from the applications pages of all 4 companies. If you dont have the UCAS points, you cannot progress with the application unless you have medical extenuating circumstances.
It's something thats not drummed into people hard enough when they are at school. When you are at school you've got far more important things to care about than work and you think provided you get into the Uni you want thats fine. Well it's not - depending on your career route your A levels are even more important than your degree. It's a strange situation but I guess the companies do it simply because they can.
big 4 are:
KPMG, Deloitte, PwC, EY
Basically they are the 4 big global audit firms, although audit is only one part of their business these days as they do a lot of tax and consulting/advisory work as well.
I can think of two people who studied Accounting/Accounting and Finance. One is now a fully qualified chartered acc and the other is working at Goldman Sachs. I'm pretty sure if you asked them, they would say they benefited from having their degree.
Are you working at the same time as doing yours?
Chances are someone who wants to do it won't be able to find a company willing to take on people to start ACA ACCA quals in this current climate.
So even if you decide to do it on your own back, it'll take around 3(?) years to do all the exams (maybe longer) and then you'll need at least 3yrs experience before you are chartered iirc?
Now is really not a bad time to go and do a decent degree, in 3/4 years time there won't be as much unemployment as there currently is.
I work at the same time as doing the ACA, and i honestly can't see its a big strain on time or particularly difficult. You need around 3 years technical experience to fully qualify, so you would be insane to take the exams off your own back and then try and gain the experience, when in general there are so many firms that take on graduates on ACA training contracts.
I'm trying to make the point that, if you have an inclination to do the ACA then I can't see the point in doing an accounting degree as you'll spend 3 years relearning it anyway after graduation, when you could get a degree in another subject and have a broader range of knowledge.
I can see the benefit in something like Accounting and Finance if you then go work in something like IBD as it gives you a good understanding of finance etc.
Ahh young un, I wish i started doing this when I was at college
Yeah
Why part time?
Im at Sheffield Hallem uni doing Urban land economics which is part of a real estate program, everyone thinks it will be a good qualification to have and will lead onto becoming a chartered surveyor which seems like a good career.
However with the desperate times were in now there are very few placements been offered and nobody graduating this year seems to be getting anywhere, i can take solace in the fact i still have this year and next but im starting to wonder.
If i had to say one thing about university that winds me up its the whole 40% and 70% thing, i encounter people on my course that seem to do hardly anything and pass everything with 40%, then theres me who works my socks off to get 70% and over all the time all because the lecturers cant be doing with referals.
However with the desperate times were in now there are very few placements been offered and nobody graduating this year seems to be getting anywhere, i can take solace in the fact i still have this year and next but im starting to wonder.
If i had to say one thing about university that winds me up its the whole 40% and 70% thing, i encounter people on my course that seem to do hardly anything and pass everything with 40%, then theres me who works my socks off to get 70% and over all the time all because the lecturers cant be doing with referals.
Soldato
I think they use UCAS points as there is little in the way of 'life skills/experiences' you can utilise in your CV for those 'Big 4' whereas other things may differ. The big 4 isnt the majority of job providers and nor applicants applying.
Atkins (WS) did a 2 B's at A-Level in maths and physics for their grads, that stumped me online, 2 weeks later a recruitment consultant got my CV to Atkins (randomly) and they invited me in and I was offered the job, based on my CV I guess rather than the lazier online corporate method.
What do you say for the big 4? I ran and managed the books of the school sweet shop?
Atkins (WS) did a 2 B's at A-Level in maths and physics for their grads, that stumped me online, 2 weeks later a recruitment consultant got my CV to Atkins (randomly) and they invited me in and I was offered the job, based on my CV I guess rather than the lazier online corporate method.
What do you say for the big 4? I ran and managed the books of the school sweet shop?
It might not apply to every company, there will always be exceptions to the rule. It DOES however apply to the big4 and many other multinationals. I recently went through the application process and they insisted on the production of A-Level and GCSE certificates on the day of the assessment centre.
Your application will be automatically screened out if you don't possess 300 UCAS points or whatever limit they decide to place. They place a lot of value on this at accounting companies due to the tough examinations such as the ACA. Its a good way of quickly limiting down the thousands of applications they receive.
Soldato
Run the project, like the project manager normally does you mean?
Ah, but energy efficiency, and in fact all the environmental side of things is usually planned by the architect
Environmental design and energy efficency are the building services engineers realm really.
Look, you just doodle random drawings and steal most of the money from a project as an architect......to be honest it seems a good life, do it!
Caporegime
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I had one with ExxonMobil.
Seemed like a waste of time to me, but I guess they had a lot of applicants and didnt want all the expenses of face to face interviews.
messed up on all 5 lol.