10 Career Options After Completing an AAT Accounting Qualification

Posted: 21 October 2019 at 8:30 am | Author: CAW Business School

If you’re considering studying an AAT accounting or bookkeeping qualification with us, you may be wondering what career options it may bring you.

The good news is that there is plenty of opportunity to take your career in accounting or finance to the next level once qualified, or in a direction you might never have considered originally. Take a look at your options:

1. Get a great job in accounting or finance

Finance lies at the heart of every business, therefore demand for accounting and finance skills will never go away. You could pursue roles in the public, private or not-for-profit sector.

Many roles in accounting and finance are extremely diverse and deliver exciting career opportunities. With more experience, you could move into a senior or managerial position in your workplace. Being internationally recognised and highly valued by employers, you could even use your qualification to take you overseas.

2. Achieve professional MAAT status

Once you become an AAT full member, you can use the letters MAAT after your name. These letters will tell employers and clients that you’ve proven your expertise – and made a commitment to maintaining it.

You’ll enjoy elevated professional credibility and status, increasing your opportunities for career progression and fulfilling your salary expectations. Other MAAT benefits include AAT events, online services and continuing professional development (CPD).

3. Become a chartered accountant

You may decide to work towards chartered accountancy status with of the many professional bodies in the UK. All of the UK’s chartered accountancy bodies offer AAT full members (MAAT) and fellow members (FMAAT) generous exemptions and a fast track route to chartered status. By taking advantage of this fast track as an AAT qualified professional, it would allow you to achieve chartered status more quickly. Find out more about chartered exemptions:

4. Become a tax specialist

Tax is a mixture of law, administration and accountancy and draws upon a huge range of intellectual, presentation and personal skills. For AAT professionals, a career in tax offers variety, intellectual stimulation and plenty of early responsibility. You could choose to become a tax specialist by undertaking further training and qualifications with the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT).

5. Join the education industry

You may decide to make the move into teaching and use your specialist skills and knowledge to benefit the future generations of AAT professionals.

Lecturing

Lecturing is an excellent opportunity to pass on your knowledge by delivering high quality teaching across the AAT qualification to students and helping them to achieve to the highest standards possible. You could work for schools, further education colleges or even universities. Read more about AAT lecturing

Tutoring

You could use your fresh knowledge of AAT training to either provide course support to students on behalf of a college/training provider, or offer a freelance tutoring service full/part time. Not only would you be doing your bit to support students through their formal qualifications, but you will gain additional income and experience too!

Trainer

You could develop and run short crash courses for small and local employers, to help staff be smarter with their finances and accounting practices at work or at home.

Create new learning materials

Think back to your student days. Were there any materials that might have made the world of difference when you were struggling with a difficult topic? If plenty come to mind, you might have found a gap in the market! You could use this starting point to develop new learning materials and revision techniques that you can pass on to future learners for a fee.

6. Head to university

If you have completed an AAT accounting qualification you may decide that you want to use this as a way to pursue a full university degree in Accounting and Finance.

If you are considering studying at university, we expect that the AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting (Level 3) will attract 56 UCAS points. For more information on the current tariff for applications for HE from September 2017 can be found on the UCAS website.

7. Writing and thought leadership

You may decide to take your academic development in a new direction by producing research papers or presenting at industry congresses and events. These are great ways to become a thought leader in the industry and push for better practice everywhere.

If you have a creative flair, you could also aim to become a freelance finance writer/editor or report on the industry on a freelance basis. You could even start your own blog!

8. Lobbying

If you become a full AAT member you have the opportunity to respond to questionnaires, get your voice heard and actively engage in lobbying Parliament and government departments (including HMRC, the Treasury and BIS) to make changes for the industry, as part of AAT’s consultation activity.

9. Become self-employed and start your own business

If you dream of becoming your own boss and having the freedom to define your own work – taking the leap into self-employment could be the best thing you ever do for your career! You could become self-employed and work on accounts for small businesses.

10. Offer consultancy services

As an AAT licensed member you can offer accountancy, taxation or related consultancy services to the public in the UK or Channel Islands. You could use your industry knowledge and experience to advice small and local businesses or charities on everything from financial forecasting and analysing financial statements, to evaluating accounts and determining profitability.

AAT Accounting and Bookkeeping Courses in Godmanchester (Cambridgeshire), Tingley (West Yorkshire) and New Southgate (North London)…

CAW Business School offer the full AAT Bookkeeping (Levels 2 & 3) and Accounting (Levels 2, 3 & 4) qualifications.

Depending on where you choose to study, our programmes are available to study in the mornings, afternoons or evenings – please see individual course pages for further information. What’s more – all of our programmes are available to study via distance learning.

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