Accounting has traditionally been seen as a boring sector, but that’s not really accurate. Just a lazy stereotype - like the perception that cats like milk. Not all cats like milk.
In fact, accounting is exhilarating, lucratively paid and always evolving.
Accountants have tossed aside their abacuses, and now use emerging technology like Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing to solve real business problems. But it’s a tough field to get into, and you’ll need to bring your A-game when it comes to applying for a job.
Arming yourself with some real accounting work experience will have future employers on their feet, demanding an encore. And this guide is here to help you get there. It’s packed with advice on how to find an accounting internship, placement, insight scheme or graduate job with one of the finest employers in the land...
Top Internships, Placements. Insight Schemes and Graduate Jobs in Accounting
Do you need to do an internship to be an accountant?
If you’re wondering whether you need to bother with work experience, you do. For starters, work experience in an accounting firm or company finance department is an entry requirement for many of the qualifications you’ll have to take to become an accountant.
Aside from that, it’s the best way to get a taster for a role before you commit to a full-time position. It’s like moving to Spain to learn Spanish. Compared to downloading the Duolingo app.
There are three main types of accounting work experience you can apply for while you’re still at university: internships, placements and insights.
Let’s break them down...
Accounting internships
DURATION: 1-4 months
FOR: 2nd or 3rd years
WHEN TO APPLY: Sep-Mar
If your course doesn’t include a placement year or you don’t want to commit to 12 months in work, you can opt for an internship. In the accounting world, these are usually referred to as summer internships - simply because they take place during the summer holidays.
As well as gaining real professional experience, there’s the potential to earn some decent money on an accounting internship. In fact, the average salary is £20,722 pro rata (based on thousands of reviews left on RateMyPlacement.co.uk by students across the UK).
Find An Accounting InternshipAccounting placements
DURATION: 5-13 months
FOR: 2nd & 3rd years
WHEN TO APPLY: Sep-Jan
Accounting industrial placements involve a year-long stay with an accounting firm, typically during your second year of university. As a placement student, you’ll contribute to the business, get involved in key projects and work on accounts - just like a fully-qualified accountant.
At the end of your placement, you will have built a lifelong network of industry contacts and acquired the very skills future employers will be looking for (e.g. resilience, critical thinking and business acumen).
Before you even graduate!
Plus if you dazzle during your time there, it’s likely your employer will offer you a proper graduate accounting job at the end. Or at least fast-track your application. So you can sleep easy in your final year, knowing that you have a job waiting for you.
Guess what? The average salary for year-long placements in accounting is a tasty £18,598. According to student-written reviews on RateMyPlacement.co.uk.
Insight schemes in accountancy
DURATION: Less than 1 month
FOR: All students
WHEN TO APPLY: Sep-Mar
Insight schemes are the shortest types of accounting work experience you can get whilst you’re still a student.
Accounting firms and professional services often have different names for their insight schemes - just to spice things up. KPMG calls their work experience vacation schemes - a term usually associated with legal work experience. Other companies call them spring internships, because they take place during the Easter holidays.
What do they have in common? Well, they're a brilliant first step towards a career in accounting.
And they all involve:
Rotations around different areas of the business
Workshops on applying for graduate schemes and training contracts
Q&As with experienced professionals
Information about future accounting internship programmes
Insights into company culture.
What do accounting interns do?
Whilst the word ‘internship’ might make you think of endless photocopying and sandwich runs, the opposite is true when it comes to accounting internships.
Instead, accounting interns get stuck in. They meet clients, work on ongoing and important cases, and are generally given the opportunity to make a real impact.
"I was given more responsibility than I thought an intern would get! Within my first few weeks, the company flew my Senior and I down to visit a client near London. I got to interact directly with the client and complete the work for my senior to review. It was a great experience!" EY Summer Assurance Intern
Accounting Internships in London
If you’re on the hunt for an accounting internship, you’ll find a high concentration of opportunities in the capital. London is the financial epicentre of Europe, and Brexit-aside, will continue to be home to the majority of employers offering accounting work experience in the UK.
All the big banks, professional services companies and government institutions have a big presence in the capital. On the flipside, that means competition for accounting internships and placements is intense, despite the number of jobs available.
So it’s best to start applying early - aim to get your applications for accounting internships in London sent off between September and November. In the meantime, our guide to Internships in London will tell you more about the ins and outs of interning in the city.
There are, of course, tons of opportunities outside of London, if big city life isn’t your vibe. Most firms have regional offices, and smaller, local accounting firms also take on students seeking work experience.
We advertise jobs everywhere from the South West to Yorkshire and Humberside...
Find Accounting Internships In LondonBest Student Employers to work for
Every year we announce our Best Student Employers table; a list that is based on all the reviews that students submit to RateMyPlacement.co.uk. These employers are the Tyson Furys of the business world.
They are the champions of undergraduate work experience in accountancy. And they are looking for students like you to get in the ring, and show them what you’re made of.
This year’s top companies for accounting internships, placements and insight schemes are…
When you’re choosing which employer to work for, bear in mind that accountants can be found in FTSE 100 companies and start-ups alike. So you might be able to pair your numerical aptitude with a real passion or interest of yours, such as technology.
Spotlight on KPMG work experience
KPMG is one of the Big Four, has over 200,000 employees worldwide, and has been around since 1897. It is the Blue Whale of the accounting world.
And their student programmes are a magnificent way of getting an insider’s view of what it’s like to work at the firm; including the work they do, the industries they work in and the challenges facing the businesses they work with…
KPMG PLACEMENTS
Placement students at KPMG are exposed to lots of different areas in the business, and get to work on real projects with real client impact. This Tax Assistant at KPMG had a whale of a time, rating the experience an 8.1/10...
INSIGHTS at KPMG
Most of KPMG’s insight days are targeted toward a specific audience. Like their Women in Technology Insight Programme, aimed at female students wanting to explore a career in Technology & Engineering.
This three-day programme is paid and promises networking opportunities with inspirational female employees, key skills workshops, and an insight into the technologies they use (including AI, Cloud technology and machine learning).
Finding accounting work experience elsewhere
Summer accounting internships with the Big Four (Deloitte, EY, PwC and KPMG) are wildly competitive, so you’re not guaranteed to get a spot. Even if you meet all their requirements.
If you don’t, there are four other ways you can get relevant work experience:
Apply for current vacancies at SMEs (Small or Medium-sized businesses) in the financial sector
Send speculative applications to SMEs
Volunteer to be a society or club treasurer
Look for a part-time job that will develop key skills (e.g. teamwork, communication and problem-solving).
Check out our guide to Banking Internships for more bright ideas on finding work experience in the financial sector.
View Banking Internships GuideAccounting jobs: where your career can take you
There are innumerable different options for those who want a career in accounting. You could end up working for a government institution, fighting financial crimes or helping businesses scale up...
FORENSIC ACCOUNTING
If this sounds exciting, that’s because it is. Forensic accountants are basically the detectives of the finance world. It’s not quite Line of Duty, but you will be tasked with solving financial crimes like fraud or financial irregularities.
"Forensic accountants are trained to look beyond the numbers and deal with the business realities of situations. This enables them to identify criminal activities, such as money laundering activities and the illegal sale of arms." ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)
INTERNAL AUDITING
An internal auditor scrutinises a company’s finances with a fine-tooth comb, looking for evidence of fraud or any flaws in their financial systems. Sharp eyesight is a must.
GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING
A governmental accountant looks after the financial performance of institutions in the public sector. Just like Liam Neeson’s bad-ass character in Taken, these kinds of accountants have a specific skill set and often specialise in their field for years and years and years.
Watch Liam Neeson in all his glory here...
DID YOU KNOW?
Mick Jagger reportedly studied accounting at the London School of Economics for a whole year, before falling in love with music and founding The Rolling Stones.
Chartered Accountancy
Once you’ve secured a graduate accounting job, you can start thinking about gaining chartership. The title ‘Chartered Accountant’ (or the letters ACA/FCA) is given to someone who has:
Undertaken a minimum of three years of in-depth training
Passed exams in auditing, business strategy, financial management and taxation
Committed to their own professional development, keeping their skills and knowledge up-to-date
There are three professional institutes of Chartered Accountants in the UK:
Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
Chartered Accountants Ireland (Ireland and Northern Ireland.
And there are three terrific reasons why you should consider becoming a Chartered Accountant:
#1 Boosted earning potential
Accounting jobs tend to come with hefty pay packets. According to High Fliers: The Graduate Market, the average graduate starting salary for the Accounting & Professional Services industry is £35,000 a year.
But this figure SOARS once you get all your professional qualifications. ICAEW Chartered Accountants earn an average annual salary of £51,000 in the first two years after qualifying.
#2 Global recognition
There’s a lot of respect for accountants who have completed the ACA qualification. The kind of respect you might get when you land a double backflip on the trampoline.
Their unique combination of commercial awareness, analytical thinking and numerical ability means they are sought-after by employers around the world.
Accounting is a global industry. Once you’re qualified, you can basically work anywhere. Deloitte, for instance, has offices in Azerbaijan, The Bahamas, Taiwan and many, many more exotic destinations.
#3 Never stop learning
Accountants need to be hot on their rules and regulations. These are always changing in finance, which means there’s always something new to learn.
Like the great white shark (which continues to grow throughout its lifetime), accountants never stop growing as professionals. Regular training and qualifications help them maintain that razor sharp edge throughout their careers.
Graduate Accounting Jobs
Are you in your final year and looking for work in the accounting industry? You’re in luck, there are loads of graduate opportunities available in the accounting sector.
In fact, according to High Fliers, 7,752 accounting graduates were employed in 2022. You can be part of that number too.
So now you know there are enough graduate accounting jobs to fill a small stadium, what’s available?
Search for Graduate JobsTypes of Graduate Accounting Jobs
You’d be surprised where an accounting degree can take you. Whether you want to stay an accountant or venture into the world of consultancy, there’s something for you. Here are some examples of graduate roles below.
Junior Accountant
As a junior accountant, you’ll have a swimming pool-sized load of responsibilities. These can include;
Prepping financial statements
Updating accounts
Sending out invoices and making sure they’re paid
Creating weekly and monthly reports.
Tax Accountant
You’ll help your clients prepare and submit their yearly tax returns. That means meticulously going through all their finances for the year and letting them know how much tax they owe and to go about submitting and paying these fees safely and legally.
Risk Analyst
You’ll help companies make super-important financial decisions by combing through their accounts and investments and making sure there’s no financial risk to the business. You’ll also assess potential losses and create reports and strategies based on your research.
What qualifications do you need for an accounting graduate job?
Most employers will ask for you to at least have a 2:2 in a relevant degree, whereas some employers will ask for a 2:1 in a relevant degree.
Relevant degrees include:
Accounting
Maths
Business
Finance
Economics.
When should I apply for a graduate job?
It totally depends on when you’re ready to start looking for a job. There are hundreds of graduate schemes that recruit on a yearly basis, these will usually open around September and October to start the following autumn.
So it’s a good idea to start looking and applying at the start of your final year.
However, there are also a ton of graduate roles that recruit all year round. So you could graduate in June and start working as soon as the week after!
