Career advisor needed! (also in C&E) - sorry not horsey but need as much help as poss

bigboyrocky

bigboyrocky

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Hi all,
I am currently in year 10 at school, and have started my GCSEs this year. Going well so far, but I really need to start thinking about the future, and im all a bit confused.

Ideally, i would like to only be studying part time after i leave year 11, so i can run education alongside a part time job to pay for ponies. Im not really sure how realistic this is though?

I would ideally like to go on to study business/accounting, but not sure what path i should follow? A levels... (which ones would be a good idea, and 6th form or college??) Universtiy? Is this even possible if i aim to keep at least on horse while studying?

And then theres all the other things that im completely confused about.... diplomas/NVQ's apprentiships etcc.... what do they all mean and would they be of any use to me at all?

Have been looking on the UCAS website, and am thinking going to uni to do Business/finance/accounting but could someone tell me what all the different courses involve? Some seem to be a year long, others 3, and its all just confusing me. Obviously 3year course is going to get you more qualifications than a 1yr course but which would be best to look into??


Possibly some relevant information that may alter your replies slightly...?
Okay, so im not from a wealthy background.
Am predicted A*/A/B in my GCSE's.
Dont want to spend my whole life in education, and would like to get out working asap, but dont want to leave without the necesay qualifiactions to get me the well paid job i would like.
Am really into my eventing, but want to keep work and horses separate.
So after education, would like to work full time for maybe 2-4yrs, before cutting it down to part time, and then the rest of the time becoming a freelance groom/riding for othere people, and possibly thinking about setting up my own yard. In time i'd like to develop a good string of horses to event, do some buying and selling and riding for other people, so that eventing is more of my main career, although this will take lots of time (probably 30+ cause of lack of funds to begin with!!)

If anyone could just clear up anything mentioned that would be great, as i'd quite like to choose a uni course now so that i can choose my a level options around the criteria for that course so there is more chance of me getting a place that the uni i would like.

(sorry if some of you are sat there with your heads in your hands shaking your head going *oh my god, you have no idea what you are on about*... your not far from the truth! hence needing lots and lots of help :) ) :p

Will reply to PMs aswell if youd prefer :)
Thanks
 
My OH is an accountant, he's coming home tomorrow, I will ask him the exact ins and outs of it and let you know, but as far as I understand, you can get an ''on the job'' type of qualifications - that might tie in with your plans quite well I reckon.
 
University is do-able with a horse. I had a horse on loan but also had 2 part time jobs along side. Weekends at a race yard, and a few hours a week in the uni library as a book shelver..woo :)

Great that you are thinking of doing this, I have just finished an Equine degree at uni and I think it was a very big mistake as I now want to keep work and horses separate, and now I have NO IDEA what to do with my life. If I could turn back time I would have gone to study biological sciences.

If you are interested in finance side of things then good college A levels would be Maths, Business, Accounting and Economics (if your college does those courses) I would say. I have just been looking at an accounting apprenticeship with starting pay of about £25k, however they are asking for a high 2nd class honours in an accounting based degree. Although I am sure there are lots of other ways in. My dad is a chartered accountant and I think he just did some business and accounting modules at college, not quite sure this was 30 odd years ago now!

If I were you I would talk to your schools career advisor or the local Connexions careers person :) Sorry I can't be of much help, my brain doesn't function this late.
 
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martlin said:
My OH is an accountant, he's coming home tomorrow, I will ask him the exact ins and outs of it and let you know, but as far as I understand, you can get an ''on the job'' type of qualifications - that might tie in with your plans quite well I reckon.
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Thank you that would be a massive help :)
 
heather_bambi said:
University is do-able with a horse. I had a horse on loan but also had 2 part time jobs along side. Weekends at a race yard, and a few hours a week in the uni library as a book shelver..woo :)

Great that you are thinking of doing this, I have just finished an Equine degree at uni and I think it was a very big mistake as I now want to keep work and horses separate, and now I have NO IDEA what to do with my life. If I could turn back time I would have gone to study biological sciences.

If you are interested in finance side of things then good college A levels would be Maths, Business, Accounting and Economics (if your college does those courses) I would say.

If I were you I would talk to your schools career advisor or the local Connexions careers person :) Sorry I can't be of much help, my brain doesn't function this late.
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Ah thats fab to know you had time for a horse at uni and still p/t jobs too! :)
I love working with horses, but theres not much money available in the horsey world.. even with good equine qualifications, its still bl**dy hard to find well paid jobs from what i understand.

Those sound like good A level options actually. Not confident with maths at the moment though. Numbers i find really really easy, but its all this triginometry and stuff that i just think is pointless! Recent maths challenge at school, which is all to do with numbers an logical thinking... top of the school (including the yr11s) and only gold award in the school. However, im just not 100% confident with the rest of it yet! I think i have lots of common sense, but just have a memory like a seive tbh! :p Maths is something i should really do though i guess if i want to work with finance/business!

Thanks for that btw, lots of help. Anything is a help at the moment, im just ubber confused and my brain is sizzled! Bed time i think!
 
hi,

Can't comment on current courses but I have been a Management Accountant for nearly 20 years. Having worked as an in house accountant in industry I can say that (and it is only my opinion others might feel differently) whenever I have taken on new employees I tend to go with the ones with experience rather than qualifications. You might be interested to know that many companies take on young people and in addition to getting paid for doing the day to day work where you will gain loads of experience they will also pay for you to go on study courses to gain genuine accountancy qualifications.

If you are interested in business accountancy check out the CIMA website (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants). Before doing my CIMA exams I first got involved by doing an HND in Business and Finance (not sure if these still exist!) if I remember rightly there were a number of different option subjects to choose and it was from here that I learnt there were different types of accountants - ones that work within industry getting involved in all sorts of interesting work (yes accountancy can be interesting!!)and ones that work for accounting firms doing tax returns and audits (boring!!).

Most probably not been much help but just trying to say that qualifications are not everything. x
 
bigboyrocky said:
I love working with horses, but theres not much money available in the horsey world.. even with good equine qualifications, its still bl**dy hard to find well paid jobs from what i understand.
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Wish someone had told me when I was sorting out what uni and degree to do whilst I was at college :(

I know, I am good with numbers...but when will I ever need to use Pythagoras Theorem again!!
 
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I'm a Chartered Accountant & I didn't go the conventional route. You don't need to get A levels and a degree first, although this I suspect this is the most popular route.

I started working for an accountant as a junior and starting studying towards the AAT exams (Association of Accounting Technicians). This is a useful qualification in its own right and you can go far and earn a good wage on this.

However, its also a good stepping stone as once you have qualified as an Accounting Technician you are then eligible to start training as a Chartered Accountant - ICAS or ICAEW are the ideal organisations to look at. You need to be working with an accountant at this stage anyway & so you'll be learning and earning at the same time. It is hard work to get this far but its worth it in the end.

Its also a good qualification and skill to have as if you are planning in the future to work part time you could become a self employed book-keeper etc, whatever takes your fancy.

Good luck with your choice, I remember how difficult it was when I left school as I didn't have a clue what I wanted to do - hence the unconventional route to getting my qualifications - I had initially trained as a secretary - I'm very fast at typing !!

Another good tip, is when you get a job and are secure in it, suggest they use flexi-time - worked a treat for me as I could use this to ride during the week in winter as well as summer !!
 
I'm a teacher with a degree in accounting and finance so hopefully can give a different perspective.

As said above, you don't an accounting degree in order to get into it - as there are professional exams you would do which would be more important.

In terms of part time study during yr 11, that would be quite difficult I think, but lots of our 6th formers study full time and manage part time jobs on the side. After 6th form, you need to weigh up the costs and benefits of going to uni versus going straight into work. 5 years ago I probably would have definately said Uni is the best option, but things are changing, and you need to consider the costs involved now and whether its worth the time and money in the long run.

A good mix of A levels is important; perhaps look at things like business studies, economics, maths (although you need to get an A* at GCSE in order to be able to cope - its very very different at A level). Employers / Uni's seem to like science A levels at the moment - not so much for the content, but more for the thinking / problem solving skills that students need to have. Most schools / colleges will want you to do 4 AS's so picking a fourth unrelated subject to show a wider breadth / balance is good - look at something like English / Psychology / History perhaps?

Does your school have a careers advisor? If not, you could try your local Connexions office who are quite good. Or if there is a head of 6th form, they would be a good person to talk to.

Its great you are thinking ahead and have such ambition - I think that in itself its the key to sucess!!
 
I am also a Chartered Mangement Accountant - I studied CIMA. I did study A level Accounts and finance was part of my degree - but they weren't really any help for doing CIMA. Apart from the fact that they proved to my employer that I could actually study and pass exams. You could look at doing AAT, but you study AAt for 3 years and in return if you then decided to go on and become a chartered accountant you will be exempt from the first year of study. So you could spend 3 years to get to the same point that could take you 1 year if you took a different route.

I was sponsored by the people I work for and they paid for all my training, exams etc and gave me time off to study. In return I have to work for them for a certain numberr of years - otherwise I have to pay my training back.

I do have a nice job, I get to go to America a lot and I have never had to fill in a tax return
 
I think you have had some good advise already but I will add my two pennies.

I am a part-qualified accountant (still finishing off my full qualification). I went down the uni route and got a degree in accounting and finance.

As far as A-levels go I did maths, accounting and business studies. I think its worthwhile doing one of either the accounting qualifications or the business one as it will give you a good insight into whether you enjoy or it or even click with it (not everyone does). Also gives you chance to consider whether you prefer the management accounting side or the financial accounting side. I'm doing financial accounting but I actually think management accounting is more interesting. Thank-fully my job has aspects of both.

If you do decide to go down the university route please choose a good one with a good reputation. If you are going to spend all that money going then make it worth while. If you want to get on a graduate apprenticeship scheme then alot goes on what university you went to along with what grades you get. Plus if you go and do an accounting qualification go for one that gives you the maximum number of exemptions from the proffesional exams. This will ensure you get the best out of your uni experience.

Saying all this though if I had my time again (as much as I loved the social of uni) I would probably have gone down the AAT route then on to do my chartership. The only downside to doing it this way is finding a job that will help you through these chains. I would keep your eyes open when you are nearer the time and find out if there is anyone recruiting this way. On the job trainning is so much better for one main reason, money. I ran up quite alot of debt going to uni when i could have just done on-the-job trainning and actually earnt money not just spending it.

Anymore questions feel free to ask!
 
Hi :)

I can't say much about the job world, as I'm in Year 11 myself! However, I do work part time, but in not very conventional roles. On saturdays I volunteer at a city farm, sundays is dog-walking and riding lesson, and I'm soon to start helping out at my stables once a week.

Personally, I have done GCSEs in Drama, History, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Textiles, English Lit, English Lang, Maths, RE and PE. I think I want to work as a Drama teacher in the future, or maybe in Drama therapy, or even working in education in a theatre. For A-levels I have chosen Drama, English Lit, Biology, either History or Politcs and Critical Thinking for an AS. Also, have you heard of Keystone subjects? These are A-levels like History, English, the Sciences and Maths and these Keystone subjects are generally what universities like to look for in a candidate, and a good mix of 'sciences' and 'humanities' indicate to them a well-rounded learner.

Maybe to help you save up while you are studying these next few years, you could get a few small part time jobs? As much as you want to start work, your education IS the most important thing to be worrying about, and I think that by getting advice now, you are preparing yourself really well for the future.

In terms of A-levels, as well as doing the 'science-y and finance-y ones, you should maybe also look into doing a more 'traditional' A-level such as History, English Lit, English Language, possibly even Art. These different subjects show you are a well-rounded, diverse learner and subjects like History and English Lit show you understand 'how to learn' and how to write well, if that makes sense!

I'm starting to build up my businesses this summer, I'm a dog-walking, baby-sitting, horse-loving, eBay queen! :D In terms of actual dosh, I'm getting more clients with dogs to walk and kids to look after, and next week am off to a friends to add around 50 designer things to eBay, and I'll get comission from this.

Yesterday I finished my LAST GCSE! :D:D:D I can't tell you how good it feels, and I wish you all the luck in your exams, and planning your future! If you ever want to talk about school, jobs etc I'm only a PM away :)

Ruby xx
 
bigboyrocky said:
Hi all,
Ideally, i would like to only be studying part time after i leave year 11, so i can run education alongside a part time job to pay for ponies. Im not really sure how realistic this is though?
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i was in the same situation as you 3 years ago and it worked well for me but its hard work i wont lie. i only had one horse at the time but i didnt drive so had to get the bus to him twice a day (college bus passes come in handy ;) ) youd be better of going full time, its much more flexible than school. you have atleast one working day off a week usually and you finish early somedays, sometimes youl be in till 5pm, it varies. i did horse managment which i regret doing as i didnt want to do my own horses at the end of the day of ridin and mucking out others! There is something called EMA, this is education mantainance allowance where basically depending on you parents income you can get upto £30 a week to attend college and £100 bonus dotted through the year but you have to attend.

[/QUOTE]I would ideally like to go on to study business/accounting, but not sure what path i should follow? A levels... (which ones would be a good idea, and 6th form or college??) Universtiy? Is this even possible if i aim to keep at least on horse while studying?[/QUOTE]
yes it is. i start a degree in september with two horses and FULL time is one day a week! its a three year long course but the unis are on my doorstep. but you could take you horses with you and stable them near by.

[/QUOTE]And then theres all the other things that im completely confused about.... diplomas/NVQ's apprentiships etcc.... what do they all mean and would they be of any use to me at all?[/QUOTE]
NVQ'S are i think national vocational qualifactios( i think) diplomas- you can get national diplomas, i did/have a BTEC national diploma in horse managment which is equivilant to 3 A levels. and a apprentiship is where you work while you learn and get paid tuppence for it, farriers training with other farriers are apprentices. they earn while they learn. but its not very good pay and i doubt there is apprentiships for accounting.

[/QUOTE]Have been looking on the UCAS website, and am thinking going to uni to do Business/finance/accounting but could someone tell me what all the different courses involve? Some seem to be a year long, others 3, and its all just confusing me. Obviously 3year course is going to get you more qualifications than a 1yr course but which would be best to look into??[/QUOTE]
basically you get something called ucas tarrif points when your at college and each the degree you want to do will have a certain criteria for you to get into it. you may need between 180-240 point to get in. the degree vary, you can get foundation degrees which have a lower entry criteria and are usually one - two years long and you come out with an FDA in such and such, but you can top it up to a bachelor of .... it usually bachelor of arts or science. u can go straight in to it but its a higher entry criteria and is about 3 years long, every course is different, i can be 3 years sandwhich full time or 3 years block release to work placements etc.

[/QUOTE]Dont want to spend my whole life in education, and would like to get out working asap, but dont want to leave without the necesay qualifiactions to get me the well paid job i would like.[/QUOTE]
VERY WISE!
[/QUOTE]Am really into my eventing, but want to keep work and horses separate.
So after education, would like to work full time for maybe 2-4yrs, before cutting it down to part time, and then the rest of the time becoming a freelance groom/riding for othere people, and possibly thinking about setting up my own yard. In time i'd like to develop a good string of horses to event, do some buying and selling and riding for other people, so that eventing is more of my main career, although this will take lots of time (probably 30+ cause of lack of funds to begin with!!)[/QUOTE]
there isnt alot of money in the horse industry unless you get in with the right people. working alone doesnt normally work well, if your thinking of setting up and eventing yard, why not do the business managment at hartpury or see what canningtong have got. atleast then your doing business but in the equine sector so it will set you up to run your own yard.

[/QUOTE]If anyone could just clear up anything mentioned that would be great, as i'd quite like to choose a uni course now so that i can choose my a level options around the criteria for that course so there is more chance of me getting a place that the uni i would like.[/QUOTE]

you can look at the uni courses and entry criteria but cant enter them untill you in your last year of college by which time you might change your mind like i did :D i took a year out then decided i did want to do you but not horses so im doing challenging behaviours and learning difficulties in people. bit of a change :D but im getting a grant and a loan to pay for uni fees as i dont have rich parents :D

hope my waffle explains it, any questions pm me :D i dont think my quoting is going to work so youl have to work it out lol
 
I do business management which has finance/accounting.


I am a mature student which is different but tbh i reccomend - maths and business if you can at A level. it will help....


failing that a diploma in business at college? part time or fulll but its possible to work part time and do uni full time and have ahorse....
i just choose not to. :)
 
Uni is definitly easily manageable with a horse!

I did 3 A levels and still looked after and competed my horse. I found it didnt require any more time or effort than GCSE's.

I then went to Hartpury and did an Equine Business Management degree. The business modules were the same as Bristol UWE pure business degrees but we also did equine science modules at Hartpury. I'm not really sure they went together! However at the end of the day I ended up with a degree and I kept my horse at DIY livery at Hartpury and my riding came on loads and loads. I also competed lots, easy as they have so many comps held at Hartpury!

Even if I had of gone to a different uni its easy to find livery nearby. In the first year at Hartpury I lived on site and kept my horse on site but in the 3rd year I shared a house in Gloucester with some friends and kept my horse at DIY livery somewhere else, I used to just go into Hartpury for my lectures.

A friend of mine is at Southampton uni and keeps her horse on DIY nearby.

I had tons of time doing my degree! You usually only have 2 2-hour lectures a day. Its pretty easy and research and studying you can fit in around a horse easily. To be honest just a couple of hours extra study a day on top of lectures is more than enough.

Revision up to exams can be pretty hardcore but its no more work really than A levels you just need to be much more self motivated and make sure you go to the libary instead of laying in untill 11 and then hacking with friends all afternoon ;)

With one or two horses I would def def say that any education is easily worked around your horses. Its when you leave and get a full time job that the reality really kicks in :D

I f I could give any advice is pick a degree that you really find interesting because you do have to be self motivated like I said before. Employers don't care what you actually studied they just want to know that you were commited, focused and intelligent enough to actually do one. Its more about which uni you went to then what course you did...

For example My friend did a Geology degree and then a masters.. she is now an accountant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers!

Another friend did Politics.. she is now a solicitor after doing a law conversion course.

Another did Psycology.. she now works in Human Rescources in London.

I went on to work at RBS with my Equine Business Degree :p

So it doesnt matter which subject you choose, choose your fav :)
 
I think doing your a-levels and degree part time alongside working is a fab idea, lots of people are doing that these days and in my area (law not accounting but a similar sort of environment) the slightly older new graduates who have good life experience as well as the qualifications are in much higher demand than the fresh faced 22 year olds who have gone straight through from school to degree and post grad.

Don't be put off by having to work it is all possible.
 
I would pick a degree that you are interested in and aim to get in the best school you can.

Most of the big firms (accountancy and law) are only interested in a 2.1 from a good school regardless of degree. They just want you to show some kind of commitment to becoming an accountant and an idea of what being an accountant actually entails.

I would say that you have more time as a student to keep a horse than you will as a trainee accountant. If you join a Big 4, you will certainly be working long hours (especially if you are in audit which involves lots of trips to clients so you may be away for weeks at a time) and on top you will be studying for your ACA exams at the same time (and if you are at a Big 4 firm, you will be sacked on the spot for failing an exam). There would be more flexibility if you join a smaller firm but training for 3 yrs at a big 4 firm is like being back at university, you will have a great peer group and you all traipse off to college together to sit your exams. It is great fun and you want to enjoy that. Its the same as being at uni, you want to take advantage of the social side as you only get that chance once.

Once you qualify, then you are in the same boat as everyone else who has a full-time job.
 
I can't remember which company it is now but some of the big four (E&Y,KMPG etc) run a recruitment programme for people straight after A levels. They also do open days etc which are key for putting on online application forms!

If you do go to uni and have to be horseless there is a Equestrian is a BUSA sport and lots of unis run a team in the events (combined training type stuff).
 
I haven't read all of the posts so sorry if I'm repeating something that someone else has said.
I'm an Accountant and have worked full time from being 16 years old. I did my A-levels on a day release basis from my employer at the time (tho perhaps you could now do them in the evenings, you would have to check with your college).
You can then do AAT and CIMA/ACA in the evenings and even weekends at some places, you would have to check course times but plenty of colleges do courses in the evenings, you might just have to be prepared to travel a little bit.
I suppose it depends if you want to work in Industry (as I do) or in Practice.
Good luck :D
 
I was in exactly the same position as you when I left school. I went straight into and accountancy firm and they paid for all my training/exams (and paid me a nice salary at the same time).

Im now 24 and a manager within the company, people the same age as me who went to college/uni are coming in lower than me as they don’t have the experience and from what I see day to day experience is everything.

I do sometimes think I would of liked uni life but I have bought my own dressage horse and compete most weekends, have no outside help own a house and basically have a damn good life!

I would recommend a modern apprentice to anyone and these are very very very common in accountancy firms!

Good luck!
 
QR: I'm in my 3rd year of training to be a chartered accountant (ACA). I went to uni first and did a gap year. Uni was ace but I didn't do a degree related to my job, so take it from the horses mouth that you don't need to do so.

I would say if you're keen to do the accounting thing, and not bothered either way about uni, you should try to get great A levels and apply to one of the firms straight after uni. I think Deloitte & PwC take on school leavers. The money won't be amazing to start with but you'll have a lot more cash than your friends who are at uni!

You could ask around local firms (if you want to stay in your area) or check out the websites of some of the big 4 or the mid tier firms to see if they do the school leaver thing. If they do that, you will probably need As at A level, one of which should be maths. Economics wouldn't hurt either, although I didn't do it so I can't really say!

If you go to uni, you will end up with a big fat student debt that takes years to pay off and if you want to do the accounting route, you absolutely do not need to do accounting at uni as they teach you everything once you start your job.

I hate my job at times because I work stupid hours, but I'm working for one of the big 4 and in banking, so it's obviously very pressured. I know some people at smaller firms that do 9-5. You could certainly maintain your riding with a job like this and the money would be enough for you to keep at least one horse.

In addition, the career progression would be great. By the age of 23 (I know that seems like a long way off but it's not really) you would have been working for 5 years and would be an assistant manager. Two years more and you would be a manager. The other advantage is that it's always something to fall back on as it's an internationally very well recognised qualification.

If you do the ACA or similar, you will be looking at 15 exams spread over a 3 year period, with on the job training. The firm will pay for all your training and exams.

I'm not trying to bum you out or suggest that there's no reason to go to uni but, if money's tight and you're not mad keen on a particular degree, I think you should just get stuck into the rest of your life & start earning some cash!!

I made the mistake of not taking my horse with me to uni and losing interest in riding a bit and I've regretted it every day since.


PM me if you want to know more :)
 
CBAnglo said:
and on top you will be studying for your ACA exams at the same time (and if you are at a Big 4 firm, you will be sacked on the spot for failing an exam). There would be more flexibility if you join a smaller firm but training for 3 yrs at a big 4 firm is like being back at university, you will have a great peer group and you all traipse off to college together to sit your exams.
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Not all big 4 sack you if you fail one exam....

But yes, I agree that training at a big firm is like being back at uni!
 
If you are interested in finance stuff.... why not try doing what I do - quantity surveying; basically accounting on a building site (but more interesting). Lots of firms will pay for a part time degree for you (which takes five years).
 
Maletto said:
Not all big 4 sack you if you fail one exam....
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They certainly did when I did my exams although they may be a bit more relaxed now. I think they let you have 2 attempts at case but certainly they did look down on you and depending on when you joined it meant that you weren't promoted to assistant manager until after you re-sat case.

It is true that some of the big 4 will take school leavers and yes in the beginning you will be at a higher grade than others the same age who went to university but I found that the lack of degree could hinder you at the senior stages. And unofficially you could be paid less as each grade is banded.

Certainly if you have no desire to go to uni then there is little point forcing yourself to spend 3 yrs there and get into a pile of debt. But uni isn't just 3 yrs of drinking, it teaches you independence, social skills (we all had that weird roomate who we had to learn to live with) and you will make life long friends. Yes it can be stressful and a drag at exam time but also great fun and an opportunity to experience new things and meet people from all sorts of backgrounds. Oh and of course there is all the drinking and partying!
 
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Thank you so much everyon for all the replies, they have really helped me alot :) Im going to start looking at which A levels are available at what colleges/6th forms in the area, then i think the best option after that to me, sounds like... find an employer where you can train on the job!

Thanks again, cleared lots of things up, and agree.. not mad about uni, so no point accumulating a massive student debt when i could be earning fairly decent money, and not owe any uni anything! :)
 
Haven't read all the other replies so apologies if I'm repeating stuff. I have no idea about studying part time - I did all my traning full time and would recommend getting it out of the way sooner rather than later. I am a chartered accountant and licenced insolvency practitioner. I did 11 GCSE's (mainly languages - french, classical greek, italian and latin plus all the usuals) then A levels in Maths, Chemistry and Physics, got BBC grades, went on to read Psychology at uni (got a 2:1). Had a horse all through this plus NUMEROUS part time jobs along side to make everything pay (I don't have wealthy/horsy parents).

Got a graduate trainee position for a top-8 accountancy firm in their business recovery department, studied ACA alongside work and they paid for everything, then studied insolvency exams immediately upon finishing ACA. I was in the enviable position by age 26 of having cleared off all student debt and bought a house (with mortgage) and by 28 was able to buy a horse and a 4x4 and trailer. I earn enough to meet full livery bills plus competition and training (plus 5-figure vets bills over a 2-year period).

It's been bl**dy hard work with some long hours, lots of lost time due to studying, but I can now do what I want as all my exams are out of the way and it was worth it.

The one thing I will say is that my colleague left school after A levels and came to work at the same firm as me at the same time (so she was 4 years younger). She is more intelligent than me, but I earned about £10k more than she did purely because I had a degree. When I then qualified ACA I earned nearly £15k more than she did, despite the fact we we were both level-pegging in terms of work experience. She (bless her, I don't mean to be unkind) made the sort of mistakes at work that the rest of us made at uni but thankfully were able to put behind us when we started work. As in getting drunk, inappropriate behaviour at work do's etc. It held her back.

Think long and hard. Going to uni is great fun but a massive financial commitment. I think young people are right to be questioning its value these days. I was the last year before fees came in - I don't think I'd have gone if I'd had to pay tuition fees.

GOOD LUCK! Think about the long-term goal (as you are!).
 
BeckyD said:
Haven't read all the other replies so apologies if I'm repeating stuff. I have no idea about studying part time - I did all my traning full time and would recommend getting it out of the way sooner rather than later. I am a chartered accountant and licenced insolvency practitioner.QUOTE]

Sorry to thread hijack but how do u find insolvency? Its something that I keep thinking I might enjoy and am considering changing jobs in the new yr so am trying to think about my options.
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Well done on getting some plan in your head. I am the recruitment co ordinator at The British Racing School. Part of my job is to offer careers advice and options to youngsters (and older) people looking towards working with horses. Mostly racing and racehorses, but you do have to remember how massive racing is. For every racecourse- we have 60 in the UK there are 60 accountants and for every racecourse there is also probably 15 to even 60 full time staff employed not to mention the actual yards.
I would say you need to make a choice, do you want to work in an equine related job and the pay is perhaps lower compared to non equine related.
Have a gander on the website for more idea, www.brs.org.uk or feel free to call/ email me for any other advice. Start planning now for later - best of luck.
 
oooh exciting :)
haven't read all replies so sorry if i'm repeating stuff- i don't think it really matters what A levels you do if you are wanting to go on and do accountancy (i have a few accountant friends and they did a range of degrees at uni- engineering, history, maths etc) What i would say is that A levels are much harder than GCSEs and then a degree is harder again- so picks subject (s) that you genuinely like and want to study :) if you get a good degree from a good university then you have as good a chance as anyone at getting a good job. for the top universities ("Russell Group") they have openly admitted that they prefer 'traditional' A levels (history, maths, chemistry, biology, english etc etc) and aren't so keen on 'newer' A levels (law, business studies, sociology media studies etc- a colleague of mine refers to these as the 'ologies' or the 'studies'! :rolleyes:)- so definitely aim to pick at least 2 traditional subjects and mix them with other subjects that you enjoy :)
good luck with it all. you can go to your local careers service (google connexions) for more advice! :)
 
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