Accountancy New Zealand
First and foremost, let us get rid of the idea that accountancy is only for mathematicians.
Being a good Chartered Accountant demands more than numbers or simple bookkeeping or numbers crunching.
Today's Chartered Accountants need to be au fait with a wider variety of international and national legislative and policy requirements. They also need the ability to think laterally and apply their expertise to a wide spectrum of client demands. Clients want a trusted adviser who is both knowledgeable and resourceful.
Careers can be divided into two main categories,
This is not an exhaustive list. The international financial market is undergoing continuous changes and growth which influences the Chartered Accountant's career opportunites.
External providers - accountancy firms.
The 'Big Four' accountancy firms - Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG and PwC - now style themselves as providers of professional services. Employing a wide variety of professionals, they offer a range of expert services. These may include some or all of the following:
There are a whole raft of large-medium sized firms who offer a similar range of services.
These are the accountancy practices found in the high street, often servicing local clients in small businesses. They tend to concentrate on audit, taxation and financial accounting work.
Offering a range of services, often including business advice, to clients. Consultants are often self-employed.
Multinationals, charities, NHS Trusts, local authorities, education, banks, building societies, insurance companies, manufacturers large and small - all will have an internal accounting function. They may provide some or all of the following services:
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading. Additionally, the Serious Fraud Office is the government agency that investigates and prosecutes cases of serious and complex fraud.
When traders buy or sell shares or other financial instruments, independent organisations facilitate the smooth transfer of the shares and money.
Providers of financial services:
Individuals who work as an independent financial adviser (IFA), a company representative or as a 'tied agent' may all provide financial advice. They can advise on investment products such as pensions, life assurance, savings and investing in stocks and shares. Tied advisers can only sell products from one financial company; the one to which they are 'tied'. Company representatives, or direct sales people, are employed directly by a company, eg an insurance company, bank or investment company and, again, can only sell the products of the company they represent.
Regulation is a smaller, specialist function within the sector, largely carried out by the FSA.
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