What does a Accountant (Practice) actually do?

The short version

Accountants prepare accounts, audit them, and file the tax that keeps businesses legal — in practice (many clients) or industry (one employer). It's the career where the qualification IS the career: ACA/ACCA is worth more than the degree that got you there.

The pitch: a genuinely portable skill (qualified accountants work anywhere), multiple routes in including debt-free school leaver schemes, and a career ladder that's clear from day one. The catch: the first 3 years are exam-heavy alongside client work, seasonal deadlines are real, and the routine junior work is exactly what AI is automating — the trainee funnel is squeezing.

Entry routes that actually work

• Training contract (ACA/ACCA) — paid trainee salary while you qualify; the standard route.
• CIMA/industry route — train inside a company's finance function on management accounting.
• School leaver apprenticeship — qualify with zero debt; increasingly the smartest route.