Entry Requirements
Before you can be accepted to the college of Chartered Accountants, you must:
- Have completed a Chartered Accountants ANZ (CAANZ) approved accounting degree in Australia or New Zealand; or
- Hold a non-accounting tertiary qualification that CAANZ has assessed as meeting entry requirements; or
- Hold an overseas qualification that CAANZ has assessed as meeting entry requirements and demonstrated the required level of knowledge.
The Path
The CA program comprises four technical modules covering the main areas of accounting (taxation, financial accounting, management accounting and auditing) and a capstone module which integrates knowledge from the technical modules and skills from practical experience. Each technical module covers 12 weeks, and capstone 14 weeks.
(Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand, 2015)
My Experience Undertaking the Program
WK Advisors and Accountants are an approved training employer (ATE) for the CA program, fully encouraging and supporting further education of their employees and in June this year, I began the CA program.
I have found the training to be rigorous, but no more so than studying at tertiary level (full time tertiary student compared to full time employee studying the CA program). It focuses on practical application of theory and skill to real world situations.
The program is mainly delivered online, and does cover a lot of information in a short period, so self-motivation and time management are key. For those who benefit from the classroom experience, virtual classrooms and online discussion forums are provided. Additional pre-exam workshops are also available for the technical modules, and there are 3 compulsory workshops for the capstone module.
If you would love a career in accounting / finance and wish to obtain a qualification recognised around the world, I say go for it.
For more information about becoming a Chartered Accountant, visit http://www.nzica.com/caprogram.aspx
Author – Reyna Shewan