Which are the highest paying Jobs after ACCA- Job Opportunities, Career Guide

Introduction

ACCA is one of the most popular and widely accepted professional certifications in Accountancy. Finance and accounting students prefer ACCA certification as a professional credential to build a career in their respective fields. ACCA-certified professionals are in high demand across many industries and get many lucrative jobs. They are hired by the Big 4's and many of the top MNCs worldwide as ACCA. 
There are many high-level Jobs after ACCA as they offer higher salary packages to ACCA compared to non-certified professionals. In this blog, you will get to know the various career opportunities that come your way after you acquire this certification. But first, let's learn more about the certification.

Scope of ACCA in India

Jobs after ACCA are high paying and are very much in demand by the top companies. In India, jobs after ACCA are in demand as they are not confined only to Accountancy. ACCAs can become management consultants and financial planners and fill many other excellent job roles that offer steady growth and dynamic change in careers after ACCA.
The ACCA is a globally recognized professional credential validating their skills & knowledge as certified Chartered Accountants practicing Accountancy in a global domain. Being internationally recognized, ACCA can help certified individuals get jobs after ACCA in over 180 countries worldwide.
Among the many job opportunities available to candidates after ACCA, these are the top 7 career opportunities after ACCA:
  • Consulting and Advisory
ACCA-certified professionals can work as advisory consultants. Companies requiring the services of advisory consultants prefer hiring ACCA professionals as they have relevant knowledge and expertise.
  • Taxation
ACCA professionals can fill the job roles of Tax Manager, Tax Accountant, etc., when working in the field of Taxation.
  • Auditing
ACCA professionals find many jobs in Auditing in the roles of Internal Audit Executive, Internal Audit Manager, Audit Associate, Audit Manager, Internal Auditor, etc.
  • Finance and Accounting
ACCA professionals are highly in demand to fill the job roles in the field of Finance and Accounting, including Financial Accountants, Financial Analysts, Financial Controllers, etc.
  • Corporate Finance
ACCA professionals can find jobs as Commercial Finance Managers, Associates, Finance Directors, etc. when working in Corporate Finance.
  • Risk Management
ACCA-certified professionals are also eligible to work in the field of risk management with job roles like Financial Risk Manager.
  • Insolvency
ACCA experts can use their expertise to work as insolvency professionals to rescue businesses on the Accountancy front.
ACCA offers the scope of immense growth in your career no matter what prior experience you have had or if the hiring company is not being popular or the best in the country.

Salary for an ACCA Certified Professional in India

The salary of individuals with jobs after ACCA can largely vary due to the number of years of experience and their designation at a company. An ACCA-certified individual who has just started working in an industry can get hired in a position equivalent to that of an Indian CA. 
If you start working as an ACCA Affiliate, you can expect an annual salary of INR 4 lakhs to INR 6 lakhs, while an ACCA Member has the potential of jobs after ACCA which pay INR 6 lakhs to INR 8 lakhs on an annual basis.
The average annual salary of a regular ACCA professional in India is around INR 8.07 lakhs, wherein mid to senior-level ACCA professionals can earn around INR 11 lakhs, and senior-level ACCA professionals who have many years of relevant work experience can bag salary packages of around INR 20 lakhs in a year. 

Which Companies hire ACCA in India?

In India, ACCA-certified professionals are hired by the Big 4's such as KPMG, EY, PwC, and Deloitte. Many multinational companies, such as Tata Grant Thornton, PepsiCo, Accenture, HSBC, etc., look for ACCA-certified professionals to look after the financial and accounting needs of the company.

Why is ACCA the next big thing in India?

With a growing hiring drive for ACCA-certified professionals worldwide, the demand for ACCA has skyrocketed over the years, especially in India. Over the last decade, there have been many enrolments in ACCA, and with that, many job opportunities have opened up. As of now, there are more than 1,80,000 ACCA members around the world. The ACCA certification is valid and accepted in over 180 countries.
The popularity of ACCA is also partly due to their learning module and exemption structure available to candidates coming from diverse backgrounds with or without prior relevant work experience. ACCA offers excellent career opportunities in India and abroad. This makes it a highly in-demand professional credential among finance and accounting candidates.
As more candidates opt for the ACCA certification, the demand for this certification is also set to increase. As a result, it can be easily predicted that India has the potential to become one of the biggest global markets for jobs after ACCA. Partly due to globalization, more MNCs are investing in India, which turns towards Indian accountants and accounting professionals seeking financial and accounting advice and help.

ACCA Course Details

So you must be keen on knowing how to get the ACCA certification so that you can become eligible for jobs after ACCA. In order to become a certified ACCA professional, you need to clear the ACCA certification exam, which consists of 13 papers divided into three levels-
  • Applied Knowledge
  • Applied Skill
  • Strategic Professional.
The ACCA certification exam is held four times a year; candidates who wish to take the ACCA exam can register for any of the following months-
  • March
  • June
  • September
  • December

Eligibility Criteria

If you are planning to apply for the ACCA certification exam, you should know about the eligibility criteria requirements of the ACCA exam in order to become eligible for jobs after ACCA.
  • The candidates must be 18 years of age to give the ACCA exam.
  • The candidate should have at least 36 months or three years of experience in the relevant field to become a licensed ACCA. (experience can be obtained before, during, or after clearing the exam)
  • Candidates must have completed 10+2 as a minimum required qualification with the following conditions.
  • Candidates require a minimum of 65% in Accounts or Mathematics and English in their class 12 board exams.
  • Candidates should have scored 50% in their other subjects in the 10+2 level exam.

You are eligible for the ACCA course if the student has cleared the 10th standard by enrolling in the FIA course of ACCA.

ACCA Syllabus

Knowing the ACCA certification exam syllabus will assist you in learning what needs to be studied for the ACCA exam, which will eventually help you out in getting jobs after ACCA.
The ACCA UK exam syllabus consists of 13 exams which are divided into two sections:
  • Fundamental Level from 1 to 8
  • Professional Level from 1 to 3, along with 2 Optional subjects
The Fundamental Level subjects are as follows:
  • Paper F1 Accountant in Business (BT)
  • Paper F2 Management Accounting (MA)
  • Paper F3 Financial Accounting (FA)
  • Paper F4 Corporate and Business Law (LW)
  • Paper F5 Performance Management (PM)
  • Paper F6 Taxation (TX)
  • Paper F7 Financial Reporting (FR)
  • Paper F8 Audit and Assurance (AA)
F1 to F3 are of Applied Knowledge level, and F4 to F8 are of Applied Skills level.
The Professional Level topics of the ACCA UK are given as follows:
  • Paper P1 Governance, Risk, & Ethics
  • Paper P2 Corporate Reporting
  • Paper P3 Business Analysis
  • Paper P4 Advanced Financial Management
  • Paper P5 Advanced Performance Management
  • Paper P6 Advanced Taxation
  • Paper P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance
P1 to P3 are of Strategic professional level. Papers P4, P5, P6, and P7 are the optional papers among which candidates have to choose any two for the ACCA exam.
Apart from these two modules, there is also a Professional Ethics Module mandatory for every candidate.

Exam Pattern

Knowing about the exam pattern of the ACCA certification exam is important as it will help you plan how to proceed with your preparation for the ACCA certification exam in order to become eligible for jobs after ACCA. 
As already discussed, the ACCA certification exam is conducted in three levels- Knowledge, Skills, and Strategic Professional. The Applied Knowledge & Skills parts of the exam are grouped together at Fundamental Level. Hence, the ACCA certification exam is also considered to be held at the Fundamental and Professional Levels.
Applied Knowledge LevelApplied Skills LevelStrategic Professional Level
Exam Duration2 hours3 hours4 hours
Passing Marks50%50%50%
Total Marks100100100
Passing Criteria:
Candidates need to clear all three Essential module papers and score at least 50% (50 marks) ) on each paper/subject.
Candidates must also pass the Professional Ethics Module to become ACCA-certified.
Passing Rate:
The general passing percentage of candidates taking the ACCA exam is around 40-50%. However, enrolling in ACCA coaching can increase your chances of clearing the exam easily in just one attempt.
If you are wondering how to prepare yourself for the ACCA certification exam so that you can become eligible for jobs after ACCA, you can enroll yourself in ACCA coaching, which is an ACCA Approved Learning Partner (ALP). NorthStar Academy is Platinum ACCA ALP which will help you get complete guidance and help you prepare efficiently for the ACCA certification exam. ACCA also offers exemptions based on your level of knowledge at the time you appear for the exam, based on which you can get customized coaching for preparing for the ACCA exam.

FAQs

1. Which job is best after ACCA?

There are several job roles that offer the best career growth and salary packages after ACCA. Among such jobs, there are seven noteworthy career opportunities for ACCA professionals, which are the most popular and in demand. These include-
Consulting and Advisory
Taxation
Auditing
Finance and Accounting
Corporate Finance
Risk Management
Insolvency

2. Can I easily get a job after ACCA?

Jobs after ACCA are in high demand in many countries, including India; ACCA-certified professionals will find it easy to get jobs with salary packages that are equivalent to Indian CAs.

3. What is the starting salary of ACCA?

A fresher in India seeking jobs after ACCA can expect an average annual salary within the range of INR 4 lakhs to INR 6 lakhs in India. This will increase with work experience in the relevant fields of work as an accountant.

4. Does ACCA have a future?

Almost every company and organization needs financial and accounting professionals who can take care of the accounting needs of the company or organization. Such job roles are on the rise due to bulk hiring in companies. ACCA-certified professionals are the most qualified individuals to fill in such roles in these companies

5. Is ACCA high paying?

ACCA professionals earn more than non-certified individuals. On average, a regular ACCA professional earns around INR 8 lakhs in a year.

6. Who earns more, ACCA or CA?

The salary packages offered to both ACCA and CA are equivalent, but ACCAs have greater scope and a wider market of job opportunities than CAs

7. Is ACCA difficult to study?

In comparison to some of the most popular professional accountancy courses, such as CA or CFA, ACCA is easier to clear. Students from a commerce background will find it easier to clear ACCA than most other financial and accounting certification exams

8. Which is the toughest exam in ACCA?

The ACCA exam module consists of three sections, and the Audit Assurance paper is considered to be the toughest among the ACCA exam subjects

9. Which degree is best for ACCA?

Students from a commerce background have the best opportunity to build a career in the field of Accountancy with the help of ACCA, as their degree and knowledge will help them in the ACCA certification exam as well as in the future ahead as an ACCA-certified working professional.

Conclusion

If you have made up your mind about taking the ACCA certification exam, opting for ACCA coaching will help you prepare for the exam with a holistic approach. 
NorthStar Academy (NSA) provides much-needed guidance in their top ACCA course for effective preparation for the ACCA exam so that you can clear the exam in just one attempt. Guidance from the top subject matter experts at NSA, such as Mr. M Irfat, has assisted many students in getting their desired jobs after ACCA.
NSA provides the most-preferred study material in association with BPP Learning Media, which has been thoroughly researched and caters to the individual preparatory needs of the students. You can also access online classes from anywhere in the world!
Book your seat today and build a successful career as an ACCA professional with NSA! Call us at +91 8147470707 or contact our counselors if you still have any doubts
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