James.au

Before I came to OZ, I thought ACCA is an international qualification and it will be recognized by Australian employers even it does not have mutual recognition agreement with Australian CA/CPA. The fact is that the most employers here only recognise their local qualifications, and furthermore they also emphasis Australian experience essential! I am really tired of this, hope ACCA can do more effort to let us have an easy way to get one of the local qualifications.

RCoight

I'm not sure it is up to ACCA to ensure that its qualifications are an 'easy way' to get local qualifications.

As I understand it - and am happy to be corrected - there is a pathway for ACCA qualifiees to join the CA programme and become members of the ICAA that way.

James.au

yeah, there is a pathway to join the CA programme but have to study 5 papers again. I hope there is a mutual recognition agreement with CPA and at least get some exemptions from CA programme. We paid the same effort to get ACCA i.e. degree+5papers, CA,CPA also does the same. Why have to study again and again.

RCoight

Well there you go. If you want to be a CA or CPA recognised in Australia you only have to do 5 more exams. I had to do 14 in my day to get the same qualification.

The learning point from all of this for other people is to ensure you understand where your qualifications will and will not be recognised.

NikiL

Makes perfect sense - if recruiting in the UK would you recognise a foreign qualification as quickly as you would ACCA/CIMA? If you would, you'd be in the minority because most people (anywhere) just don't understand the relevant strengths and weakenesses of an overseas qualification, but they do know the local qualifications. If you want the Aus qualification, then be prepared to study again for it. Looked at another way, if you've been qualified for a while then they shouldn't be too difficult.

James.au

well.. ICAEW and ICAS member can get the local CA directly, I do not think the local employers understand ICAEW and ICAS more than ACCA, and I do not think ACCA qualification is lower than ICAEW and ICAS, especially for those who have an accounting degree.

ACCA has a mutual recognition agreement with Canadian CGA, do the Canadian employers understand ACCA qualification? I do not think so again, however, ACCA does not need to worry about it, they get CGA, this is the point.

RCoight

I'm not entirely sure I fully understand what you're saying here about 'local employers understand ICAEW and ICAS more than ACCA' but I'm afraid that in the hierarchy of qualifications CA / CPA is higher than ACCA.

Certainly I have come across that viewpoint numerous times while involved in recruitment processes (both for me directly and when I've been recruiting) in the UK and Australia.

If you could build a case for the ICAA to do the same as a different institute in a different country I'm sure they'd be delighted to read it.

James.au

Bothe Australian CPA and ACCA have mutual recognition agreement with Singapore CPA, it should be able to prove that Australian CPA and ACCA are equivalent qualification.

Now, ACCA member with another 5 years experience will be able to convert into member of ICAEW.

RCoight

I stand by my comment that ACCA is a lower qualification than chartered.

Though if you can get into the ICAEW from with an ACCA qualification without any further study then this is yet further proof that my own institute is no longer as rigorous as it once was!

James.au

ACCA is also engaged in an on-going effort to secure a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with AICPA in the US. Hence, there is also a possibility that such an agreement exist between ACCA and Australian CA in the future, who knows. ACCA pls does more effort.

For those ACCA members with an accounting degree and plus 3 years work experience in a chartered/mentored environment, i do not see any point that it is lower than a CA, what I can say is Australia prefers its local qualifications which is reasonable.

NikiL

But you still wouldn't be able to transfer that to CA/CPA as you didn't gain membership by examination.....

RCoight

In my experience most finance recruiters in Australia will disagree with you though I wish you luck in your job-hunt as in the current market with lots of good quality CAs and CPAs around and with your attitude of entitlement you are surely going to need it.

RCoight

And one good point about this thread is that in future I know to carefully check possible employee's qualifications to examine whether they earned them by recognition or by examination.

Olibeneli

I bet you qualified a while ago.

Things have moved on a long way in the last 10 years.

Many large employers are shunning young big 4 trained CAs as their training is too narrow, experience too limited and they don't know the fast pace of commercial world.

Qulification of any flavour is one thing - the big issue now is experience, experience and experience.

RCoight

Correct, I qualified some years ago.
Actually in any other context I would agree that experience is generally more important; certainly that is how I have recruited (and indeed been recruited) throughout my career.
What I object to is the idea that OP has expressed which is that by having completed one set of exams s/he should automatically be considered as having the status of any other qualification s/he chooses.