SunshineGirl

I'd like to do an on-line course in Australian Law and Accounting but can't seem to find any.

Does anyone know of such courses? I'll be contacting Universities in Perth and Sydney when I get there but am eager to start straight away.

... Maybe not when i get the syllabus though

worzel

Try the institute you used for skills assessment? They should be able to refer you. (Please let me know what you find out)

SunshineGirl

That's a thought, I used the ICAA. I'll see what they have to say.

GinaUK

I've got exactly the info you're looking for because I looked into that a while ago.... Hang on while I go and find it

Found it! Here it is:

A while ago, Alan Collett posted which university he did his course with long distance and that was the one I looked at. I *think* it was Uni of Southern Queensland. But not quite sure. Might be worthwhile dropping him a PM and asking him which uni it was and what it was like.

Gina

SunshineGirl

Thanks for that Gina, will have a good look at it!

Alan Collett

As Gina says, I did a "conversion course" when I moved to Australia from the UK - the course was with USQ (well remembered Gina!) and was course number 52199, Taxation Law and Aspects of Company Law - the schedule Gina has posted indicates the course number has changed but the content may well be similar to what I did a few years ago.

One reason I did that course was because I could do the course at a distance (I submitted course material by post to QLD and sat the final exam at London Uni).

However, It may be that your objective in doing the course is different to what mine was - I wanted a qualification that would enable me to become a member of the ICAA relatively easily. I also wanted a basic grounding in taxation law so that I could arrive in Australia with an understanding of some of the fundamentals; I didn't know at the time I did the exam what I was going to do when we moved to Australia (though my plans became a lot clearer as our move progressed - that's another story!) and thought I might work in a professional practice, as that's where I came from having sold my old CA practice in Epsom. I also reasoned that having membership of the ICAA would make me more marketable.

This said, I think membership of one of the main UK accountancy bodies is probably (I emphasise probably) sufficient for you to be recognised by prospective employers, particularly if you are planning to work in industry.

Hope this helps - good luck!

Alan Collett

PS. More info (including a link to the current list of ICAA approved bridging courses) is here:
http://www.icaa.org.au/entry/index.c...&id=A105761026

Best regards.

sonictigger

I always swore that after qualifying I would never take another exam, and 7 years on, here I am reading this thread, thinking now that sounds sensible.....please can someone shoot me!!!
Although, I prefer to hang onto Alan's last comment.

"This said, I think membership of one of the main UK accountancy bodies is probably (I emphasise probably) sufficient for you to be recognised by prospective employers, particularly if you are planning to work in industry."

Whehey.....

All I want is the visa...surely any day now...come on Alan....pleeeese have a word!!

GinaUK

I know what you mean! But I also think it *would* be useful to know something about Australian company law and taxation (and have some evidence of that knowledge). Plus: taking a couple of courses and exams might demonstrate that you can teach an old(ish) dog new tricks

Gina

Alan Collett

I did as well ... and 12 years later was doing the USQ exam and 4 months later the migration agent exams ... :-)

Best regards.

JAJ

If you decide you do want to get an Australian qualification, and you need to re-do the final stage of your exams (if you're ACCA/CIMA/CIPFA qualified) then it makes sense to look at the CA qualification rather than CPA.

Why? Because CA is more prestigious than CPA and compared to many countries, the ICAA is more flexible on the routes to qualification. You don't have to work in public practise - normally you just need to be employed by an ICAA accredited employer and have your experience signed off by a CA.

CIMA members get pretty much full credit for the qualification (considering the different specialism) through the two exemptions (out of five) available from the CA program.

The other option is the PNA designation from the National Institute of Accountants. PNA is not as well recognised in the marketplace as CA or CPA, however this will change gradually (over many years) as from 2005 the qualification requirements are similar to those for CPA. As far as I know the NIA do recognise the ACCA and CIMA designations in full (for PNA status - the lower grades of NIA membership are worth a lot less).


One further tip in the marketplace - be careful about describing yourself as an 'associate' member of ACCA or CIMA. Although these are full membership grades, some Australian employers won't understand that - especially as CPAA has an 'Associate' grade of membership which is not a full qualification. Call yourself a 'member' instead and at least for ACCA don't be ashamed to say "CPA equivalent".

CIMA doesn't have any direct counterparty in Australia, but they work closely with the ICAA.

Jeremy