ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

I am currently just at the start of the visa process, and I have read several threads on here about ACCAs working in Oz. I was just after some clarification really, if I get the visa ok.

Would it be absolutely necessary to obtain the CA qualification once we get there, or would I be able to secure a job straight away without it?

If I have to/choose to study the local CA route, as an ACCA with 8 years PQE, exactly how many papers etc would I need to study and is there anything I could do from the UK to speed up the process?

Hope someone can help.

Thanks

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

You might well be able to secure a job based on ACCA, but realistically if you want a good long term career in Australia there's no substitute for becoming an Australian CA.


You would need to do:

- tax/law bridging study (this could be done from the U.K.); and
- the 5 paper CA Program; and
- obtain 3 years work experience mentored by an Australian CA, in practice or industry.

Have you got a university degree in addition to ACCA?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Thanks JAJ

No I dont have a degree, left school at 18 and did AAT first.

How about if I became a member of the ICAEW, would that make it any easier to get CA?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Long term you should think about getting a university degree as well. Your ACCA qualification should give you credits up to 2 years full time equivalent.

University of New England is a good distance learning option in Australia (if you can get credits from them for a BCom degree), if you were staying in the U.K. then the Open University would give you good credits.

Getting your CA should take priority over a degree however.

Becoming an ACA by direct entry (assuming you mean the ICAEW entry route for ACCA with 5 years experience) does not allow you to become an Australian CA by direct entry.

However it may be still worth doing if you are eligible because of:

- the "name brand" of the ICAEW (and perception it's equivalent to Australian CA); and
- as an ICAEW member you can access ICAA services at member rates under the Global Accounting Alliance.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Do you mean a degree in accounting/finance?

Would definitely rather get CA first, would I still have to do the 5 papers if I obtained membership of the ICAEW?

Not sure how easy it would be to be mentored for 3 years by an Australian CA, especially if I would be looking for jobs as an FC/FD, with potentially no superior. Maybe I will have to get back into a practice.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

I'm an ACCA with no degree, been living in Brisbane for just over a year. When I first got here I saw a lot of agencies most of which said that not having an Australian qulification would prove a handicap. However I picked up a 3 month temp job within 3 days of looking and after that moved to another 6 month temp job. Three months into that I started applying for permanent jobs and got offered three in a week. I am now CFO at a reasonable size manufacturing company (I have no prior manufacturing experience).

In my experience there are plenty of accountancy jobs in Brisbane (cant comment on other places) , naturally many employers prefer those with Australian qualifications, but also if you are confident, interview well and can provide good Australian references from Temp positions, some will give you a fair go.

Go for it and live the dream

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Cheers for that, sounds promising. I'm not scared of doing more studying but just really disappointed the ACCA isnt such a global qualification as I thought.

Never had a problem getting a job so fairly confident I can get my foot in the door, even if it is temp work at first, then either get some Australian references or prove myself and work my way up.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

You could also try CPA, as you may not need to do a bridging course based on your ACCA studies (thats what happened to me). You can then apply for membership and start taking the exams (in the UK if you want). I also understand that once you join there is an exemption for the 3 years work experience in Oz, as long as you have the equivalent elsewhere. CPA is highly rated in Oz too.

I am a UK FCCA with 8 years PQE, so I understand where your coming from about ACCA not being as global as its marketed, however its a case of protectionism from the Chartered bodies to a large extent. I'm not too happy about having to do 6 papers, however having an Australian Qualification should make life a lot easier.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Yeah I will look at CPA too cheers, I knew there would be similar exams to take and just thought that Chartered would be preferable. However, most jobs I see advertised state CA/CPA so probably no real difference. Now that I know the CPA could be started in the UK and I could be exempt from the 3 years experience bit, will look at their website.

Cant believe I might have to do more exams. Still, it should be a piece of cake second time around, its not like I have forgotten most of what I ever learned because it has no relevance to my job or anything!!

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Once again. The answer is yes you would have to do the CA Program. ICAEW membership by direct entry does not count for mutual recognition.

But if you are eligible to join ICAEW this way it is probably a good idea to do so anyway. This entry route will probably be closed sooner or later.

The alternative as someone else has noted is to become an Australian CPA.

You would still have to do the tax/law bridging study and the CPA Program (6 papers) but there are two advantages:

1. The CPA Program can be done by distance learning while the CA Program can't be (it's more interactive); and

2. If you are ACCA, the CPAs will waive the mentored experience requirement.


The two disadvantages of doing CPA are:

1. As you don't have a university degree (any subject) you will need to do a special "Challenge Exam" before you can start the CPA Program.

2. CPA is well regarded in Australia but isn't quite as prestigious as CA. It's more the Australian equivalent of ACCA (even though they can't work out a good mutual recognition agreement).

However, if you get your English ACA then Australian CPA would be ok for a local qualification.


If you're still a member of AAT, they now have a presence in Australia:
http://www.aat.org.au

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

i'm scared now after reading all these posts! :ohmy: i'm ACCA qualified and although i had already realised it wasn't the "global" qualification it markets itself as, i never realised how difficult it would be to convert to cpa!

from what i've read on the cpa website i would need to do bridging studies (and exams?) in aussie law and tax but what's this about doing 6 papers???!!! :eek:

i'm on my way over to oz in 8 weeks and not at all organised. can anyone let me know if they needed to submit syllabus summaries for all accountancy related subjects studied as part of their degree (mine was a ba accounting & finance so most subjects studied were accountancy related!) if so, i'll need to get this sorted as soon as i go. i'm very confused as wasn't sure if i need to supply this info to cpa as also have acca qualification?

after reading other posts on this forum, not too worried about getting work as happy to do temp/contract work for a while which other accas said they had no problem getting but do want to join cpa as soon as possible in order to secure a good long term job down the line. any info would be appreciated!

thanx! :thumbsup:

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Compared to ICAEW, ACCA doesn't appear to "travel" quite as well.

At the end of 2006, ACCA did conclude a mutual recognition agreement with the Canadian CGA institute and it's entirely possible that the Australian CPAs will become part of this in coming years. No guarantees if or when, however.

Incidentally - do you have a university degree? If so, what kind of degree is it? It can be important to CPA Australia.


The 6 paper CPA Program, which is the post-degree part of the professional qualification.
Plus bridging study in tax/law beforehand.


Have you considered the pros and cons of doing CA instead of CPA?


Also, what visa are you going to have in Australia and have you been skill assessed?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

I do have a degree in Accounting & Finance so I understand this would exempt me from the 3 years supervised experience if I joined CPA, this and that I thought the only studies I'd have to do to gain membership were tax and law bridging were the reasons I'd only considered CPA and not CA. Couldn't bear the thought of having to go through the whole process of recording my experience again as only finished it over here last year!

As for visas, I'm one of the lucky ones. I'm an Aussie citizen with an Aussie passport (grew up in Australia and left when I was 11) so no need for a skills assessment!

Thanks for all the info JAJ, I'm feeling much better now and also the post from Dimwit (they don't seem like a dimwit to me lol!!) regarding getting work out there. Will probably go down the same route, getting contract work first then apply for perm once settled and got some Aussie experience. Cheers! :thumbup:

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

As you have a university degree, your steps then depend on your choice:

CPA Australia

1. Get your skills assessed by CPAA. This will be cheaper as you are already an Australian citizen, should only be about A$50 or so. Make sure they know they don't need to do a migration skill assessment.

2. Do the bridging study, tax + law + whatever else they ask you to do

3. Do the 6 paper CPA Program

4. CPA Australia will probably waive the mentored experience requirement as you are an ACCA member.

ICAA

1. Get skill assessed by ICAA.

2. Do the bridging study they ask you (tax, law etc).

3. Do the 5 paper CA Program

4. Obtain 3 years supervised work experience signed off by an Australian CA. Members of other professional bodies, such as English or Scottish CAs, may also be able to sign off your experience.

CA or CPA

Two other points to consider in making your decision:

a. The CA qualification is slightly more prestigious than CPA and is better recognised if you go to other countries, eg New Zealand

b. It is always possible that ACCA may conclude a recognition agreement with CPA, like they have done with the Canadian CGAs. It's quite a safe bet there will never be such an agreement with ICAA.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Having done a bit of research on the job front, I would have to say that there seems to be a bit of scaremongering going on.
I agree that ACCA is not as popular in Oz as it is in UK, but I have found a number of good positions that include ACCA as a recognised qualification on the same level as CA and CPA.
It would seem to me that if the Big 4 are happy to employ an ACCA qualified accountant/auditor, then everyone else will follow suit.
Good luck to everyone.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

I have also been doing more research, and I believe that as the employment market for accountants is becoming more and more global, the reality of the situation is that an ACCA qualification will stand us in good stead in Australia. The attittude of local institutes obviously comes from the fact that they are trying to enrol as many students as they can and putting up barriers to entry, but the employers are the ones that count.

In all fairness to JAJ, I'm sure the information he provides is factually correct, but I wonder how up to date it is.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

You are of course free to believe whatever you like but the reality of the employment situation is that most jobs are in small and medium enterprises (not Big 4 or global corporations). And in many cases, employers hiring for these roles will not know - or really want to know - about anything other than Australian CA or CPA.

That's fact - not scaremongering. All that said, you might do ok with an overseas qualification, but you may never know the doors that remained close to you as a result.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Hi

I am currently ACCA part qual. Im doing my last set of exams this year and will also get a degree in applied finance. I already have a law degree and I am AAT qualified.

How many exams will I have to do to get the Australian CA or CPA?

I am hoping to move out there in about 3 years time. What type of things to I need to do at work for my work experience element? I currently work as an account assistant and do things like payroll, credit control and maintain the ledgers. Would I pass the skills assessment based on this role? Also should I use a migration agent or is it easy enough to apply without one?

thanks in advance

Claire

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

If you're fully ACCA qualified you'll have to do tax/law bridging study (straightforward). Then you need to do either:

- the five paper CA Program; or
- the six paper CPA Program

Bear in mind that ACCA might one day do a recognition deal with CPA Australia, like they've done with the Canadian CGAs. So if you are going to do more exams, it might well make sense to do the CA Program as there is no chance of any recognition deal between the Australian CAs and ACCA.

Also, CA is a slightly more prestigious qualification than CPA (and better recognised in other countries), and if you end up with both (ie, if you do CA, and ACCA and CPA start recognising each other properly) then maybe all the better?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Hi JAJ

Can you clarify something for me please?

If you are fully ACCA qualified for at least 5 years, you can become ACA with ICAEW by passing the Examination of Experience.
Surely once you are ACA, you would only be required to do the bridging exams on tax and law to become a member of the Australian CA?

If this is the case, does this not seem a much easier route to becoming Australian CA?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Stephen

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

from what i've read on here, you still need to do the full ca program ie tax/law bridging studies and 6 (or 5??) papers i think it is plus the 3 years supervised experience even if you are an aca in the uk. i'm acca and i'm planning on doing the cpa program instead, to get out of the supervised experience bit (i have a degree also so this should exempt me from this bit), is much more hassle than i ever thought it would be!! :thumbdown:

sorry, just realised your post was addressed to jaj! just had to get my oar in! :p

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Good question. However it won't work the way you think because if you become an English ACA through direct entry or a special scheme like this, mutual recognition does not apply.

However it may well be a good idea anyway, because:

- the English ACA qualification is more "known" in Australia as comparable to the Australian CA; and
- Due to the Global Accounting Alliance, as an English ACA you will be allowed to access many ICAA services at member rates.

If keen, apply for this sooner rather than later as it could be closed to new applicants anytime.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Those with the ACA qualification can normally become an Australian CA through mutual recognition. However, this does not apply to ACAs who obtain membership through special entry schemes.

ACCA does not have a mutual recognition agreement with either ICAA or CPA Australia.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Isn't that sad Jeremy? They have a mutual agreement with CGA but not with CPA Oz, at least not yet. It'll be a lot more advantageous for many more people moving over to Oz from the UK and some other places who have ACCA qualifications. At least they don't have to waste time doing repeat studies.

As for CGA, I think its only recognized in Canada, not in many other places. Even in the US, I'm not sure if you could apply to sit for the CPA exams with the CGA qualification (I know Canadian CAs can do IQEX in some states). But its a good qualification to have if you are moving over to Canada, as securing employment without a Canadian qualification and experience is going to be a bit of a challenge.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

The ACCA agreement with CGA only started on 1.1.2007 so it's not beyond possibility that CPA Australia might want to become a third party to the agreement.

CPA Australia is not well recognised in most places outside Australia and if they had mutual recognition with ACCA and the Canadian CGAs it would increase the value of their qualification.


CGA is pretty much "Canada only" although the deal with ACCA increases the value of the CGA internationally a lot. ACCA in turn has become a much more useful qualification to have in Canada, so it's a win-win for both.

The State of Vermont used to accept the CGA as an automatic eligibility for the CPA exam as a VT candidate. They no longer do so. However, many CGAs are still eligible to sit for the CPA exam based on their degree and professional studies assessed individually.

Also, at least for now the Colorado State Board will accept any ACCA member as automatically eligible to do the CPA exam as a Colorado candidate, even those who have become an ACCA through mutual recognition (eg CGA).

Interestingly, ACCA had a long standing mutual recognition agreement with the New Zealand CAs, but the NZICA terminated it from 1.1.2003.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Oh yeah. CGAs could get mutual recognition from ACCA & do CPA as a Colorado candidate. Never thought of that. But I think most CGAs would have a bachelor degree as a bachelor degree is an exit rather than an entry requirement and so yeah, most people with CGA could get their bachelor degree and CGA assessed as being = 150 credit hours. CGA was never well known in the world and so it was a good move for them to have MRA with ACCA. I doubt however that USCPA or any of the CA bodies will ever have one with ACCA. Of course like you've mentioned, the agreement with NZICA no longer stands. Could it be due to NZICA's move to protect its qualifications as more and more ACCAs used to get mutual recognition and that diluted the value of NZICA qualification?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

I doubt it has anything to do with that. What happened (allegedly) was that the ICAEW, ICAS etc offered the NZ CAs mutual recognition and so the NZICA didn't need to have a relationship with ACCA any longer.

The same reason was behind the breakdown of recognition between ACCA and the Hong Kong CPAs in 2004-05. Of course, it is open to question how well ACCA nurtured its relationships with the New Zealand and Hong Kong institutes, and is to be hoped that the same thing will not happen with its existing recognition partners (especially in Canada and Singapore).

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Yes. They have to be careful about Canada. There was one time when the Canada Chartered associations had a dispute with ICAEW and refused to recognize ICAEW when the UK insisted that recognizing Canadian chartereds in the UK would only come about if Canadian Chartered associations recognized ACCA. I think this dispute is resolved now. However, it might not be a big issue in Singapore. You see, in Singapore all one has to do is to pass Bachelor of Accountancy in the local uni and the person could be admitted as a CPA and issued with a practicing license. Any other person regardless of the qualification he has, be it Chartered, ACCA, US CPA or whatever, will get the status of CPA in Singapore. This causes them to be at par with the local bachelor guys. As such, CPA Singapore does not mean much internationally (even locally as salaries there are being depressed with the huge no of foreginers entering Singapore due to the liberal foreign worker policy being practised by the govt there). Compare it here with OZ for instance, most employers will prefer a job candidate to have CA/CPA OZ. Likewise in the UK, to call oneself accountant/ auditor, one has to have Chartered or ACCA.

In any case, ACCA has to ensure that it maintains good relationship with its parters otherwise, its members will suffer.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

The dispute was mainly over audit rights in the U.K. and Canada. The DTI (U.K. government department) decided to stop giving Canadian CAs audit rights in Britain until ACCAs obtained audit practising rights in Canada. (audit rights are not the same as mutual recognition).

During this time, in 2004-05, Canadian CAs could still join ICAEW/ICAS (as far as I recall) but in provinces where the CA designation carried automatic practice rights the provincial institutes denied mutual recognition to ICAEW/ICAS members. Ontario and Quebec were two of the provinces where this applied, in some others the CA designation without public practice rights still remained accessible.

Interestingly, CAs from Northern Ireland were not affected by the dispute.

The ACCA/CGA mutual recognition agreement does not cover public practice rights, which remain a matter for province/territory jurisdiction (or the DTI in the United Kingdom).

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Hi

Just out of interest which qualifications/Countries do have a mutual recognition agreement with ACCA?

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Most states in the European Economic Area + Switzerland do (under EEA regulations), although in many of these countries you can only be a member of the local accounting body if you are a practising auditor. Normally you also have to be a citizen of an EEA state to take advantage of these.

Other than that, the only two that come to mind straight away are Canada (CGA) and Singapore (CPA). ACCA used to have mutual recognition schemes with Hong Kong (CPA) and New Zealand (CA) but these ended in 2002-04.

ACCA does have Joint Examination Schemes with quite a few accounting bodies worldwide (mainly in smaller nations) where students in those country study to join the local accounting body and ACCA simultaneously. But it's not clear whether an ACCA from another country can join such a local accounting body as a matter of course.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Interesting thread. I am also a UK based ACCA in the process of moving to australia.

When I was last in Australia (on a WHV), every prospective employer admitted in the interview they had never even heard of ACCA. It didnt stop any of them offering me roles though.

Personally speaking, unless I wish to practise in Aus and need the tax/stat accs stuff, there is more chance of BA Baracus getting on an Aeroplane than getting me to sit another exam.

Re: ACCA conversion to Oz equivalent
 

Dont know if this helps any one :)
My daughter left school at 16 and started work at the local council in business & finance apprentaship, in 3 yrs she was full AAT qualified, and was about to start her ICAEW when she came to OZ.
She was offered 3 jobs within 2 weeks. When she started work for one of the biggest charted accounting companies world wide. She proceeded to go down the ICAA route, to be told she was an undergraduate, and would need to attend uni for 18mths to obtain more exams. This annoyed her no end as she had done the same work already in the uk, she contacted the ICAEW who said she could start the course straight away with them and distance learn, and sit the exam at the ICAA office in OZ, then swap the exam to municipal agrement to the ICAA. When then explained to her place of work , they contacted the ICAA and said how ridiculous this was. They confirmed that she was Full AAT with 4yrs work experience and was already doing more work than any of there australian graduates. She was also in full time permanent employment with them and had her Australian tax/law.
The ICAA excepted her on to there course with no restrictions.
There is ways around things , if you prove your point.
Good Luck to others.