Hellboy663

CIMA now has a tie up with Oz CPA. You can apply for it now if you want.

NikiL

Thankyou - my application is going through at the moment It had only been annouced a few days before that original post, and at the time of getting my job they hadn't announced it. And work will pay the subs which is even nicer

Hellboy663

If you are an FCCA, I suggest you get converted to ICAEW membership if you wish to come to OZ. Not trying to be negative or whatever but with just ACCA, you may have to do the full course in Oz CA/ CPA. If you don't have a bachelor's degree along with your ACCA, CPA Oz will not recognize your qualification for entry. If you do CA, you'll have to go through 3 years of mentor experience. CIMA, CIPFA and many others even lately, CA India has a reciprocal agreement with CPA Australia. ACCA still donesn't. The CIMA and CIPFA holders may be lucky, they could just convert to CPA Oz when they come over. ACCAs are not so lucky. I am an FCCA myself but had to sit for the US CPA exams before comng over to Oz, just couldn't see myself doing the CPA/ CA course all over again. ACCA promotes itself as a world class qualifcation but it is really frustrating if you find that it is not worth for much in places like Oz or US. It appears that in the long run, ACCA might not be the desired qualifacion of many.

Hellboy663

Well, that's the advantage of having CIMA rather than ACCA. You've got cost and mgt accountacy qualifcaion plus if you get CPA Oz, that's clean. In the case of ACCA holders, guess they are not so lucky. Don't understand why ACCA is not addressing issues like these. After going through such tough exams, their members suffer when they leave the UK for places like Oz or US.

Bermudashorts

I think you have a point about ACCA, they do claim to be a global qualification and thus should work on recognition. But having said that, I am personally not planning to do any more exams or pursue conversion. I have 12 years post qualification experience at a senior level in well known global corporations, I believe my experience will stand me in good stead. If I were newly qualified and thinking of working in practice then it would be a different matter I guess.

Hellboy663

Your experience in global corporations will of course be valuable and you may be able to secure a job with your experience and ACCA qualification but for long term growth prospects, you should consider taking a local qualification like the CPA/ CA. Using your ACCA qualification may be all right for your first couple of jobs but in 5 or 10 years down the road, your resume is sure to raise eyebrows and get employers wondering why you did not convert to a local qualification. Having a local qualification also tends to convince companies better that you are serious about staying in Oz. As you have ACCA, you may want to consider getting membership in ICAEW, I think you've got to do a write up on your experience or something, I'm not sure, please feel free to check the website on this. Once you've got entry into ICAEW, you could get entry into OZ CA without having to do any further exams.

JAJ

Not true ... if you get ICAEW by direct entry or mutual recognition, you cannot then become an Australian CA by mutual recognition.

However, ICAEW still has better market recognition in Australia due to the links with ICAA and you can also use ICAA services at member rates.

helloshivahere

Hi Nikil Long time hows job market over there

Bermudashorts

I have just looked into this for the reasons mentioned, but it requires two ICAEW members to "sponsor" the applicant. I have realised that despite being in the occupation for 16 years I do not know two ICAEW people! Most accountants I do know and keep in touch with are either CIMA / ACCA or qualified in another country. Will really have to rack my brains or contact people I have not been in touch with for ten years!

NikiL

I can only comment for Brisbane, but having had a chat with our recruitment consultant last week totally depends on what level you're looking at.

Qualified, not too bad, he has a few vacancies, but doesn't tend to advertise them due to the influx of applicants who are totally unsuitable - in his words "anyone who's ever added 2 and 2 together". Senior positions, awful. There are a lot of companies (again, from what he's told me) who have decided to remove a layer of management entirely, and you have a lot of companies as a result who have management accountants reporting direct to the Board. Yes it cuts down the costs short term, but when the upturn comes there is going to be a massive drive to replace that strategic knowledge.

General consensus seems to be, if you don't have the local knowledge at the moment then be prepared to take a step sideways, or even possibly backwards to get your foot in the door depending on what level you are looking to enter the market.

helloshivahere

Thanks a lot for info we are FEB 2009 applicant have to go long way.................

JohnJ

I wonder does anyone have any info or could they direct me to details on how to qualify as US CPA...Am based in Ireland, so ( even bearing in mind JAJ's well founded concerns in relation to ICAEW via "exam of experience" conversion or whatever it's called as opposed to exam route) as the ICAI doesn't have an equivalent route. Many Thanks John

JohnJ

One further thought - what about converting FCCA to CIMA and thence to Australian CPA...or is that getting very complicated??!!

Hellboy663

The US CPA exams are not offered anywhere else other than the US and could only be done in the US. It could however be done in any state in the US. The requirements vary vastly with each state and so you have to be exactly sure about the state you wish to sit for the exams. The best state for those holding ACCA would be Colorado and those holding CA could also try for Michigan. If you hold ICAI or ICAS, you could sit for IQEX. This option is however not available for ICAEW members.If you have a Master's degree assessed as eqivalent to a US master's degree, then you could qualify as a CPA in Colorado without any practical experience.

As for ACCA to CIMA, not very sure about this. You could check with CIMA if you wish to kow more.

NikiL

I don't think converting to CIMA from ACCA would work. I don't think you can convert unless they've changed that in recent months, and one of the criteria of the letter you have to obtain from CIMA is that you obtained your CIMA membership through examination, not through a reciprocal agreement with another body.

My understanding with any reciprocal arrangement between bodies is that it only applies for those members who have obtained membership of that body through examination.