If you’re considering retraining, or wondering where a career after college might lie for you, these women have a suggestion…

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Rosemarie Kealy 

Rosemarie spent some time travelling the states when she completed her BA in Accounting and Finance in Griffith College, Dublin, and returned certain that she wanted to start her career in accountancy. She tells us; 

I chose ACCA as employers recognise it as an international qualification that delivers highly skilled individuals. It is very flexible as exams are held twice a year and students have ten years to pass all exams so I can decide how many exams I want to sit each year. It is important to balance work and studying with other commitments.

As a trainee with Cusack Garvey I have excellent opportunities to work for a diverse range of clients. The work is varied and I am continuously learning new skills. Each day can be a challenge with new assignments and responsibilities and I find this very rewarding. I am getting practical experience across a broad range of areas including preparation of accounts and taxation.

Cusack Garvey has an excellent training structure. They are very supportive and assist students in every way possible to pass their ACCA exams. Cusack Garvey offers a generous training package which includes paid tuition fees, paid study leave, paid exam fees, payment of annual subscription fees and time off to attend lectures. They have a fantastic track record of ACCA exam prizewinners and while the bar may seem very high it is definitely something worth aiming for. Working in a medium sized practice has been an excellent choice for me and I am looking forward to passing my remaining exams and continuing my career in accountancy.

I would recommend Cusack Garvey and ACCA to anyone wishing to pursue a career in Accountancy as there are endless career options both at home and abroad.

 

Xiaoyang Zhao

Xiaoyang graduated with a Masters in Financial Services degree from University of Limerick, and joined Dell as part of the graduate programme in August 2007. She explains;

During the course of the 18 months graduate programme, I had two role rotations each for 9 months. My first role was as an Account Analyst in cost accounting team based in Limerick. It was a great opportunity to develop my skills as a professional and train as an accountant.

I moved to Internal Audit for my second rotation. This role has offered me the opportunity to improve my business knowledge. Not only have I worked in EMEA (Europe Middle East and Africa), I have visited many Dell sites around the world, meeting people and learning culture.

This role was based largely around team work with a huge emphasis on learning different parts of the business within Dell, from sales to accounting, finance to marketing. After completing the graduate programme, I decided to remain with audit and progress my career towards a senior position.

For finance employees Dell operates a rotation programme whereby there are opportunities on site and as well as internationally to change roles. After completing my rotation with Audit I accepted an offer from the EMEA service finance team as a financial advisor, working closely with accounting and operations in terms of EMEA service inventory management control. After considering my options and discussing them with colleagues and peers in terms of continuing my professional studies, I chose ACCA. The flexibility of ACCA and the variety of ways to study really appealed to me. My manager and colleagues in Dell have offered tremendous support and assistance.

Dell also operates a mentoring programme where each ACCA student is paired with a member of the senior financial leadership team who is on hand to offer support and guidance. Dell provides full study support including paid leave and tuition support. Studying and working at same time can be challenging, as it is a big commitment on your personal time. However the rewards from studying with the ACCA have made it worthwhile. I look forward to continuing to developing my skills and my long term career aspirations within Dell.

 

Tara Lanvin 

Tara put her childhood love of numbers to good use, and studied for the Bachelor of Business in Accountancy in Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT). She graduated in 2010 with a first class honours degree, which gave her full exemptions for the first 9 ACCA exams and left her with only 5 ACCA exams to complete. She says;

In 2010 GMIT introduced a full-time postgraduate programme which involved sitting lectures for the final professional level ACCA exams and doing all five professional level exams within one year. It was a fantastic opportunity to continue my progression through the ACCA exams. I proceeded to pass all my professional level exams on the first attempt by June 2011.

Completing the ACCA professional final level exams gave me an advantage in the interview process with Deloitte. I was successful in securing a graduate position and started in the SME department in October 2011. I have found the experience challenging and enjoyable in equal measures. My role as a trainee involves working as a junior on audits as well as preparing financial statements and management accounts.

The technical knowledge I gained throughout my ACCA exams has been very beneficial to me in my everyday work in Deloitte. The way in which the subjects were taught makes it easy to apply the theory to practical situations. I think having completed the ACCA Professional Level exams has had a huge impact on my progress. The diversity of subjects taught by ACCA has equipped me well for the variety of work I do every day.

 

 

For more information on how to apply to become an ACCA qualified accountant please click here - http://www.acca.ie/irishgradguide/register/