Education Q&A: ACCA certification

Could you please explain what the ACCA is? What are the various steps I need to complete to get an ACCA certification? What are the job opportunities available for those who have an ACCA degree? For example, can I work in India with this degree? Please advise. Name withheld upon request The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) is a British accountancy body that offers Chartered Certified Accountant qualifications. After completing your Fundamental Skills paper from F1 to F9 in ACCA, you need to submit a ‘Research and Analysis Project', which will be assessed by the university. ACCA providers would offer you project guidelines, or you could look out for guidance publications by Kaplan or BPP. Projects can be submitted in May or November. Article continues below IT skills and knowledge are very important in this field and you will need to show some evidence of this. You will also be required to provide references. It is suggested that you use one of the approved topics or else write to the ACCA office about your proposal with the title of your project, outlining how your project could be useful to a particular organisation. Please also of course ensure that the project report is original and not plagiarised. Once you've submitted your project report, you will get an acknowledgement from the institute and the results may be seen on the ACCA website. You will receive your certificate after three months of the results being announced and will then be invited to the university for the Graduation Ceremony. You could do an MBA or BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting, which is offered by different universities for ACCA members. And there are other diplomas or certificates to add to your ACCA qualification if you are keen. The job market is full of opportunities for ACCA members. You could find a role as a finance manager, tax advisor, business consultant, corporate legal advisor, as well as roles in accountancy and in both private and government jobs. I must however caution you that even while the ACCA is an extremely credible qualification, it will not be of much help in India, where the Chartered Accountancy degree is viewed more favourably. I would suggest that you pursue this qualification only if you have no plans of working in India.