If you are planning to attend a careers event at a school, college, or university, below are some resources and tips that can help with your visit.
Preparing for your visit
Students are keen to get real-life insights, what a typical day looks like, tasks involved, and workplace culture and environment. Sharing your personal career journey, the path you have taken, and skills you have acquired in becoming an ICAEW Chartered Accountant is really valuable to them.
We would recommend, if possible, having a laptop or tablet open during your visit, where you can show our Careers page and/or your own recruitment page.
Enhance your visit
Short Videos
Students find short videos more engaging than slide decks. Here are some videos we recommend showing ‘Why Choose Accountancy’ and ‘Introducing the ACA’.
Promoting your vacancies
If you have any vacancies, promote these to students. You can also point them to our Training Vaccines website where we have a range of opportunities.
ICAEW Virtual Events
Our Early Careers Team host virtual events throughout the year, offering free information about the ACA. New events are added monthly.
ICAEW brochures
Our latest brochures provide up-to-date information on routes into the profession. You can share the link with students.
As a part of our commitment to sustainability and reaching net zero, we no longer produce printed material, or send out collateral.
FAQ from students
Here are the main questions we receive from potential students, along with examples on how to answer them. For more frequently asked questions visit the FAQs section on ICAEW Careers.
What skills do I need to become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant?
To become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant, you need a combination of technical and soft skills. These skills demonstrate to employers your development throughout your career. Key skills to focus on include communication, time management, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Do you have to be good at maths? Or do I have to study maths or an affiliated subject to do the ACA?
No. You can train for the ACA with or without a degree. Apprentice, school leaver and graduate roles are all available. For graduate roles most employers will require a minimum of a 2:1 in any degree discipline and also expect a minimum of a B/5 in GCSE Maths and English.
Where can you find out about work experience or placements?
You can find out about vacancies, internships, insight days and work experience at ICAEW Training Vacancies. You can also post students to ICAEW Facebook Careers page.
Our fantastic volunteers step in, giving invaluable insight and advice to students looking to kickstart their career, and showing them what it’s really like to work in this profession.
Other volunteering opportunities
Learn about more volunteering opportunities and share your expertise to help us inspire the next generation of chartered accountants.
Rise
ICAEW are proud champions of Rise, an initiative equipping thousands of students in the hardest to reach areas of the UK with skills to succeed in life and work. Volunteering for Rise will offer you the opportunity to share your career journey, support young people and, ultimately, inspire the next generation. Learn more about Rise.
Access Accountancy
Access Accountancy is a collaboration of more than 25 organisations dedicated to improving access to, and progression within, the accountancy profession in the UK. They work towards ensuring the industry becomes more representative of the socio-economic demographic of our wider society. If you would like your organisation to join visit Access Accountancy.
Other
Below are some external organisations who run activities in schools and universities that are supported by volunteers. ICAEW does not endorse any of them, they are included in case you would like to contact them about working together.
Volunteer for a charity or not-for-profit organisation
ICAEW and CABA launched ICAEW Volunteers to help skilled, and in-demand chartered accountants give back and strengthen the not-for-profit sector through support in volunteer roles. The service is free and is there to help you find or post a volunteer role.
Contact us
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to Katherine Rose at katherine.rose@icaew.com.
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