Hi I want to find out what the requirements are to work in the UK if I obtained my B.Com Accounting degree from the University of Johannesburg and I will be studying towards my Honours in Financial Management in 2014. Is my degree recognised and acceptable in the UK or do I have to complete an additional qualification in order to get a job in banking? How will I know if I meet the "300 UCAS in any 3 A level" requirement in terms of my South African degree? Thank you Claudine
Hi Claudine - I'm going to disappoint you. I'm sorry. It's almost certain that no one here knows the answer to your question. You see, we try to hook people up to educational programs and don't spend too much time thinking about what happens afterwards. Also, we tend to be a US-centric board (that's one of our weaknesses) and so it's unlikely that anyone here knows the laws in England as they pertain to South African degrees. The U of J is a good school and so I'm guessing that you've got a decent shot at your goal. However, I'm not sure what is required to be a CPA (the British equivalent) in England. I'm sure there's an association/organization/board that's in charge of such things but I think you're going to have to do some homework to figure this out with any degree of certainty. Good luck.
Your south African accounting education should be fine. CA south Africa has reciprocal agreements with CA uk wales and Scotland. Also reciprocal agreements with CA Canada and CPA USA. Many s.a universities have an acca option. Also of note, earning the acca is equivalent to a master degree in the u.k and s.a. The downside there is no reciprocal agreement with acca in s.a. In the u.s, there is one with cma but the is much smaller and not well known as CPA.
Claudine, In the UK, most professional accounting jobs are more concerned about a professional qualification from a recognized accounting body rather than a degree. There are few accounting bodies including CIMA, ACCA, AIA. Your degree might give you some exemptions but the safest bet is a degree accredited by the recognized accounting bodies. Check with ACCA (ACCA exemptions from previous qualifications | Apply now | ACCA | ACCA Global) and see how many exemptions you can get for your degree. I would recommend to look into one of the top up degrees from an accredited program so you can get recognition for your present degree but end with a qualification that can allow you to maximize the number of exemptions. For example, ACCA recognizes a Derby University degree, you can try to finish a BA hons in Accounting and Finance with your present qualification (Accounting and Finance BA (Hons) top up degree | University of Derby Online Learning). If you are just looking for an accounting clerk technician job, you can try to join the AAT with your present qualification. You can also look into AIA, they are very foreign friendly when it comes to recognition of foreign credentials. You can become an statutory auditor with an AIA credential but they don't have the same recognition as ACCA or CIMA in the UK.
Yes but the CA SA requires a lot more than an accounting degree. Unlike the US, an accounting degree is just the beginning of the journey towards a CA in UK, Canada, Australia and SA. In the US, a CPA can be earned with a degree + 4 exams. In the other discussed countries, a CA means a post graduate set of courses + exams.
In theory yes but in practice many ACCAs moving to the US and Canada were only given the equivalent of a Bachelors degree by foreign credential evaluators. ACCA is now giving a B.Sc in Accounting and an MBA after graduation through Oxford brookes University in order to facilitate mobility.
I think our point is that this person has many options with a s.a degree. There is also cfa option if the person wish. A s.a degree is a credible degree.
Another option that the OP might want to consider is to join SAIPA with the SA accounting degree. SAIPA has signed an agreement with CPA Ireland, an Irish CPA should work in the UK as it is an european credential. Bottom line is that the OP would need to do extra work to get a more global credential. Yes, a SA degree is credible but in my opinion not enough to get a professional accounting job in the UK.
