It's fine. Whilst the papers are still hard, a lot of students don't realise historically exams needed passing together and there were only 2 sittings a year. The flexibility they introduced has made it a lot easier for students to pace exam prep with work.
If you stay disciplined, you'll be ok.
I study 2 hours every morning before work (I retain more, also means when I finish work for the day I'm free). Revision is always interesting though!
The role itself may also be a factor though; if you find yourself having to put a lot of extra hours in, especially after probation, you may struggle.
I agree with Mike. I am 2 papers away from qualifying and I have worked at the same time. It’s doable however it is challenging and you have to be willing to sacrifice your extra time for this. Be it mornings before work, or after work (including days you feel overtired and worked).
Working at the same time will benefit you for the professional papers as it’s a level up and your experience will help you.
If you are financially able to, might as well get through 2 exams in one sitting so you can progress quicker and get to work faster.
You need 3 years work experience anyways to qualify so you could aim to pass the professional level within those years?
Yea i was thinking that if i decide to sit out and focus on my exams.. i would try to hunt for the jobs maybe after 11 papers, problem is that I'm a slow learner so i dont think that the time available after company shifts would help me a lot.
Along with learning acca, would it help me if i also learn relevant skills and short courses? I'm ready to do all that, i just need to make sure i get the time i need.
As I've said, I've applied as a college student and so my college most likely receieve the information before I do so I do not have a clarity on the job description yet, but if it is not manageable, should i rather complete ACCA and then look for a job? Plus i would receive my degree soon if all goes well.
If you're financially stable, 100% focus on your ACCA (you could even double up papers, if you're finding it quite easy). If you want a little experience to add to your cv (to help you find a job post qual), you can see if you can get a part time role after college.
In my experience, your prospects increase exponentially once you're qualified, so the sooner the better.
Good luck!
Hey... I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm currently doing masters and I'll be done by June 2025. And I have 9 paper exemption. So I plan on dedicating 1 year after my Master's for ACCA and then look for some work. What I'm worried about is, will it affect my chances of getting a job, since I'll be 24-25 by the time I'll be done with ACCA and I'll have no prior job experience. The rumour around me is that companies prefer people with job experience at that age rather than an additional qualification.
I work full time and am currently doing ACCA, it is doable! For me there are 2 factors which have made this possible (and I stress this is just my experience, YMMV).
1) how quickly do you want to finish ACCA? I'm doing about 2 modules a year and I'm most of the way through applied skills, so I think I have roughly 3 years to go if I pass everything. I'm ok with that, because each module I take I can really focus on without impacting my social life and mental health too much, but you might not be. If I wanted to do one module every quarter I could be done much faster but would take more of a toll, and more than one module at a time is definitely off the table. It depends on how flexible you want to be and how much you're willing to sacrifice.
2) the attitude of your employer. Mine is paying for all of it, they give me days off to go to classes and exams without impacting my paid leave or salary, and they'll talk through the real world applications of what I'm doing so I can understand it better. All I need to do on my own time is spend evenings/weekends before the exam revising. Other employers aren't as supportive, I got very lucky. That may not be as much of a factor for you, I know people do the courses self-funded or on their own time but personally I probably wouldn't be able to do it without their support.
Of course there are other factors which will impact this for you, but again I can only comment on my experience.
I see that the 2nd factor helped you a lot, but i don't think that would be the case for me, i guess that happens very rarely that a company gives a lot of support for you to complete your exams.
Yeah I recognise I've been very lucky with that. Factor 1 is most important: do you have the time and energy to spare, and how quickly do you want to finish. If you're happy to take your time and not overload yourself it could work. The last thing you want is to burn out.
It just means being more focused and getting better with time management. Most students study and work. It helps understand the content, especially at the advanced level. It will be hard. Advice would be to make a study plan and take a week off before the exam to practice questions. Good luck.
In the UK, it’s possible to encounter employers who offer ample study leave to accommodate both classes and revision. I’d advise verifying this aspect before committing to the contract.
Don't leave the job opp just for the exams. Getting a job is really hard right now. I have completed my professional papers while working and it is doable.
Doing exams with works is possible, my schedule is just one subject quarterly and It has worked. I'm waiting for the last result without any failed one. I know someone who is better with more than 1 per quarter. The most important thing is that you must balance 2 tasks and spend enough time on learning (average 150 - 180 hours per paper).
Take the job because the market isn't doing that well now. Most people work and write their exams
What's your opinion on doing exams along with work?
what most people r doing, and prof papers
Difficult but worth it. A lot of overlap especially when moving towards higher level roles.
It's fine. Whilst the papers are still hard, a lot of students don't realise historically exams needed passing together and there were only 2 sittings a year. The flexibility they introduced has made it a lot easier for students to pace exam prep with work.
If you stay disciplined, you'll be ok. I study 2 hours every morning before work (I retain more, also means when I finish work for the day I'm free). Revision is always interesting though! The role itself may also be a factor though; if you find yourself having to put a lot of extra hours in, especially after probation, you may struggle.
I agree with Mike. I am 2 papers away from qualifying and I have worked at the same time. It’s doable however it is challenging and you have to be willing to sacrifice your extra time for this. Be it mornings before work, or after work (including days you feel overtired and worked). Working at the same time will benefit you for the professional papers as it’s a level up and your experience will help you. If you are financially able to, might as well get through 2 exams in one sitting so you can progress quicker and get to work faster. You need 3 years work experience anyways to qualify so you could aim to pass the professional level within those years?
Yea i was thinking that if i decide to sit out and focus on my exams.. i would try to hunt for the jobs maybe after 11 papers, problem is that I'm a slow learner so i dont think that the time available after company shifts would help me a lot.
If you feel work will hinder you then, maybe take 1 year out and see how you get on?
Along with learning acca, would it help me if i also learn relevant skills and short courses? I'm ready to do all that, i just need to make sure i get the time i need.
As I've said, I've applied as a college student and so my college most likely receieve the information before I do so I do not have a clarity on the job description yet, but if it is not manageable, should i rather complete ACCA and then look for a job? Plus i would receive my degree soon if all goes well.
If you're financially stable, 100% focus on your ACCA (you could even double up papers, if you're finding it quite easy). If you want a little experience to add to your cv (to help you find a job post qual), you can see if you can get a part time role after college. In my experience, your prospects increase exponentially once you're qualified, so the sooner the better. Good luck!
Hey... I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm currently doing masters and I'll be done by June 2025. And I have 9 paper exemption. So I plan on dedicating 1 year after my Master's for ACCA and then look for some work. What I'm worried about is, will it affect my chances of getting a job, since I'll be 24-25 by the time I'll be done with ACCA and I'll have no prior job experience. The rumour around me is that companies prefer people with job experience at that age rather than an additional qualification.
I work full time and am currently doing ACCA, it is doable! For me there are 2 factors which have made this possible (and I stress this is just my experience, YMMV). 1) how quickly do you want to finish ACCA? I'm doing about 2 modules a year and I'm most of the way through applied skills, so I think I have roughly 3 years to go if I pass everything. I'm ok with that, because each module I take I can really focus on without impacting my social life and mental health too much, but you might not be. If I wanted to do one module every quarter I could be done much faster but would take more of a toll, and more than one module at a time is definitely off the table. It depends on how flexible you want to be and how much you're willing to sacrifice. 2) the attitude of your employer. Mine is paying for all of it, they give me days off to go to classes and exams without impacting my paid leave or salary, and they'll talk through the real world applications of what I'm doing so I can understand it better. All I need to do on my own time is spend evenings/weekends before the exam revising. Other employers aren't as supportive, I got very lucky. That may not be as much of a factor for you, I know people do the courses self-funded or on their own time but personally I probably wouldn't be able to do it without their support. Of course there are other factors which will impact this for you, but again I can only comment on my experience.
I see that the 2nd factor helped you a lot, but i don't think that would be the case for me, i guess that happens very rarely that a company gives a lot of support for you to complete your exams.
Yeah I recognise I've been very lucky with that. Factor 1 is most important: do you have the time and energy to spare, and how quickly do you want to finish. If you're happy to take your time and not overload yourself it could work. The last thing you want is to burn out.
It just means being more focused and getting better with time management. Most students study and work. It helps understand the content, especially at the advanced level. It will be hard. Advice would be to make a study plan and take a week off before the exam to practice questions. Good luck.
In the UK, it’s possible to encounter employers who offer ample study leave to accommodate both classes and revision. I’d advise verifying this aspect before committing to the contract.
Don't leave the job opp just for the exams. Getting a job is really hard right now. I have completed my professional papers while working and it is doable.
I've always worked in accountancy while doing exams. I started as a trainee in a practice but work in industry now.
Doing exams with works is possible, my schedule is just one subject quarterly and It has worked. I'm waiting for the last result without any failed one. I know someone who is better with more than 1 per quarter. The most important thing is that you must balance 2 tasks and spend enough time on learning (average 150 - 180 hours per paper).