Accountants now run six out of 10 companies in the FTSE 100 according to a recent survey by specialist financial recruitment firm Marks Sattin.
The once dull subject of accountancy is fast becoming the way to get on in the world of business and there is no better place to start than doing a Warwick BSc Accounting & Finance degree, which allows you to do a year-long work placement. When taking a BSc Accounting & Finance degree at Warwick Business School, part of the University of Warwick, students have the opportunity to add a placement year to work at an accountancy firm of their choice. Securing the placement themselves provides students with invaluable job search experience and Rebekah Ingham managed to gain a place at Ernst & Young – one of the world’s ‘big four’ accountancy firms.
“I wasn’t just thrown in at the deep end, I was thrown into the ocean!” says Ms Ingham, but she didn’t sink, she swam and has gained in confidence as a result.
Working with an accountancy firm not only gives students a head start in the graduate job market when a company looks at their CV, but helps them grow up and be ready for the work place.
Ms Ingham says a year working and living in London has made her realise just what being ‘professional’ is all about.
“I have sat and discussed accountancy with the CEO of a very big company,” says the 22 year-old, of Preston. “You mature on your placement and you see the difference when you come back to university. In the work place you have to be professional, it is not a conscious thing, it just happens over time. You learn how to talk to different people, how to talk to clients.
“I had to stand on my own two feet living in London with somebody I had never met before who was also on a placement. It was a big step but I loved it.
“I was unsure about a module in my final year. I was at work and I just called up the lecturer to ask for advice - I would never have done that before my placement!”
Amrit Mahbubani also had a placement at Ernst & Young. He has not only now secured a job with them, but he says the experience will help in his final year exams.
“The vast amount I have learnt will definitely come in useful in my final year at university,” says Mr Mahbubani. “Also, securing a graduate job will make my final year a lot less stressful!”
The 22 year-old, of Manchester, says that once he has finished his degree at Warwick Business School he will go on to gain the ACA – a worldwide leading qualification - while working at Ernst & Young to become a qualified chartered accountant.
“I have already got a great start towards a fantastic qualification,” says Mr Mahbubani. “The ACA has great potential to open a wide range of opportunities in all industries - once I’ve qualified!”
Warwick Business School, located in central England, is the largest department of the University of Warwick and the UK's fastest rising business school according the Financial Times. WBS is triple accredited by the leading global business education associations and was the first in the UK to attain this accreditation. Offering the full portfolio of business education courses, from undergraduate through to MBAs, and with a strong Doctoral Programme, WBS is the complete business school. Students at WBS currently number around 6,500, and come from 125 countries. Just under half of faculty are non-UK, or have worked abroad. WBS Dean, Professor Mark P Taylor, is among the most highly-cited scholars in the world and was previously Managing Director at BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager.
For more information contact:
Ashley Potter
Press & PR Officer
Warwick Business School
The University of Warwick
Coventry
CV4 7AL
Email: Ashley.potter@wbs.ac.uk
Twitter: @WarwickBSchool
