Accountants are employed in all areas of business and the public sector. The work tends to be for small clients or on a sub contract basis. Temporary employment is a buoyant area at present. This involves a mix of practical experience and professional examinations with specific allowance for study leave. Study methods are becoming more flexible.
Qualified accountants have a wide range of choices.
Practice offers specialisation in tax, corporate finance or insolvency. Commerce and industry is a very common move with around half choosing this path. There are wide regional, firm size and industry sector variations. Bonuses, usually performance related, are very common with private medical care and company cars at qualified level and above. Regular extra hours are more common with larger firms.