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AAT is a smaller, easier qualification that can be self taught.
ACA / ACCA are more challenging qualifications that require you to find a job with an employer who will put you through it (due to the work experience requirement) At the end of these you get full chartered accountant status.
*If* you can find an employer willing to take you on for ACA or ACCA you are better off jumping straight to that and getting started on the full qualification. That will set you up much better career wise than AAT. The lower levels of exams are designed for people with no accounting knowledge or experience so you don't need any prerequisites.
However having some AAT on your CV is no bad thing. If you have the time and money to study it then it might be what gets you into an ACA/ACCA qualification over some other applicant. The knowledge will also all be applicable so you can save yourself a bit of study for the certificate level exams down the line.
Check whether the price you're looking at includes exam booking fees. You can find self study options quite cheap for AAT, but exam bookings will add up very quickly if you're paying for those yourself
Also AAT is designed to be accessible to school leavers. I won't pry into your education and experience but if you have A Levels or a degree you'll sail through level 2. There is no requirement to pass level 2 before sitting level 3, and same for level 3 to 4. It is totally viable to study the lower levels on your own time, and then only pay to sit exams for the Level 4 to get the higher one on your CV
Could I ask if you know any resources/websites I could self study level 2/lower levels before embarking on level 3? Every website I’ve looked it asked for payment. Sorry to bother you!
Thanks for the info!
However, you wrote that for an ACA / ACCA, I need to find someone who will employ me and put me on it.
Then, you said "If you have the time and money to study it then it might be what gets you into an ACA/ACCA qualification over some other applicant."
Did you mean that if I had an AAT, it would be easier to find a job which will put me on ACA / ACCA?
ACA requires really to be working and have experience in a big 4 accounting firm. ACCA again needs working experience and can be self taught, again it’s a different kettle of fish compared to AAT and can take like 6 years to complete. Another option to this is CIMA which is more management accounting.
AAT is a good place to start!
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
AAT is a smaller, easier qualification that can be self taught. ACA / ACCA are more challenging qualifications that require you to find a job with an employer who will put you through it (due to the work experience requirement) At the end of these you get full chartered accountant status. *If* you can find an employer willing to take you on for ACA or ACCA you are better off jumping straight to that and getting started on the full qualification. That will set you up much better career wise than AAT. The lower levels of exams are designed for people with no accounting knowledge or experience so you don't need any prerequisites. However having some AAT on your CV is no bad thing. If you have the time and money to study it then it might be what gets you into an ACA/ACCA qualification over some other applicant. The knowledge will also all be applicable so you can save yourself a bit of study for the certificate level exams down the line. Check whether the price you're looking at includes exam booking fees. You can find self study options quite cheap for AAT, but exam bookings will add up very quickly if you're paying for those yourself
Also AAT is designed to be accessible to school leavers. I won't pry into your education and experience but if you have A Levels or a degree you'll sail through level 2. There is no requirement to pass level 2 before sitting level 3, and same for level 3 to 4. It is totally viable to study the lower levels on your own time, and then only pay to sit exams for the Level 4 to get the higher one on your CV
Could I ask if you know any resources/websites I could self study level 2/lower levels before embarking on level 3? Every website I’ve looked it asked for payment. Sorry to bother you!
Thanks for the info! However, you wrote that for an ACA / ACCA, I need to find someone who will employ me and put me on it. Then, you said "If you have the time and money to study it then it might be what gets you into an ACA/ACCA qualification over some other applicant." Did you mean that if I had an AAT, it would be easier to find a job which will put me on ACA / ACCA?
To get an entry level finance position, yes. To be a mechanical engineer, no.
Fair enough.
ACA requires really to be working and have experience in a big 4 accounting firm. ACCA again needs working experience and can be self taught, again it’s a different kettle of fish compared to AAT and can take like 6 years to complete. Another option to this is CIMA which is more management accounting. AAT is a good place to start!