ACCAs - Career Options Have Never Been Better Down South

Tom Wilkinson

You’ve got your ACCA results! After all your hard work, you are now looking to move? What's next for you and your career? Brightwater's Commercial Director, Tom Wilkinson says career options have never been better down South!

The really good news for those accountants wishing to work in Munster is that the market is buoyant right now with a broad array of roles available for newly qualified accountants.  Cork in particular has a fantastic range of multinational and locally grown international clients who can offer newly qualified accountants a great selection of career options across industry, financial services and practice. 2019 has kicked off to a flying start with a steadily increasing demand for financial accountants, financial analysts, audit seniors, management accountants, audit seniors / assistant managers, commercial accountants and general accountants.

Public Practice is one sector that offers plenty of career potential for newly qualified accountants. You can continue your career with any of the larger firms in Cork including the top 10 firms that offer an exciting array of work including audit, advisory, tax, TAS, outsourcing and project work.

If you feel that either you want to stay or make the move into industry, then your options are endless. There are currently a number of opportunities for newly qualified accountants in the Cork region. Key hubs in the pharmaceutical, medical devices, tech, cyber-security, manufacturing and outsourcing have helped drive the demand for finance staff up in the area and there are plenty of career paths to explore.

Even if you have experience in only one particular sector, you needn’t worry about being pigeon-holed. Due to a broader awareness of what qualified accountants can bring to the role, companies are now looking at candidates from outside their direct market or competitors. While experience in a particular sector would always be useful and indeed, may give you an edge over your competitors, with demand for accountants increasing, employers are not going to exclude a potential employee just by their sector experience. It is true to say that the perception out there is that accountants within a certain sector eg. pharmaceutical, may have more in-depth knowledge of how an internal accounts function runs or reporting and timeline requirements. However these people may not always be available and employers have realised that they need to be more flexible about their requirements.  

What is important is commercial awareness, a demonstrable track record of saving on costs, the ability to streamline processes and an ability to add value to the overall strategy of the business. 

If you are interested in moving or just want to have a general chat about the market, please give our accountancy team in Cork a call on (021) 422 1000. We would be delighted to discuss opportunities open for your skills and experience and give you some insights into the market and salary trends.

Tom Wilkinson is the Commercial Director of Brightwater’s Cork office and recruits for qualified accountants across the Munster region. He can be contacted via email at [email protected] or call  +353 21 422 1000