What will an accounting job be like? Where can I find an accounting job? What do accountants get paid and how do I become one? Here are some answers to the pertinent questions you might have.
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Accounting job description
As a professional accountant, you will be expected to work regular office hours in a normal office environment. You might be employed by a private company, by the government, or by a financial services firm that outsources accounting functions to big businesses and other clients.
You might also go into a specialised field such as tax, corporate strategising or business law. As a general financial accountant, however, your duties can include any of the following:
- Preparing financial statements.
- Handling business taxes.
- Auditing documents.
- Working with auditors.
- Analysing company operations and finances.
- Providing financial advice and consultations.
- Reporting to management.
- Developing budgets.
- Compiling financial reports.
Accountant salary
Accountants are generally well paid. According to the National Salary Data, accountants earn between R 97 283 and R 378 445 per year in South Africa. Searching for jobs in the accounting industry, you will also find positions paying salaries of up to R 500 000 per year.
(Source: www.payscale.com, 12 March 2014)
Your salary will depend on your level of employment, experience, skill and qualification. Another contributing factor is the size or type of company you work for, as well as the company’s location. On average, accountants working in Cape Town and Johannesburg earn the most in South Africa.
Starting out with an entry-level accounting job might not pay much at first, but with experience you will be able to work yourself up in your company, or find a higher-paying job somewhere else.
Where can I find an accounting job?
Go do a simple web search for ‘Accountant jobs South Africa’ (or even add your own city to the search query). You will be supplied with numerous job listings within a fraction of a second. Alternatively, you can look in trade publications connected to the financial service sector, or visit a recruitment agency specialising in finances.
Work availability is a priority for any professional in South Africa. South Africa’s financial services sector is luckily one of the healthiest sectors in the country. According to The Banking Association South Africa: “The financial services sector contributes about 10,5 percent to gross domestic product (GDP)” in our country, which is quite a lot.
(Source: www.banking.org.za, 10 March 2014)
Despite the demand for accountants, you will still need to be qualified to secure a job in this field. Becoming a certified accountant will thus be the first step in your new and exciting career.
How do I become a certified accountant?
The Learning Group offers ICB courses in financial accounting. These courses are FASSET-accredited and will give you high-quality accounting training.
You can either take a full course in Certified Financial Accounting, or in Technical Financial Accounting. Additionally, we offer numerous short courses designed to teach you specific skills related to specialised fields of work. Go take a look at our list of accounting courses.