Accountancy
What is accountancy?
Accountancy can open up the door to a career in almost any industry. At a foundational level an accountant will:
Collect and record financial information about a business.
Analyse financial information to help management and other stakeholders make data-driven business decisions.
Offer advice and consultancy to stakeholders as accountants can often function as business strategists.
Work closely with staff and managers throughout their day-to day-work to set strategic and organisational goals.
Examine the accuracy of financial reports of organisations.
Provide advice on tax matters and business structuring.
What accountancy job opportunities are there in Jersey?
An accountancy qualification allows you to build your general finance knowledge, allowing you to easily transfer your skills across a wide range of roles, companies, and countries.
Finance is Jersey’s largest industry, employing almost 14,000 people. Accountancy roles tend to range across:
- Audit and assurance
- Tax advisory
- Finance and administration
- Corporate and business accounting
- Forensic and dispute consulting (where accountants can be called upon to provide expert witness services in court proceedings, carry out accounting or fraud investigations and the liquidation of companies that have gone bankrupt)
- Regulatory consulting services
Accountants work in many different settings ranging from a sole practitioner of a firm through to a small or large accountancy practice and across all industries. Their roles can include:
- Audit Professional
- Tax Advisor
- Management Accountant
- Financial Reporting Accountant
- Fund Accountant
What skills do you need?
Gaining professional accreditations is important in this role and many employers will support you in gaining these professional qualifications. The most globally-recognised qualifications include:
| Qualification | Professional body |
| Associate Chartered Certified Accountant (“ACCA”) | Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (“ACCA”) |
| Associate Chartered Accountant (“ACA”) | Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (“ICAEW”) |
| Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) | Chartered Institute of Taxation (“CIOT”) |
| Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) | The Association of Accounting Technicians (“AAT”) |
It’s not just about your qualifications and you’re not expected to be a math genius, your soft skills are just as important. We asked finance firms in Jersey what skills they are most looking for when hiring accountants and they responded:
- Good communication skills
- The ability to think analytically and solve problems
- The ability to analyse complex data sets
- The ability to work in a team, both in leadership and collaborative roles
- The ability to approach issues from multiple perspectives
- Understand the importance of acting ethically and legally
- Strong project management skills
- Logical decision making and strategic and creative thinking abilities
- Comfortable with new technology and strong computer skills
Is an accountancy job right for me?
Hear from people in the industry on why their accountancy job was the right choice for them:
My work primarily consists of valuing investments - the most interesting aspect of the job in my opinion!Collaboration with the client deal team is key and regularly involves open discussions surrounding different valuation inputs and methodologies, as well as current and potential future market conditions. The route into finance, and more specifically accounting, as a school leaver is one that I simply can’t recommend enough. The opportunity to leave school and obtain a professional qualification within three years provides you with a great platform upon which to build your career at such a young age.
Ollie De SousaAssistant Manager, Audit, Assistant Manager, Audit
What should I do next?
Business Directory
If you are ready to kick-start your career in accountancy, visit our business directory page to learn more about the firms offering accountancy roles in Jersey.