CIMA has two grades of full membership: Associate – designated by the letters ACMA, and Fellow – designated by the letters FCMA. Our mission is to deliver innovative solutions that harness data at the Edge to drive powerful business outcomes. Individuals who pursue the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification also have many potential career paths ahead of them. Having matriculated outside of South Africa, I was only exposed to the CIMA and ACCA qualifications. Two A2 levels and three GCSE passes, (or their equivalents). Hello. So if you ask my opinion, I would prefer ACCP everytime over ACCA. If we talk in a familiar cert terms, I see it as choosing one between CCNA and CCNP. If we talk in a familiar cert terms, I see it as choosing one between CCNA and CCNP. After successful completion of a CIMA level, you will receive your certificate. ACCA qualification isn't tied into a training agreement, so you can move between employers while training. These were the main accounting streams that were sought after by students and professionals. ACCA’s headquarters are in London. CPA, CMA, CIA or ACCA – which accounting qualification will get you a job in the U.S.? Most of us in the world of finance understand only what we have been exposed to. I did compete 5 day instructor lead course. The levels are there to identify where you are with your studies, especially to employers. The levels are there to identify where you are with your studies, especially to employers. The CIMA qualification is more focused on cost and management accounting versus financial accounting and has no elements of auditing at all. The CIMA qualification is divided into four levels. To be admitted as an Associate, a candidate must have: 1) Completed a period of qualifying practice of at least three years, documented and signed by appropriate witnesses. . It’s not that complicated, you’ll see. It is just the competency level at which they are going to test you. There are many similarities between the curriculum of ACCA and CA(SA). Fellowship – Fellowship, or senior membership of ACCA, is awarded automatically based on 5 years’ continuous membership, subject to compliance. Thank you for your help, Jay. CIMA has two grades of full membership: Associate – designated by the letters. Would an "associate" be looked upon differently? Individuals who pursue an ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification will mostly share the same responsibilities as a CA(SA) above. Affiliate – For ACCA affiliates to gain admission to full membership, they must demonstrate, on the application form, that they have obtained a minimum of three years of acceptable, supervised, practical experience in an accountancy role (or roles) and have reached the required standard of competence. The CIMA qualification is divided into four levels. To be admitted as an Associate, a candidate must have: (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification will mostly share the same responsibilities as a CA(SA) above. Employment at accountancy firm including audit work, Employment in private or public sector organisation, Employment at accountancy firm but NOT including audit work. CIMA is a UK-based professional body offering training and qualification in management accountancy and related subjects. So let me ask you this. Written by Gilda Ngenda – Financial Services Recruitment Consultant, © Copyright CA Financial Appointments - All Rights Reserved |, To become a Chartered Accountant you will need to ensure that the university you are applying to offers qualifications/programmes that are accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (, ). Exam Structure There are three key professional qualifications that provide routes into the accounting world: the ACA, the ACCA and CIMA. It is often wondered what the REAL differences between CA, CIMA and ACCA qualifications are and what the benefits are of going each route. After successful completion of a CIMA level, you will receive your certificate. Fellow members of ACCA use the designatory letters FCCA in place of ACCA. I just completed the ClearPass Essentials class. All three qualifications typically take three to five years to complete, are normally undertaken as part of a graduate role combining periods of work experience and study, and are recognised globally. No entry requirements, but most employers offering CIMA training will also expect a good degree. Following completion of up to 13 professional examinations, three years of supervised, relevant accountancy experience and a professional ethics module, it enables an individual to become a Chartered Certified Accountant. They gather and analyze the data, participate in the planning process and design and implement an effective control mechanism. Individuals who pursue an ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualification will mostly share the same responsibilities as a CA(SA) above. Individuals who pursue a CA(SA) (Chartered Accountant of South Africa) qualification can follow many different career paths, including financial management, financial analysis and reporting, risk, compliance and control management, auditing or more specialised roles in financial services such as investment analysis, private equity or fund management. and related subjects. How To Answer: Where Do You See Yourself In 5 Years? It is quite a business-focused professional qualification than the CA(SA) qualification and is often sought after in the manufacturing and FMCG sectors due to the costing skills that these professionals gain. The ACMA professionals are the backbone of the organization. It seems that on the ACCA you are tested on knowledge of a smaller number of topics ... but the Essentials class should prepare one for either one? Most ACA trainees enter into a training agreement with an employer who provides paid tuition, study leave and mentoring. ACCA’s headquarters are in, Following completion of up to 13 professional examinations, three years of supervised, relevant accountancy experience and a professional ethics module, it enables an individual to become a. Once your degree is completed the final three steps on your pathway to becoming a CA(SA) are, 2) Completing 3 or 5 years of articles depending on where you are in your undergrad and honours studies. (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) qualification also have many potential career paths ahead of them. There are many similarities between the curriculum of ACCA and CA(SA). There's no "right" or "wrong" qualification to choose, but making a smart choice that suits you best from the options available to graduates can be key to long-term success. ACMA professionals are providing their services at a middle management position in consultancy firms, industrial sector and financial institutions. Thank you for your help, Jay. ACCA vs CIMA: How to choose an accountancy qualification By Robert Half on 8th November 2019 A CIMA qualification or ACCA qualification are both prestigious and will give your career prospects a … There are three key professional qualifications that provide routes into the accounting world: the ACA, the ACCA and CIMA. I did ACMA as it was part of mobility bootcamp at that time but never bothered to go for ACCA. Also, if you wannt to progress in your cert path, you will need ACCP as a prerequisite for ACCX, which indeed is a mighty cert to have! It was only once I came to South Africa that I then heard about the CA(SA) qualification. Two A-levels and three GCSEs (or their equivalents) including English and maths. The single most important difference between them is that a CA(SA) is a local qualification, whereas ACCA is an international qualification, or a global professional degree. The CIMA qualification is more focused on cost and management accounting versus financial accounting and has no elements of auditing at all. If you look at Aruba certification page, they rate ACCA as a professional level and ACCP as an expert level exam (I though they should be associate and professional though). This thread already has a best answer. I would think that while I have had the material for both, the likelihood of passing the ACCA is higher. To become a Fellow a candidate ACMA must, in addition, have appropriate experience at a senior level. ACCA. I'm kind of wondering why one would choose the ACCA cert in that case? 2) Passed the institute’s 17 qualifying examinations, including 3 integrated case study exams.