MyCIMA

Non graduate CIMA Members in Australia

Posted: Tuesday 20 October 2009 by Karuna
Replies : 16
Keywords: Australia, Finding jobs in Australia

I am an associate of the CIMA. After migrating to australia two years back, I did few contract accounting jobs till my last contract had finished few months back.

Since then finding my next job has become a nightmare for me. This is because of the competition in the job market due to lack of jobs as a result of the global recession.

So now CIMA Members feel the pinch as most of us do not have a degree to compete. But I am sure that we CIMA Member have better education to handle any management accounting issue. but what is the use if you cannot survive and compete with degrees holders and other accountancy qualifications - CPA and CA. Employers and recruitment agencies do not want to see your CV unless you got an undergraduate degree and membership of a professional accountancy body.

I want some suggestions from members to handle the crisis.

Be a tutor or diversify job function

Posted by Goh Pei Loong on Tuesday 20 October 2009 15:41
Maybe you can consider becoming a tutor for subjects u specialized. Apply for admin support or business executive posts in addition to accountant posts. In order to make full use of available time do some direct selling from established organisation with products certification. Australia has their set of criteria for accountant posts. They established ASCPA with degree route to CPA to Master in accountancy. At these hard times, they usually picked their CPA. So diversify your profession to be multi-skilled and a TOP SURVIVOR.
  • Reported

CIMA Member or student?

Posted by B on Tuesday 20 October 2009 21:16
Are you an ACMA or a student/passed finalist? If a member why don't you get CPA membership through the CIMA/CPA MRA unless you mean even that won't help because you don't have an undergraduate degree? In the absence of that check whether some local top-up degrees are available?
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Understand

Posted by MG on Friday 23 October 2009 21:02
I have somewhat the same problem in the UK. I have always worked in banking and financial services. In my industry it is very difficult to get people to see you for jobs if you don't have a degree. One thing I have always wanted to do in move to Australia and I heard the degree issue is big out there. To that end I am using my CIMA qulification to start a topup degree. It should take about a year and I think will help my job prospects. I would recommend you look into this as well.
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Top-up degree

Posted by B on Friday 23 October 2009 21:42

MG - Probably worth getting membership of CPA Oz now under the MRA if you are going to Oz as sometime these MRA's get dropped up after a few years and then you would be faced with exams etc.

Just out of curiousity who are doing the top-up degree with do you have a link there a quite a few and the CIMA links doesn't give half the options that are available. I did an MSc with Glamorgan for the same reason which isn't on the list of courses on this site. There is also a Kaplan top-up awarded via University of Essex (?) I think. I really feel that CIMA is letting down students by not exploring something along the lines of the ACCA Oxford Brookes thing.

It seems there are still a lot of CIMA accountants coming out without an undergraduate degree which is a big problem in the UK job market and seems to be also in Australia. Not that the degree makes you in any way a better accountant it's just the way the job market is going.

I'm presently seeing adverts requiring first time passes in CIMA what next!

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Top-Up Degree

Posted by Davies Chisenga on Monday 26 October 2009 06:05
CIMA has an excellent arrangement with Deakin University here to pursue an MBA, which is recognised here in Australia. This is equivalent with what ACCA has with Oxford Brookes. As to whether that should give an advantage, I am not too sure. However, my experience is it places one at a favourable position in the eyes of recruiters and employers. At the end of the day what steals the day is what one can offer, as Australian job market emphasises practical experience more than strings of qualifications. I think one has to market their knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies more than the qualifications.
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Top-Up Degree not MBA

Posted by B on Monday 26 October 2009 11:07

Davies,

I was referring to the top-up degree that ACCA offer their students rather than the MBA option. I would agree the MBA option for both is probably similar haven't considered them on value, cost, time to complete etc.

However, for non graduate entrants CIMA currently offers nothing comparable to ACCA with the Oxford Brookes BA (BSc?) degree where one writes a 5000 word thesis. Not everyone will wish to do an MBA so I really fee that CIMA ought to look into this as a serious option. From posts on here it seems that there are still many entrants without an degree who would take up this option.

I'm not familiar with the Australian job maket but in the UK progressive selective criteria means that many roles are advertised as CIMA AND Degree becoming 2.1 Degree and on occasions first time passes.

Personally I wouldn't think having a degree in say photograpy would make me a better accountant but the crazy reality is that in some cases having that as against someone without a degree might get you to the interview rather than your CV going in the bin.

Uni

Posted by SP on Monday 26 October 2009 11:31
Talk to some universitiies. I think that many would offer exemptions from degree modules (in related subjects) if you are CIMA qualified.

Top-Up Degree not MBA

Posted by Davies Chisenga on Monday 26 October 2009 22:22
Brendan, Your observations are spot on. And the following is what the research by ACCA in Australia had found: How would a prospective employer (or recruitment consultant) assess the ACCA qualification compared with national accounting qualifications? The Australia and New Zealand accounting profession is largely based on university degrees as a pre-requisite to entry. ACCA members who do not hold a recognised university degree may therefore be questioned on this matter by prospective employers. The first nine professional papers of ACCA are comparable to a Bachelor degree. The arrangement with Oxford-Brookes University (from December 2001) provides tangible proof of this. ACCA students may be awarded a Bachelor Honours degree in Applied Accounting by Oxford-Brookes subject to completing Parts 1 and 2 of the new syllabus and completing a 5,000-word research paper for the university. Oxford-Brookes' accreditation of the ACCA syllabus is testimony that the ACCA qualification is post-graduate level. A high percentage of ACCA members are university graduates who obtain a Bachelor degree before completing the final stages of ACCA's professional examinations. In future, most ACCA members will have obtained a degree en route to qualifying. Cyclical changes in demand and supply of accountants in Australia and New Zealand are major factors in the ease of obtaining employment. The above findings are somewhat the case with CIMA members without a degree, and probably what ACCA has done CIMA should do!

ACCA Oxford Brookes - CIMA needs to act!

Posted by Vincent Chiwade on Tuesday 01 December 2009 19:36
I strongly agree with you Davies, CIMA needs to do something like ACCA who have a speciall arrangement with Oxford Brookes. I do not have an undergraduate degree and i am struggling to find a university that can give the maximum exemptions. Untill CIMA makes that arrangement, it will lose students to ACCA, as they will easily get an undergraduate degree. TO BE HONEST IF I WERE TO ADVICE SOMEONE TODAY WHETHER TO TO ACCA OR CIMA, I WOULD ADVICE TO DO ACCA. We cant struggle to get a degree when CIMA is much much stronger. I am pleading to the Cima president to do something regarding this. Any university would be glad to have such a relationship with CIMA. Its now time for CIMA to practice what they teach in their Syllabus. WE NEED DEGREES!!!!!!!

Coss-posting and the community guidelines

Posted by Deirdre on Tuesday 01 December 2009 22:32

Hi Vincent,

You have cross-posted this (ie, created a duplicate post), and as cross-posting is against our Community Guidelines, a moderator has removed the other post and left this one as it is a direct reply to the thread here.

Regards,
Deirdre
(CIMAsphere community manager)

Having first degree is real issue

Posted by Michael Gwama on Tuesday 08 December 2009 16:20

This discussion centers on a critical issue. I joined CIMA because I thought it was an alternative to having a first degree ie a different route to the same destination.I am at strategic level now. So it is very disheartening to be denied opportunities for not having a first degree. Initially I used to treat any comparison of CIMA with a first degree with strong emotion, defending the qualification with firm religious belief it was head and shoulders above that: I still believe CIMA is worth as much, but not everyone does. It is quite worthwhile for CIMA to consider a relationship with a university that would give the option to gain a degree. This issue has always been a hot one even from CIMA's point of view I observe. I remember as I considered which career route to take, readinng A CIMA bronchure that featured a member explaining that they never suffered any prejudice for not having gone to university, because of their CIMA qualification. As I see it, for those trying to make it now, a degree is increasingly becoming a must. CIMA is responsible for excellent surveys in HR related areas, perhaps they might kindly look into this critical issue in on one of their surveys.

A friend of mine has suggested a possible solution to this discrimination faced by non-degreed CIMA students/members. If you have gone past the advanced diploma in management accounting through CIMA, you will get 6 exemptions from the ACCA qualification. Attempt the remaining 3 subjects and submit the research project and gain the degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes. This did not make as much sense to me when I first heard it as it does now..

 

 

Well accepted in Malaysia

Posted by jimmyay on Thursday 21 January 2010 10:38

We don't need a 1st degree to look for a job in Msia. Furthermore, a qualified CIMA accountants are always the preferred one compared to just degree holder.

I suppose joining CPA should help a lot in Australia. In a way, getting a CIMA without 1st degree can also be view of finishing tertiary education in a faster manner, proving to be effecient too. Therefore all CIMA member should help to educate own employer in this manners.Eventually this will help everyone.

Is it really an issue in Australia?

Posted by Sasha on Monday 25 January 2010 00:20

Hi,

I migrated to Australia four months back and got a after two months....I am an Associate member and my current job is at a lower level than what i used to do back home but it is satisfactory.

However when i attended interviews the setbacks i found were not because of the degree...(I too do not have a degree)....

It was mainly lack of Australian Experience...and for me lack of PR...(Im still on TR) 

Even though i didnt get a job in the same level....(I have only 3 years experience and am a very new associate) I know friends who are members without a degree and doing good jobs....

There are so many graduates who have graduated from very good universities in Australia unable to find jobs even after 1.5/ 2 years......This proves that degree is not a problem....experience and especially local experience is....

And most Employers here well regard U.K Qualifications.....and CIMA is no exception....

 

Degree, Experiance, CPA or ACMA?

Posted by Leo on Saturday 20 February 2010 13:51
I don't know what matter most in Ausi. I had 5 years local experiances in accounting. But I do not have a degree. With MRA, I joined CPA(Australia) from ACMA.The problem is eventhough I have management accounting experiances, I did not have a title. My position was never been management accountant.I could not get an interview for even an assistant management accountant position.  Is that because of my title or lack of degree? Any advice?

No experience no job?

Posted by Chandika Yasiru... on Tuesday 23 February 2010 03:19
Reading all the posts i felt that if you don't have any experience there's no chance of getting a job in Australia! Aren't there any entry level or jobs for fresh graduates  in Australia??

NEW - CIMA Australia Group

Posted by Martyn Baker on Monday 19 September 2011 11:15

Hi all,

 

There's now a group here on CIMAsphere for CIMA members and student in Australia.

 

If you're logged into CIMAsphere you can join the group here:

http://community.cimaglobal.com/groups/content/cima-australia

 

Martyn