how to become a chartered accountant
different countries impose different rules and regulations on the process of becoming a ca which means there is no streamlined path to becoming designated but cas generally need a university degree in a related field such as math accounting or finance special coursework may also be required to get certified for example prospective accountants in new zealand must complete a recognized academic program such as a three year bachelor s degree or an accredited master s degree covering accounting and business topics candidates must then complete a practical experience program before they enroll in and complete a ca program these programs train candidates in modern accounting methods 2in canada people who wish to become chartered professional accountants must complete an undergraduate degree with coursework in business and accounting areas then they can enroll in a professional education program for chartered professional accountants 3chartered accountants claim to be the first accounting group to form a professional body in 1854 in scotland 4 there are now many organizations that cas belong to across the world including the institute of chartered accountants in england and wales and the canadian institute of chartered accountants job outlook and salary for casthe job outlook for chartered accountants depends on the country in which you are employed but there is generally a strong demand for cas because of the skills they possess including analytical and technical skills communication skills time management and problem solving in canada the median hourly salary for cas was 38 46 in 2021 the national job market is characterized as good when taking provincial markets into account the period between 2022 and 2031 is expected to see 88 000 new jobs in this field 3the bureau of labor statistics bls in the united states combines accountants and auditors into a single category the job outlook is expected to be 6 between 2021 and 2031 which is as fast as average it s expected that there will be 81 800 additional jobs created during this 10 year period the median annual salary was 77 250 in 2021 5chartered accountant ca vs certified public accountant cpa the main difference between cas and chartered public accountants is that the cpa is a designation used in the united states while ca is used in many other countries the cpa abbreviation can refer to different types of accounting professionals in different parts of the world for example in canada a cpa is a chartered professional accountant in australia a cpa is a certified practicing accountant members of chartered professional accountants canada chartered accountants australia and new zealand and chartered accountants ireland have a reciprocity agreement with the united states if these ca professionals pass a test their qualifications can transfer to the united states where they may work as cpas 