An accountant provides financial information about an individual, a company or a business. Accountants are employed in both the private and public sectors working mainly in the commercial and industrial fields. They provide financial information to individuals, managers, company owners, or shareholders, who can then assess how robust their companies are and allocate resources appropriately. The figures compiled by accountants not only show the health of a business but also whether the business is being managed in a professional and appropriate manner. Accountants can also give advice on investments and taxation.
In the U.K, the most commonly recognised qualification for an accountant is as a Chartered Accountant (CA) or as an Associate of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). There are other recognised accountancy qualification, such as Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and International Accountant (AAIA) and countries throughout the world have their own professional qualifications and bodies.
An accountant has to undergo several years of training, undertake periods of work experience, and pass examinations before allowed to practice legally and permitted to place the relevant letters after their name to signify they are a qualified and accredited accountant. Once qualified an accountant must become a member of one of the officially recognised professional bodies in their country. If an accountant wishes to do audit work or specialise in a specific area of accountancy then they must undertake further training and pass additional examinations before practicing.
On their own, the figures accountants study seem meaningless but to a qualified accountant they are a mine of information. Without accountants, numbers would remain dead on a page but an accountant makes these numbers come alive; showing the health and wealth of a business. To make sense of business figures, it is extremely beneficial to speak to accountants to get their professional and knowledgeable opinions on spreadsheets and their figures.
