joe_rulez37 said:
Hey guys,
Just wondering, for those who have been fortunate enough to enter the ICAA Achievers program, what sort of duties did you have to do in your 2-12 weeks?
Also, any advice for those who are going to the interviews in a few weeks time?
Thanks in advance
I did CA Acheivers back in 2004, but I think the experience wouldn't have changed too much since then.
I was really lucky because I landed a small accounting firm (not my choice, picked by the Institute). At first, I was a bit disappointed that I didn't land a Big 4, however having worked for a Big 4 afterwards, I found out that I probably got more interesting work at the small firm.
I learnt the basics of how to use the firm's accounting software in preparing the tax returns for the clients (I worked in the area of self-managed superannuation funds). It was fairly monotonous stuff, more like data entry than something really all that stimulating.
I was also lucky enough to work on a bit of advisory stuff . . . that involved putting together tax advice for clients (it was really hard for me to get my head around, but I read up on the stuff, and it became easier to understand). I got heaps of supervision from my seniors and manager, which was really good.
I did a bit of photocopying and mailing of stuff, and also ran a few errands, however this probably accounted for less than 10% of my total time spent, and I didn't find it too menial.
The biggest thing I took away from CA Acheivers was the experience of working in an office environment. I had never worked in an office before, and I guess it prepared me for all sorts of useful office things like how to use a photocopier, fax machine, binding machine etc., how office poltics works, how the firm manages its workflow (ie. billing and charge-out), how Excel spreadhseets work (I was absolutely clueless back then), and other random stuff.
Hope that helps.
