In my early 40s and interested in being an accountant

[bluewedge]

Is this possible? And what courses do people recommend? Thank you

Becoming part ACCA / Aca qualified and then approaching an accountancy for a traineeship to do the rest is the usual way for a mature trainee.

Are you in a finance/related field OP? What do you see yourself doing in accountancy - in an accountancy firm (accounts/audit)/tax work/in industry?

@GrumpyHoonMain

Is this expensive? And does it take long? Thank you

@CassiopeaAndromeda

Not in a finance/related field at the moment.

Any more advice much appreciated.

Watching this as I'm looking to retrain

I run an accountancy practice, trained mid-tier moved to big-4 then set up my own practice. I really would not recommend self-studying and then trying to get a training contract. You can only do the CFAB self-study not full ACA. The cost of all the exams is c£25-£30k depending on whether you do them all and whether you self-study or go to college.
Most small firms will do training contract through an apprenticeship scheme and if you have done part of the exams it won’t work for them. The larger firms have everyone on the same scheme, you will effectively make yourself over qualified but with no experience.

My advice would be to apply for graduate schemes (if you have a degree) it doesn’t matter how long ago you graduated or if you don’t have a degree do the AAT within a firm and progress through.

Not sure if you want info on salaries, my practice is in large northern city. Pay trainee ACA £17k PA, newly qualified £26-28k and just hired a new manager from a larger firm (4 offices across the north) on £36k PA (this included a small pay rise for them).