Anyone retrained to become a chartered accountant?

[thirdistheonewiththehairychest]

I'm approaching 40 and about to career-change from primary teaching into the business world. I'm joining a small firm of financial auditors and there may be the opportunity for me to undertake an apprenticeship. It would last 3 years and would give me an ACCA qualification at the end.

Has anyone else done anything like this?

There are regular threads asking this question so if nobody comes along I'd do a search - I think the most recent may have been last week.

If you're already joining an audit firm and want a career in the profession, then being offered a training contract to do your ACCA sounds brilliant and a no-brainer. You'd be Chartered Certified not Chartered with ACCA but that's much of a muchness. It unlocks opportunities to be fully qualified.

What makes you hesitate? What's your long term goal in joining an audit firm if you do / don't qualify?

It is hard work, but if you've been working as a teacher and are approaching 40 I'm sure you have the maturity, skills and life experience to be more than capable of managing work and study. You just fall into a pattern.

It unlocks opportunities to be fully qualified.

That sounded ambiguous - I meant, once you have your ACCA and are therefore fully qualified it will unlock opportunities for you.

That sounds an intriguing and exciting swap. What prompted it?

You might want to scroll through the Mature Study and Retraining board :

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/mature_students

• where there may be threads on posters taking similar routes. Even if not, there are millions of discussions on the joys and pressures of retraining for a completely new career.