Banking, Finance & Accountancy

Unfortunately, having a successful career in banking, finance and accountancy doesn’t hinge on your ability to bellow: “Buy, buy, buy, sell, sell, sell!” or how good you look in pinstripes. Remember, not all accountants are holed away in dark, cramped offices, peeking out from behind towering mounds of receipts.

True, bankers and accountants might not be the most popular kids in the playground at the moment, but the world would not be able to function without money and without the professionals who work in finance. In these tough economic times, chartered accountants are more integral to the way businesses operate than ever before, advising, amongst other things, how to spend profit and how to save money. Some of the most important jobs in the world are in the banking, finance and accountancy sector. So sport your bowler hat with pride!

Money, money, money! It’s true, banking, finance and accountancy careers are all about money. Effectively, everyone’s financial fates are in the hands of the different organisations we trust with our cash. Banking, finance and accountancy firms have a lot of power, and with power, to quote Spiderman, “comes great responsibility”. Considering all this, careers in banking and finance can be extremely exciting, rewarding and satisfying, but at the same time they can be incredibly stressful and highly-pressurised with long working hours. This is something that is often reflected in the high salaries that characterise the sector.

It isn’t all about investment banking careers; get to know all the different subsectors of banking, finance and accountancy, such as management accountancy, retail banking, pensions, insurance, asset management, mergers and acquisitions, tax accountancy, private banking and wealth management. Within these areas, a huge variety of different roles are available, ranging from accountant technicians and chartered loss adjusters, to financial risk analysts and customer service representatives. Really, it’s about choosing what you are most interested in and what suits your personal skills best.