How to become an accountant from scratch – what do you need and where to start training?

The profession of an accountant is very popular and in demand today. The knowledge and skills gained in the course of training will be useful in life for every citizen of the Russian Federation. You will understand the legislative accounting and tax base, you will be able to defend your rights. Thus, you will be legally protected from employer mistakes. You can also open your own business and run it without anyone’s help.

The content of the article:

Pros and cons of being an accountant

Everyone who is thinking about getting the profession of an accountant should have a clear idea of ​​all the advantages and disadvantages of this specialist’s job.

Let’s list the pros:

• Accountant is one of the most demanded professions in the labor market

Anyone who receives an education in this specialty will be able to get a job as an accountant. According to Federal Law No. 402-FZ of 06.12.2011, each company must submit reports on its expenses and income to the tax service. An accountant will come to the aid of a legal entity. About 6-7 thousand vacancies operate on job sites every month in large cities! You will definitely not be left without work.

• Highly paid work

The minimum wage in a federal city, for example, in Moscow or St. Petersburg, is 45 thousand rubles, and the maximum is 200 thousand. In a small town, wages range from 30,000 to 80,000.

• Honorary profession

The accountant is the main one after the head of the company. He works directly with the director of the firm. It is thanks to the closeness with the management that the accountant is very much appreciated.

• The opportunity to work on a freelance level

Many small companies cannot afford to hire an accountant, so they offer him to work remotely. As a rule, many accountants earn extra money by fulfilling one-time orders without losing their main job.

• Specialists are protected from employer mistakes

They can control their own payroll and retirement benefit reports. Thus, they can never be deceived by the employer.

• Career opportunities

If you dream of becoming an accounting professional, then everything will depend only on your skills and abilities. An experienced specialist with knowledge of English can easily become a chief accountant or financial director.

• More likely to attend refresher courses

To add value to their services, an accountant can take numerous seminars and courses.

• The skills learned while working as an accountant will come in handy in starting and running your own business. At the same time, salary costs of employees will be significantly reduced.

Despite the advantages, it is not so easy to work as an accountant.

Let’s list the cons of this profession:

1. Great responsibility. A person in the position of an accountant bears a huge responsibility, and material responsibility.
2. You will have to pay fines for mistakes in activities.
3. The management deliberately blames the accountant for all the shortcomings, since he is the right hand of the director of the enterprise. You need to be stress-resistant.
4. You may have to work irregularly.
5. We will have to process large amounts of data and information.
6. Activities are strictly regulated. There is a specific list of documents that every accountant should know. They are spelled out in the Decree of the Ministry of Labor of Russia No. 37 of 08.21.1998.
7. We have to follow the changes in legislation, both in tax and accounting.

I would go to accountants – let them teach me!

When applying to the company’s staff, employers pay attention to your work experience and are less rigid about the education of candidates.

But, despite this, the specialist must be educated.

You can learn the profession of an accountant or certain skills in the following ways:

• Graduate from a higher education institution in a financial or economic direction

Only at the university will you receive the necessary knowledge that can be used in practice. By the way, after graduating from a university you will receive a difficult title in the following specialties: “Accounting, Analysis and Auditing”, “Economics and Accounting”, “Taxes and Taxation”, “Finance and Credit”, “Banking”, etc.

In addition, you will have the opportunity to do an internship. Through constant practice, you will be hired faster. But note that it will take 4-5 years to study the “tower”.

• Enter an institution of secondary vocational education (college, school)

As such, secondary financial education is also held in high esteem. But the duration of study depends on the specific institution and program. Most often they study at a technical school for 3 years. You will also have several opportunities: undergo internships in real companies, study according to a special program and eventually receive a diploma in various areas.

• Take specialized courses

After completing courses and seminars that are conducted on a commercial basis, you will be able to obtain a certificate of a professional accountant or auditor. The duration of the lessons will depend on the program. The shortest courses are 2-3 weeks. At the end of the training, you will have to pass certification exams.

• Take courses in specific applications that accountants need to know

As a rule, upon completion, you should also be issued a certificate or other confirmation of your participation.

• Self-study – listen to video tutorials and do freelance assignments (freelance)

You can also read books about accounting, sit on the forums, which can help you a lot! Of course, you will spend a lot of time on self-study. But on the other hand, you will know a lot and only what is really interesting and necessary for you.

How to Become a Good Accountant – Qualities and Skills Required

To be successful in accounting, you must have the following personal qualities, as well as be:

• Responsible.
• Persevering.
• Punctual.
• Attentive.
• Neat.
• Purposeful.
• Resistant to stress.
• Balanced.
• Honest.
• Think logically.
• Argue your point of view.

In addition to personal qualities, an accountant must have the following knowledge and skills:

• Know and maintain accounting, tax, management accounting.
• Maintain primary documentation and a cash book.
• Maintain inventory records.
• Calculate wages, sick leave, vacation pay and other due compensation.
• Keep records of mutual settlements and not enter the enterprise into the so-called “minus”.
• Know accounting and tax legislation.
• Negotiate with clients and employees.
• Be able to draw up documents, for example, powers of attorney, tax invoices, income and expense invoices.
• Calculate pension contributions of legal entities and individuals.
• Know the rules for taking inventory of cash and inventory of the company.
• Conduct an inventory and draw up a reconciliation report.
• Prepare reports and submit them to the tax office.
• Conduct an economic analysis of the organization.
• To be able to draw up and correctly draw up advance reports.
• Know the regulations and instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation.
• Be a confident PC user.
• Understand the “Client-Bank” system and the following programs: MS Excel, Word, “1C: Accounting”.

Of course, this list can be much longer. Skills and knowledge depend on the area of ​​accounting, the scope of the company and the tax systems.

The future of the profession is an accountant – career opportunities and salaries

To become a professional accountant and get a job in a decent company, you have to work hard:

• Firstly, during training, start earning money, perhaps perform some simple primary tasks. Thus, you will have works in the portfolio (correctly executed documents) and marks on some points of knowledge and skills.
  Note that in order to get a job in a company with a good reputation and popularity, you should have an average work experience of 2 years. By the way, some specialists are hired with a minimum of 1 year experience.
• Secondly, you should improve your professional level. For example, take training courses on topics in which you are not an expert. Passing them can confirm the certificate.
• Third, don’t be afraid of work. Of course, you will first have to get a job in a small organization, for example, as an assistant accountant, junior accountant, office manager and carry out minor assignments from management.

By completing the above tasks, you will be able to get a job in a decent company within 2-4 years after receiving your diploma.

The career growth of an accountant is as follows:

1. Assistant.
2. Junior accountant or economist.
3. Accountant.
4. Chief Accountant.
5. Financial director.

Since the specifics of companies are diverse, a professional accountant is:

• Financial analyst or accountant-economist.
• Auditor.
• Credit controller.
• Consultant.

The salary of an accountant depends not only on the link on which you are on the career ladder, but also on the field of activity of the company. The more extensive your knowledge, the more services you can perform, and the higher you will be appreciated.

Consider the approximate average salary of specialists in this profession in Russia:

• An assistant accountant receives 15-20 thousand rubles.
• 18-25 thousand rubles provide for the services of a junior accountant.
• 26-30 thousand rubles. assigned to the accountant.
• 30-60 thousand rubles. are obliged to pay to the chief accountant.
• 40-120 thousand rubles can receive the CFO.

As for a certain field of activity in which you can develop as a specialist, and pay – there are considerable differences.

We bring to your attention the statistics that were carried out on the basis of 2014:

• Bank employees receive 20-70 thousand rubles.
• 20-80 thousand rubles you can earn in the field of sales, trade.
• 30-90 thousand rubles. gets an accountant at a construction company.
• 35-100 thousand rubles. offer for the services of an accountant in the field of energy and raw materials extraction.

In the future, a specialist with an education in the field of “Accounting” will not be left without work. The demand will remain high. By the way, having studied English and programs in this language, you can conquer not only Russian organizations, but also foreign ones.

The main thing is to raise the level of your professionalism and develop!