• talk about the accountancy professioi

A career in
6
• talk about future intentions
• talk about accountancy jobs
^ L C C O L in tc in C V * about the qualities need ed to be
an accountant
an aeeAiintanl

Who needs accountants?

Speaking 1 Work in pairs and discuss this statement. What do you think it means? Do you
think it is true?
Accountancy doesn't just belong to accountants.

Reading 2 Read this text. What kind of text is it?

a) an article about accountancy from an economic journal
b) an advert for a job as an accountant
c) an advert for an organisation that offers accountancy qualifications
d) part of an information sheet for companies looking for accountants

IflFP - your passport to the future

All organisations around the world, large or small, need someone who can understand and
manage their finances. So a career as an accountant will give you excellent job prospects.
With the right qualifications, you can work in many different countries. Qualified accountants
are always in demand from Australia to Azerbaijan. The question is not Where can I go? but
Where do I want to go?
Whatever your career goals, you need to think seriously about a professional accountancy
qualification. There are many to choose from - and the choice you make now will affect
your career options in the future. A good qualification is your passport to a variety of
career opportunities.
We offer first-class qualifications to ambitious, capable and hardworking people
who are looking for a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.
Our qualifications are respected worldwide by employers, governments and the
accountancy profession itself.

Read the text in 2 again. Which of these statements about accountancy are
mentioned? Tick ( / ) or cross (X).
1 □ Qualified accountants can work abroad.
2 □ Accountancy is a very old profession and the earliest financial records
date back 7,000 years.
3 □ There are always job vacancies for accountants.
4 □ All businesses need accountants to understand and manage their
finances.
5 □ A job in accountancy gives you lots of choices about what to do and
where to go in your career.
6 □ You need a proper qualification to get all the advantages of a career in
accountancy.
7 □ Accountants usually earn a lot of money.
8 □ There are many different accountancy qualifications that people can get.
 4 Choose the best explanation a-c for each statement 1-3.

Qualified accountants are always in demand from Australia to

Azerbaijan.

a) There are jobs for accountants in all the countries of the world.
b) Lots of accountants leave Australia to go and work in Azerbaijan.
c) There are plenty of accountants in Australia and Azerbaijan.

The choice you make now will affect your career options in the
future.

a) You need to decide now exactly what job you want to have in the future.
b) You will have more choice of jobs in the future if you choose the right
qualification now.
c) It is not possible to become an accountant if you have a different
job now.

A good qualification is your passport to a variety of career

opportunities.

a) Accountants don’t need passports to travel to different countries.

b) If you have a passport, you can easily get work as an accountant.
c) A qualification in accountancy will give you lots of choices in
your career.

Vocabulary Find the words in the box in the text in 2. Underline the words in the text and
then use them to complete these sentences.

ambitious capable career options goals

in demand job prospects respected rewarding

1 Derek is only 20, but he’s v e r y ______ . In five years’ time he wants to be
the boss of his own company.
2 The more qualifications you have, the more you will have because
you will be able to choose from a variety of different jobs and professions.
This company offers excellent___________ We will promote you quickly and
your salary will increase rapidly.
4 Sometimes the m ost_____ jobs are not those with the highest salaries.
Low-paid jobs that help other people are often very satisfying.
5 It is important to have___________ Decide where you want to be in five years’
time and how much you want to earn, then work hard to achieve these
things.
6 Janice works hard and does her work quickly and well. As a result she’s
always_________ and it’s hard for her to find time for a holiday!
7 Emilia is v e r y ___________ You can give her a task and ten minutes later
it’s done.
8 There are lots of qualifications you can take. The m ost ones are
those offered by well-known professional organisations.

Speaking Work in small groups. Discuss these questions.

• What do you find rewarding about your career / studies?
• Do you know someone who is ambitious?
• Do you know someone who is capable?
• What are your goals?

A career in accountancy 45
 What do accountants do?
Speaking 1 Which of these things do you think accountants do?
a) Provide a record of a company’s assets, debts and investments.
b) Produce reports showing the financial position, cash flow and profitability of
an organisation.
c) Help the management of a company run their business efficiently.
d) Help investors decide if shares in a company will be a good investment.
Listening 2 EM-'KUW ancj Callum meet at the gym. Listen to the dialogue. Are these
sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 Callum is going to be an accountant. (T / F )
2 Bob thinks accountancy is boring. (T / F )
3 Callum is going to get his accountancy qualification in October. (T / F )
4 Callum is going to work abroad. (T / F )
5 Callum is going to get married. (T / F )
6 Bob isn’t working at the moment. (T / F )

Language

be going to and will

We use be going to for things we have He’s going to get married next year.
already decided to do. I’m going to apply for an accountancy course.
Are you going to go to the meeting tomorrow?
We use will for decisions about the I’ll give you some information about accountancy.
future made at the moment of speaking. A: What would you like to drink?
B: I’ll have a coffee, please.

Complete these sentences and dialogues with be going to or w ill.

1 I get married in September.
2 A: It’s very cold here in here!
B: Oh, sorry, I _shut the window.
3 A:I’m afraid Mr Jones is on the phone at the moment.
B: That’s OK. I __________ wait.
I’m sorry, I can’t hear you. I __________ just turn off the TV.
A: W h o book the meeting room?
B: I __________
Sadie says she buy some shares in UBCS.
A: Do you have your book on accountancy with you?
B: No, I’m sorry, I bring it to work tomorrow.
W e __________ work abroad for the next three years.

Listening 4 Complete these sentences with the words in the box. Check your answers in the
audio script on pages 75-76.

communication figures financial information options qualification

Isn’t it a bit boring - all facts an d __________ ?

It’s not just about numbers, it’s about
Accountants communicate information about a business to all the
people who need to know.
I’m going to get m y _______ in September and then I will have lots of

5 I’ll give you some about the course I’m on.

46 A career in accou n tan cy

 Reading 5 Read part of the information sheet that Callum gives to Bob. Make a list of the
people who need the information that accountants provide.

Accountancy course 1
IN T R O D U C T IO N
A c c o u n ta n ts p ro d u c e fin an cial s ta te m e n ts . A fin an cial s ta te m e n t is
a w r itte n re p o rt w ith in fo rm a tio n a b o u t th e fin a n c ia l a c tiv itie s o f a
co m p an y . I t in c lu d e s a balance sheet a n d a p ro fit and loss statement.
• A b a lan ce sh e e t lists th e c o m p a n y ’s assets (th e th in g s it o w n s), its
lia b ilitie s (th e th in g s it ow es) a n d its c a p ita l (m o n ey in v e ste d in th e
c o m p a n y ).
• A p ro fit a n d loss s ta te m e n t show s th e c o m p a n y ’s in c o m e , expenses
a n d p ro fits o r losses. |
A c c o u n ta n ts p ro d u c e fin a n cia l s ta te m e n ts q u a rte rly (every th re e
m o n th s ) o r a n n u a lly (every year) to sh o w th e fin a n c ia l p o s itio n o f a
c o m p a n y a n d its p e rfo rm a n c e over a p e rio d o f tim e . T h is p e rio d o f
tim e is c a lled th e re p o rtin g p e rio d .
T h e re are m a n y d iffe re n t p eo p le w h o need th is in fo rm a tio n . T h ey
c o u ld be sh areh o ld ers, th e d ire cto rs o f th e com pany, g o v e rn m e n t
d e p a rtm e n ts , em p lo y ees, su p p lie rs o r c u sto m ers. In v estors can also
lo o k a t th is in fo rm a tio n a n d decid e w h e th e r o r n o t to b u y shares in
th e com pany. m

Vocabulary 6 Find a word or phrase from the information sheet in 5 with a similar meaning to 1-6.
1 things a company owns, such as machines and buildings
2 things a company owes, such as debts and taxes
3 a record of a company’s assets, liabilities and capital
4 money left from a company’s income once expenses have been paid
5 people who sell goods and services to a company
6 money a company receives from the sale of goods or services

7 Match the opposites 1-7 and a-g. Then use some of these words to complete the
memo.
1 profit a) customers
2 owns b) spoken
3 income c) management
4 written d) liabilities
5 suppliers e) expenses
6 assets 0 loss
7 employees g) owes

Costmore Electronics is having a very bad year, so it won’t make a 1__________

In fact, its expenses are much higher than its 2_________ , so it will make a loss. The balance sheet
shows that it n o w 3__________ over S3 million to the bank. The employees are very unhappy.
They blame th e 4__________ and they are thinking about a strike.
T h e 5_________ aren’t happy either because the quality of Costmore’s products is not very good.
Costmore blames its 6__________ It says their materials are poor quality.
Costmore is going to sell some of its7_________ to raise some money.
I t 8_________ a building in the centre of Leeds. It can sell this building for around S2 million.

A career in accountancy 6 47