Pharmacy/Accountancy

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I am thinking about trying to make a 'proper' career. My job in a supermarket is OK, but there can be too many customers sometimes, and the pay isn't great.

Does anyone know where I can begin to find out what qualifications are needed to be an Accountant or a Pharmacist?

These are the jobs which most interest me.

In the UK you need a university degree to be a pharmacist; you would need good A levels in science based subjects to get a place, I'd reckon. Accountancy, in the professional sense as a chartered accountant, again would best be achieved through a degree, and then study while at work to pass the professional exams. As far as I'm aware, it's still possible to get the chartered status through part-time study, though, without the degree; but it takes a long long time.

That's a very rough guide off the top of my head, and it may not be 100% accurate. Of course, you may not even live in the UK.

Btw, studying for pharmacy qualifications is very different to accountancy.

I am in the UK. I forgot to say that.

It looks like neither of these jobs are an option if I would have to go to university.

I looked into book-keeping last year, but the only courses I could find were about £400 and were home-study courses. I tried a home study course, and they were really helpful until I paid, after that they were useless and I couldn't even work out how to access the course material. I kept asking for help, but in the end they said I either had to start writing something in something I couldn't find, or quit the course, so I had to quit the course.

My mum says it is my fault I am trapped in a job I hate because I won't do anything about it, but everything I try ends up going wrong, I end up upset, and what's the point in that? I may as well just accept that this is the highest paid type of work that I can manage and be happy with that.

I applied for a job at a bank a few months ago, and they phoned me to offer me the job. I was really pleased, and said that I would like to do the job. Then they said it was a 6-month contract, and they needed me to start in 2 weeks. Then they started phoning me every day to ask me if I'd resigned in my old job yet. I said I cannot resign until I recieve a firm offer in writing, which they said they cannot send me until they know I've resigned, and I need to do it soon so they can book me onto the training course. One day I got home from work and there were 10 answerphone messages asking if I'd resigned, saying I needed to ring them. By this point I was so annoyed I just ignored it. I got into bed to sleep for a few hours and the phone kept ringing, 6 times it woke me up in 2 hours. I wrote them a letter saying I could not accept a job without an offer in writing as I was afraid I could end up unemployed, and, as a mortgage lender, they must understand how important it is that I am assured of having a job before I resign my current position. I've been homeless before and the last thing I want is for that to happen again. I never heard from them again, but why apply for jobs if all you get is harrassment?

It might be worth having a look into jobs as an accounting technician. They have their own professional body, the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT). Trainee accounting technicians need not have degrees. Also, once someone qualifies as an accounting technician, their company might train them to go on and become a chartered accountant (even without a degree).
I think it normally takes three years to qualify as a chartered accountant, and two (or maybe three) to qualify as an accounting technician. But once you've qualified as an accounting technician, you are exempt from having to take the first year's worth of chartered accountancy exams.

I looked into accountancy some time ago. From what I can remember ...

There are three "types" of accountants in the UK: chartered accountants (belong to ACA), management accountants (belong to CIMA) and chartered certified accountants (belong to ACCA).
Trainee chartered accountants and - I think - certified accountants are taken on by accountancy firms; trainee management accountants can be taken on by any sort of company (e.g., Procter & Gamble, Cadbury's etc.)

By the way, the ACCA qualification is generally considered to be easier than the ACA and CIMA qualifications. There might be some accountancy firms that take on trainee certified accountants without degrees.
In fact, accountancy used to be a career that many people went into straight from school. Although most (or possibly all) accountancy firms ask for graduates nowadays, they need not have degrees in accounting.
Also, I think it might be possible to do the CIMA exams through evening classes or correspondence classes, but this would require a lot of dedication!

The book-keeping wouldn't be a bad choice, IMO. I'd guess the best way forward would be to get some clerical type job at a small accountancy practice where you'd pick up a feel for things with the work, and where they could point you in the right direction as far as home study was concerned. You may find, too, that a smaller business treats you more like a human being than a large organisation such as a bank.

It would be useful, I reckon, if you already had GCSEs in maths and English before you embarked on any specific book-keeping course; it would also make you more attractive to a potential employer. If you don't have those qualifications, you could study for them at home before leaving your current employment. If you do, then the best course of action, IMO, would be to put together a CV detailing your current qualifications and experience, together with your career aspirations, and send that to all the small accountancy firms in your area along with a short letter. You won't get many replies, but there's a good probability that one will land on someones desk just as they realise they need a new recruit.

OK, Klytus beat me to it with some good advice as I was writing.

I just read my own post and realised what a big whine it turned out to be

Thank you both for your suggestions.

I do have GCSEs, and 3 A levels. I thought that with A levels I would be able to do whatever I wanted, but they don't seem to be valuable qualifications in any jobs I see advertised.

The problem is that I am probably moving house soon, to a new area, where I will be staying for 6 months before moving again, possibly to another new area. My mum reckons I should start doing a course now and get a job as a trainee accountant, and that, as a nationally recognised course, I will be able to pick it up anywhere. But I don't want to be looking at moving house, changing jobs, and changing courses all at once . . . twice.

If you've got the three A levels, too, then I'd take a good look at what Klytus said about the AAT stuff. When you settle down to your final place of residence then try some of the smaller firms, like I suggested. It's not always a good idea just to use the job ads — everybody else does that, you need to be a bit pre-emptive.

Anyway, best of luck.

Believe it or not, one of my friends wants to be a pharmacist. She can be nice to me, but she can also have a very bad temper around others.

You done the right thing with the bank, why couldnt they just give you a firm offer in writing ?

But keep looking and a good job would come.

Could you not save up for a degree course in Pharmacy ? I think Pharmacists are pretty much in demand everywhere at the moment.

No, I barely have enough money to get by at the moment, let alone saving any.

Hi there Tally

Pharmacy is very interesting. There is more to it that just veing a pharmacist though - and other aspects of pharmacy for which you don't need a degree.

You could become a pharmacy technician which takes two years training, done on the job, with one day release a week where you go to a college.

There's some info here: http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/nhs-knowle ... /4862.html

Robin