SPOT THE ACCOUNTANT
What do these titans of LinkedIn have in common?
Tom Phillips
~ Rhian Anstey ~
Andrew Jancey “AJ”
Edward Williamson
Janine Mitchell
Victoria Jones, ā¤ļø Employee Health Geek (she/her)
Answer – none of them are accountants!
However, unlike eg doctors or social workers, anyone can set up as an accountant.
How to spot an qualified accountant:
- Qualified accountants pass lots of hard exams over many years
- They also receive continuous accountancy training
- Proper accountants are properly insured
- Accountants are highly regulated
There is also a Qualified by Experience certification –
5 year’s public practice experience plus other requirements.
As for the others –
It’s the Wild West, they can do what they want, and be really cheap as they donāt have to pay for all this.
If they do anything wrong thereās no one to tell them off, so if they give you the wrong advice or make mistakes on your accounts, there is nobody to hold them accountable when they are not regulated.
So, like asymptomatic people with Covid, you canāt always tell if they have it or not (the qualification as well as the virus).
As with everything else in life, itās advisable to do your research so you know whatās on offer and whether your accountant has the accountancy qualifications and regular training required.
Do you know if your accountant is good enough for you?
Are they hiding a secret?
Would you let an unqualified mechanic repair your car or an unqualified doctor perform surgery on you? If the answer is yes, you probably are not too concerned about using an unqualified accountant!