Accountants do more than just review financials.
As your organization’s authority on all things accounting and finance, you may be asked to:
- Review profit and loss and recommend cost savings to keep a firm’s cash flow healthy.
- Make sure your client is tax-compliant, which means correctly lodging taxes on time with all requirements met.
- Oversee payroll and maintain payroll data.
- Create budgets to help businesses operate more efficiently.
- Identify, measure and interpret accounting information that helps business leaders make sound financial decisions.
The better you get at these tasks, the more opportunities you can unlock in your career.
And the demand for skilled and always-learning accountants remains high.
There’s a great need for tax accountants in both Australian and U.S. firms. Among Australian firms, demand is also rising for professionals who have completed accounting certifications focused on self-managed super funds (SMSF) accounting tasks.
How do you become an exceptional accountant who can unlock opportunities for yourself? Learning about country-specific laws and accounting standards through relevant accounting courses is a smart investment.
Courses that lead to international accounting jobs
Signing up for a course in the Ab² Institute of Accounting “gave me the confidence and knowledge to excel in Australian taxation,” says Legea Marrie Baguio, an Ab² graduate. “Thanks to the invaluable training, I can deliver quality work efficiently and effectively. The trainers are knowledgeable, considerate and fun.”
Australian entrepreneur Nick Sinclair led an accounting and financial planning practice for 12 years on the Gold Coast. When his firm couldn’t find the strong, qualified talent they needed to grow fast, he hired team members in the Philippines.
“There is a real demand for accountants globally. There’s a shortfall of accountants everywhere we go,” Nick says. “Clients absolutely love working with accountants—wonderful, skilled, brilliant accountants based in the Philippines—working for them remotely.”
At his company TOA Global, the leading talent solutions provider for the accounting industry, the average salary range across a job network of international accounting companies is ₱50,000 per month.
For senior roles, the salary can rise higher than ₱70,000 per month. Compare that with the average base salary of an accountant in the Philippines, according to Indeed: ₱27,940 as of May 2023.
As an international accountant with the right accounting certifications, you can choose to work with:
- Top global accounting firms that offshore
- Banks
- Non-profit organizations
- Technology companies
- Global businesses that run shared services, global in-house centers or subsidiaries overseas
Online accounting courses for accountants at all levels
If your sights are set on an international accounting role, earning the relevant credentials is essential to show you have what it takes to get the job done. You will also need to continually learn, grow, and hone new skills to distinguish yourself from the competition.
Exceptional accountants invest in their learning.
When you study towards an accounting certification, you will gain a deeper insight into the unique accounting requirements in different countries, including the latest accounting standards, legislation and tax law, as well as software and developments pertinent to the financial industry in that region.
If you’re not sure yet whether you’d prefer an accounting or bookkeeping career, a Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping FSN40222 online accounting course is a good place to start. This accounting certification will give you a solid foundation in the key accounting and bookkeeping fundamentals.
If you’re an experienced accountant and ready to take your international career to the next level, an internationally recognized certification would be a wise choice.
The CMA® Certification course, for example, gives you expertise in the areas of financial planning, analysis, control, decision support and professional ethics. This will also prepare you for a more senior role since you will be placed in the category of a well-rounded financial management specialist with the relevant skills.
Joey Anne Altes spent a year preparing for the CMA exam, which she successfully passed in April 2023.
“For me, the essay part was a battlefield, which is why I spent a lot of time improving my communication abilities. For Certified Management Accountants, communicating results is very important,” says Joey, who enrolled in the CMA Program that Ab² Institute of Accounting is accredited to offer.
“The overall experience was not easy. As an aspiring CMA, you need to sacrifice a few things to give yourself time to review. It was stressful but for me, those challenges are what made it worth it in the end. The Ab² support team was responsive to every query and request I had.”
Navigating your international accounting career path
Deciding on the best accounting courses to take that will set you on the right international career path can be daunting. We’re here to help.
“A lot of people underestimate what they can achieve in 10 years but overestimate what they can do in a year,” Nick points out.
“Get really focused on your career. Map it out. Work out where you want to be in 12 months, 24 months, 36 months. What will it take to achieve your goals? And more importantly, are you willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals?”
The Ab2 Institute of Accounting was created to support those who want to get ahead globally in the accounting and finance industry by offering the latest online accounting courses and thinking from industry experts.
Our courses will help you move your career forward and stay relevant every step of the way.
Kickstart your career internationally by learning the accounting fundamentals of countries that have a huge demand for international accountants, like Australia and the U.S.
Short courses such as the Australian Accounting Introductory Course or the U.S. Accounting Introductory Course will give you a deeper understanding of the ethical frameworks and practices of accounting professionals in these parts of the world.
Plus, the Australian Accounting Course Special Offer gives you three essential accounting courses, for the price of two. It’s an exciting opportunity for accountants to train in the key competencies needed for accounting in Australia – all of which can be completed online, to your schedule, and in as little as one month.
You will also benefit by receiving training on popular cloud accounting software programs such as Xero, QuickBooks and MYOB.
Explore our courses today.
Watch out for the International Accounting Success Tips on-demand webinar series, where Nick and other leaders at Ab² Institute of Accounting will share experience-based guidance to help accountants become the most exceptional professionals you can be.
