QUICK TAKE
- In Australia, fewer than 25% of accountants from overseas are working in their chosen field.
- The CA ANZ International Pathway Program can help people understand what’s needed to get accounting jobs.
- Getting experience in another industry first can open doors to a career in accounting.
When Chandana Lokuge CA migrated from his home country of Sri Lanka to New Zealand in 2020 with his family, he didn’t realise he would be temporarily parking his busy career as a chartered accountant and gaining experience in a variety of other areas.
After more than two decades working in financial roles, Lokuge made the move to New Zealand just as borders were closing due to COVID-19. It was a challenging way to start a new life, he says, and then it became even harder once he started looking for accounting jobs.
“At first, I took a positive approach and thought, ‘I’ve worked very hard for more than 20 years, it’s time for a break’,” he says. After a couple of months of settling in, he began applying for jobs in accounting only to repeatedly miss out on making the shortlist.
“Initially I was applying thinking that with so much experience I would be a suitable candidate for recruiters, but nothing, I didn’t get any responses. It was so frustrating. I understood that I needed to have local experience, but if you can’t get local experience then you can’t get a job,” he says.
It’s a familiar story in Australia, says Maritana Richards FCA, academic and International Pathway Program (IPP) lead at CA ANZ.
Accountants coming to Australia represent one of the highest levels of skilled migrant mismatch, with fewer than 25% working in the profession, according to the 2023 white paper, Working Future.
“Often it’s not the employers who are rejecting overseas candidates, it’s the recruiting firms who require local experience and local qualifications to shortlist candidates for interviews,” says Richards.
“They may think a candidate isn’t suitable because they haven’t studied the local tax requirements, for example. But with 15–25+ years of experience overseas, a professional accountant does know that there are different tax requirements and how to locate the information needed,” she says.
“I think we need to educate both recruiters and employers more about how the gaps in local experience can be addressed because otherwise they are missing out on a large number of talented candidates.”
Gathering experience
For Lokuge, the answer was to take a job in a completely different industry. He spent a year caring for people with intellectual disabilities before securing work as an accountant in Napier.
“When people told me I needed local experience, I thought, ‘Why? Accounting is accounting, we all follow the global accounting practices’. But after I started in my first job, I realised how much I needed to learn about the language, culture and workplace,” he says.
“My advice to anyone moving to a new country hoping for their dream job in accounting is to take whatever opportunity you can to get some experience.”
Another piece of advice is to do some research and find out what you need to navigate the local regulations and professional membership body requirements.
“I learned about the IPP from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. I got the necessary letter to apply, so I was basically prepared as soon as I left Sri Lanka,” says Lokuge.
The path to CA ANZ membership
Professional competencies, or ‘soft skills’ such as team building and communication, language skills and strategic thinking skills are essential parts of accounting jobs, yet are not often included in the training overseas candidates may have received, says Richards.
“That’s exactly what we address through the International Pathway Program and then match that against what they have at present. This allows participants to identify the skills they need to build on,” she says.
The three-day intensive workshop helps participants develop an understanding of the regulatory environment in Australia and New Zealand. It also focuses on technical expertise and professional skills.
“It gives recognition to overseas CA qualifications,” says Richards.
“At the moment we have candidates from five countries participating in this program because they know it provides them with a pathway to membership with CA ANZ, and that will open doors for their careers.”
Resources for overseas CAs
For internationally qualified accountants coming to Australia or New Zealand, CA ANZ offers a range of resources to help fill knowledge gaps and align skill sets with the local business landscape.
Learn about the reciprocal arrangements available to members of international accounting bodies that belong to the Global Accounting Alliance – plus how to fast-track entry to CA ANZ membership via the International Pathway Program.
International Pathway Program
The next round of enrolments for the International Pathway Program will open on 2 September 2024 and close on 27 September 2024.
