CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
SAICA
LEARNERSHIP
become a CA(SA)
Becoming a Chartered Accountant CA(SA) is your gateway to a challenging and exciting career, global mobility, flexibility, and good earning potential in the business field of your choice.
Exit School With The Correct Subjects And Levels
The minimum requirements for university admission are a Level 5 pass in Mathematics, together with a National Senior Certificate with matriculation exemption. You need to take pure Mathematics (not Mathematical Literacy) as a subject. A good grounding in English is essential, as it will help you to understand the concepts you will study.Having Accounting as a school subject could help you in your studies towards your degree, but at most universities this is not compulsory.
Get The Right University Qualification
Ensure that the university you are applying to offers qualification/programmes that are accredited by the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). A full list of these programmes is available here. Obtain a SAICA accredited qualification at a SAICA-accredited university. Obtain a Certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA) or equivalent qualification. This is a post-graduate course – your fourth year at university. This course focuses on Accounting, Auditing, Taxation and Financial Management. The course takes a minimum of one year and must also be completed at a SAICA-accredited university.
Part-Time Study
If you hold a matric certificate with pure maths and will be studying on a part-time basis towards a SAICA accredited qualification, you could immediately enter into a training contract with a registered training office. The duration of the contract will be five years and you will be expected to study for (and pass) the qualification.Obtain a Certificate in the Theory of Accounting (CTA) or equivalent qualification. This is a post-graduate course – your fourth year at university. This course focuses on Accounting, Auditing, Taxation and Financial Management. The course takes a minimum of one year and must also be completed at a SAICA-accredited university.
Full-Time Study
Another option is to complete your SAICA accredited undergraduate qualification on a full-time basis and enter into a three year training contract with a registered training office, you will need to be studying towards CTA or equivalent.If you obtain CTA or equivalent, you can enter into a three-year training contract with a registered training office.
Get The Right Training
The second part of your path towards becoming a CA (SA) entails completing a learnership programme. This is known as a training contract, and one which a trainee accountant enters into with a registered training office. Click here to find a training office.
Pass SAICA's Professional Examinations
The final two steps on your pathway to becoming a CA(SA) involve passing two qualifying examinations, namely the Initial Test of Competence (ITC) and the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Both of these exams are set and administered by SAICA.
The Initial Test Of Competence (ITC)
To qualify for entry to the ITC, you must have passed the CTA or equivalent CA (SA) exam. This generally means that candidates enter for the ITC during their first year of their training contracts if they studied full time or the fourth year if they have been studying part-time. A CTA is valid for three years. This means candidates will be eligible to sit for the ITC exam for a period of three consecutive years, starting the year after obtaining a CTA or equivalent qualification. There are two examination opportunities per year for the ITC, namely in January and June of each year. This means candidates have a maximum of six attempts at the ITC.
The Assessment Of Professional Competence (APC)
To qualify for entry to the APC, a candidate must have –1. passed the ITC; and2. completed a minimum of 20 months of a registered training contract with an accredited training office, by the beginning of the month in which the assessment is written; and3. successfully completed a professional programme with a registered provider. The professional programme remains valid for a period of three consecutive years, which means that the APC must be passed within those three years; otherwise, you will have to complete a professional programme again.
Registering As A CA(SA)
After completing your learnership and the Qualifying Exams, only one step remains:Registering as a member with SAICA. You will then be allowed to use the CA(SA) designation and be recognised as having fulfilled all the conditions to be acknowledged as a chartered accountant.
how to become an AGA (SA)
What is an AGA(SA)
AGAs(SA) play key managerial roles within diverse sectors of the economy. Professionals who hold this qualification have successfully completed a SAICA training contract or assessment to ensure they offer a strong set of technical accounting and financial skills required to navigate today’s complex and evolving business environment.
AGAs(SA) are technically-minded accountants, who have the ability to bridge operational and strategic management functions. Their expert ability to to drive accountancy and financial excellence in organisations enables them to deliver results and accelerate organisational financial performance.
Get yourself the distinguishing mark of accounting and financial excellence that sets you apart as a member of a leading and highly respected professional body, SAICA.
An AGA(SA) designation is a credible, recognised professional designation that equips you with the skills and technical competencies that enable you to enhance and measure organisational value. Thus, bridging operational and strategic management – ensuring success for you and the organisation that you serve.
How to become an Associate General Accountant AGA(SA)
Becoming an Associate General Accountant (AGA(SA)) is your ticket to a challenging and exciting career.Is your ambition to achieve a premium qualification that sets you apart as a member of a highly influential and respected professional body that caters to members who all play vital strategic roles in the organisations in business, government and the communities they serve? The AGA(SA) is a designation held by men and women with multi-disciplinary education, training and experience who are not afraid of challenges or change, and who thrive on the cut and thrust of business.SAICA is a service-driven not-for-profit organisation that has positioned itself as a leading accountancy body in South Africa, and has established itself as one of the leading professional accounting bodies in the world.
Associate General Accountant AGA(SA) qualifications
If you have not completed a SAICA training contract you can submit a training equivalence Assessment (TEA)
The Purpose Of The Assessment
The purpose of the assessment is to enable Candidates to demonstrate that, as a result of learning through work experience, they have mastered the competencies and pervasive qualities that are substantially equivalent to those prescribed for the SAICA Training Programme.
Candidates are required to demonstrate that they have a sound technical knowledge of the competencies.
They are also required to demonstrate that they are able
- to apply the technical knowledge in an analytical and practical manner;
- to extract from various subjects, the knowledge required to solve multidisciplinary problems;
- in multi-problem situations, to identify and define the problems and prioritise them in the order in which they need to be addressed;
- to evaluate and decide between alternatives, propose practical solutions and understand the role of judgement in this process;
- and to integrate diverse areas of knowledge and skills.
Eligibility
To be eligible to submit a TEA to SAICA, an applicant must:
- Have completed at least 4 years’ relevant work experience AND completed a SAICA accredited academic qualification; OR
- Be in possession of a Bachelor’s degree AND have completed at least 6 years’ relevant work experience AND be a member of -the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) – designation PA(SA), or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) – designation CCA or FCCA, or the South African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA) designation RGA.
SAIPA
LEARNERSHIP
Membership is reserved for persons who have complied with the Academic,
Practical and Professional Evaluation (PE) requirements laid down by the Institute.
The Academic Requirement comprises:
A degree with the following core subjects from a SAIPA accredited Tertiary Institution:
- Financial Accounting 3;
- Taxation 1;
- Auditing 1 OR Internal Auditing 2 OR Internal Control and Code of Ethics;
- Corporate Law 1 OR Commercial Law 2; and
- Management Accounting
Practical Requirement:
- Three year learnership at a SAIPA Accredited Training Centre (ATC) ; or
- six years of verifiable experience; or
- a completed training programme from another accredited professional accounting body
Professional Evaluation (PE):
Satisfactory completion of a written Professional Evaluation (PE) to determine the prospective member’s ability to integrate academic knowledge with the practical skills required in the workplace. If a prospective member meets the academic and practical requirements he/she must apply to write the Professional Evaluation (PE).
The Professional Evaluation (PE) is a written evaluation based on the core subjects above. SAIPA provides a Professional Evaluation (PE) Candidate Preparation Guidelines to assist candidates in preparing for the evaluation. Candidates who have passed the Professional Evaluation (PE) may be registered as Full Members once the entrance and membership fees have been paid.
The SAIPA Professional Evaluation is a four-hour written examination to determine your ability to integrate your academic knowledge with your practical experience gained in the workplace. The exam can be taken twice a year, in various venues around South Africa, in either May or November, and is part of the admission process for membership to SAIPA.