Hi,

we submitted our K1 application recently and now are trying to plan ahead as much as possible. Im a part qualified accountant in the UK, CIMA. 2nd year i have completed 3yrs of AAT. and im wondering with the different tax and accounting laws will this count for anything? i mean i didnt go to university i went into a day release prog at a practise in my hometown...i have been doing account related work for around 6 years...however the missus keeps telling me that unless i have a college degree i dont stand a chance with work, is this true?? anyone have any insight into this topic?

i will either be based in Irvine/Newport - CA or Honolulu - HI.

at the moment i work for the NHS as a financial analyst...

maybe im just worried, but obv i want everything to be perfect.

Cheers in advance

For what it's worth so did I... Am stuck having non-legal wedding next month now as cleverly booked everything before we knew no better!! Be prepared for anything is about the best advice I can give you

I am accountant - got a job as financial analyst within a month when I moved in Jul 06. First hired as temp & hired permanent after 8 months.

I never worked as a temp before but I was willing to take anything to give me working experience in US. They like degree in US but if you have working experience, it is a good point for you too.

Good luck!

I have an accounting degree as well (I'm the USC) Almost all of the better accounting jobs in the US do require this degree. The best accounting jobs in the US also require the CPA (certified public accountant) designation (I'm no where near smart enough to pass that! )

That, however, doesn't mean that you can't get a job working as an accountant. You'll be able to get a job quite easily as a 'book-keeper', which is a bit lower paying job than a degreed accountant. Still, not a bad place to start! Your experience will help alot with getting one of those jobs!

On another note, my friend just immigrated to the United States from Hong Kong, on a K1. She passed the CPA in Hong Kong. However, because of the different tax laws in the United States, she told me that she would have to retake the US tax classes, and retake the CPA to actually work as a CPA here in the United States. She did, however, easily land a Financial Analyst job soon after coming here.

Good luck!

MK

You can also apply for entry level positions at well known companies who may offer to pay for education programs. Many pay between $3k-$8k a year for you to take job related or company related courses and this way you may be able to get your accounting degree... for FREE.

Diana

You wil be able to apply your skills here... There is a shortage of good accountants in that mid-range 3-7 years experience... You may start a little low (but maybe not) but once you get a year under your belt many more opportunities should open up....

I am almost in the same boat as you. 99% of my work experience is related to Canadian taxes! I have been taking American tax courses online through UCLA extension. You should look into the CPA program. If you want an idea of the skills employers are looking for visit www.roberthalf.com (accounting/finance international staffing agency). Look at the job postings and you will get a better idea of what you need to do to "Americanize" your skills (if anything!). Hope this helps.

My sister wants to move to Canada but since her husband is an accountant he says no way

what do you mean by "financial analysts"? I get lots of interview demands for positions with this title but the're all insurance companies ... which in the european sense would not be a financial analyst. Anyone know if any of the insurance firms are worth looking into? (i have an MA in Economics - Finance).

Why not?

Any industry would have positions for financial analysts, not just insurance companies. In general it's a notch above accountant. Basically it means that instead of just posting journal entries and making financial statements you are also providing reports on demand showing different trends, etc. in various accounts.




Most companies will require at least a Bachelor's Degree if you want to be an accountant but the bigger companies probably will offer tuition benefits so if you were to take a job as a bookkeeper, or equivalent, you could use that benefit to get your degree. Better yet, a lot of colleges/universities offer free tuition after 6 months of service (or variations on that timeline) so look for a job with a local university and get your degree for free!

I would take exception to the statement above.... As a former Chief Financial Officer of a company and an accountant, I do not view "analysts" as a notch above......

In a nutshell, they are for the most part "peers" but accountants work in accounting departments and financial analysts work in the finance or other departments.

Thanks for the reply Bridget. I guess it's the same thing as in Europe then, the confusion arose when all of the job descriptions did not require (but prefere) any sort of prior education or relevant work experience. Pffff anyways I find the whole job market here to be soooooo weird... mainly due to the fact that I live in Vegas you'd say.