Career Profile
Chartered Accountant (CA)
by FundiConnect Editorial Team | 6 February 2019
Career Overview
Chartered Accountants (CA) are the people responsible for examining the financial affairs of individual clients and organisations.
Typical activities conducted include analysing an organisation’s financial information, preparing and reporting on financial statements for shareholders and capturing financial information on computers.
Required School Subjects
You will need to have the following matric subjects in order to study towards a Chartered Accounting qualification:
- English (matric level)
- Accounting (not required but helpful)
- Mathematics/Mathematical Literacy (depending on the institution you apply to)
Institution and APS
The following institutions are highly recommended for studies in Chartered Accounting:
- University of Cape Town (UCT) – a Faculty Point Score (FPS) of 480
- University of Pretoria (TUKS) – APS of 30
- University of Witwatersrand (Wits) – APS of 39
- University of Johannesburg (UJ) – APS of 33
Required Qualifications
A Bachelor’s Degree/Higher National Diploma (HND) is the minimum requirement for individuals who want to be a Chartered Accountant (CA), although there are organisations that accept candidates without either a degree or HND. The learning process doesn’t end with a Bachelor of Accounting Sciences Degree; the journey to becoming a qualified Chartered Accountant is generally 7 years.
An Honours degree, Certificate in Theory of Accountancy (CTA), articles of clerkship, final exams and applying for a Chartered Accountant membership are all part of the journey to being able to write CA (SA) or similar.
Working Hours
Chartered Accountants generally work standard 8 am to 5 pm hours; however, the hours you work largely depend on your own work ethic and your company of employment. Depending on which company you work for and what your role is, the hours may be more than indicated. For example, accounting auditing firms may require more hours during the ‘high season’. Chartered Accountants tend to work late in the evening and over weekends for some projects.
Expected Salary
According to SalaryExpert, the salary for a Chartered Accountant in South Africa is estimated to range between R375 773 to R658 550 annually – with the average being R526 940.
In this field, experience and qualifications contribute to increasing the salary.
