KEY POINTS:
Qualification: Bachelor of Business (Accounting)
Institution: AUT Business School
Contact: 09 921 9999 or 0800 AUT UNI (0800 288 864) business@aut.ac.nz; www.autuni.ac.nz/business/study-options/
Entry requirements: NCEA University Entrance or Cambridge equivalent for school leavers. An academic IELTS of 6.0 (no band under 5.5) for non native English speakers who haven't sat NCEA
UE or Cambridge equivalent within New Zealand
Closing dates: November 16 - late applications considered
2008 intakes: February and July
Course costs: 2008 course fees: $4512 for full year full time study
Starting salary: $35,000 - $42,000, depending on location and organisation
Daniel Hunt started as a summer intern and now enjoys tax consulting 'because it involves so much'.
Accountants are essential to any business, and qualified and experienced accountants are in big demand around the world.
Accounting involves understanding how businesses work, financial literacy and communication skills.
The three-year accounting major within the AUT Bachelor of Business covers areas of accountancy such as finance, taxation, accounting information systems, auditing and law.
In the first year, students do papers on business environments, information management, globalisation, business enterprise and business relationships, before specialising in accountancy. Study is interactive with an emphasis on case studies and group work. Classes are small (average 36 students).
Co-operative education, a work placement paper, is a popular paper. Students work 10 weeks full time in an organisation, either helping or doing a special accountancy related project. Co-op, which gives students the chance to connect theory and business practice, can be done here or overseas.
Students interested in chartered accountancy must do a fourth year of accountancy study to meet New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA) academic requirements.
This is done at AUT through an honours year or a one-year graduate diploma in business.
THE GRADUATE
Daniel Hunt (23)
Price Waterhouse Coopers tax consultant
Started: November 2005
Starting salary: $42,500 - $45,000
I started here as a summer intern, then won a graduate position. I'm now a tax consultant. I really enjoy tax consulting because it involves so much. We do GST, transfer pricing, IAS (individual assessment services) and corporate tax, which is my favourite.
Tax appeals because it is always changing. There is always something new to learn, so it keeps me on my toes.
I did AUT's business degree, majoring in accounting, and then a postgraduate diploma in accounting. I'm now doing my chartered accountancy qualification.
I chose AUT because I learn better in a small interactive environment. There were only 25 to 30 students in my class and we interacted together regularly.
At AUT, the class drives the class, not the lecturer. If you're unsure about something you can ask, there and then, which is difficult to do in a lecture theatre with 300 people. We did lots of class presentations which really developed our communication skills.
At PwC, team work and communication are key skills. From day one you're part of a team so - to succeed - you have to be able to work with people.
I really liked the co-operative paper because it opened our eyes to the business world. I was lucky - I did my co-op at PwC after my summer internship. All newcomers are taught tax accounting principles from scratch at PwC, even those with accounting degrees.
I believe PwC do this because they employ from diverse universities and have a lot of secondments from other countries where tax laws are different.
This caters for us all and ensures we all start with the same level of tax knowledge.
Something I really like about PwC is the support. Every graduate gets a buddy and a coaching manager who meets us regularly to give constructive feedback. We also meet our coaching partner every two months to discuss our progress.
MATHEW LEWISHMAN
Manager, human capital at price WaterhouseCoopers (PWC)
PwC recruits from a range of sources and takes more than 100 graduates a year. I didn't employ Daniel so I can't speak personally about his application, but I know he would have exhibited a strong academic background and proven his values fitted with PwC.
Daniel first came to PwC as a summer intern.
Our internships are offered to students in their second to last year of study. This year, we're taking around 100; the year Daniel applied we only took 12.
We used to hire people with accounting majors but now also take strong finance or law degrees. Many of our graduates have law degrees, some conjointed with accountancy, which is a great combination.
Our starting point is strong academic results, but we also want people with an all-round grounding who haven't just buried their noses in their books.
We look at involvement in clubs, social activities and part-time employment.
A job somewhere like Burger King, where you gain experience in customer service and communication, can really make the difference.
Our business is people-based, whether interacting with clients or other staff, so we look for graduates who can interact well with others, show leadership qualities but also be able to work in a team.
