Career Advice In Singapore

In 2007, accounting standards - or lack of it- hogged the headlines as far as charitable organisations went. The furore was sparked off two years ago when the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) was found to have extravagant practices and lack of governance.

Hot on the heels of the NKF troubles was another scandal that erupted within the Youth Challenge charity in the same year. An inquiry by the Commissioner of Charities discovered that Youth Challenge too was lacking in governance and internal controls.

Given the greater scrutiny on the need for sterling accounting standards - not just in Singapore bu globally - the demand for good accountants has never been more important.

In the public sector, job opportunities are available at the Auditor - General's Office, the inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and other statutory boards.

Singapore's "Big Four" accounting firms - PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deliotte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG- also traditionally employ a large number of graduate accountants every year.

The work of an accountant includes setting budgets, handling corporate recovery and insolvency, managing assets, and dispensing tax and investment advice.

An accountant can have any of these qualifications - an ACA, CPA, FCPA, FCA or CIMA. What these terms describe is the type of affliliation with the respective accounting body. For instance, chartered accountants belong to an organisation that received a Royal Charter bestowed by Queen Elizabeth II.

In Singapore, the accountanct profession is supported by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra), which keeps a register of public accountantds and public accounting firms.




The Institute of Certified Public Accounts of Singapore ( Icpas), the local Certified Public Accountant society, promotes the interests of the accountancy profession. It also conducts training and professional development courses for its members through its training arm, the Singapore Accountancy Academy.

A good accountant should have an analytical mind and be able to adapt to constant change and development. He should also be patient and meticulous, and be committed to continually upgrade his skills and knowledge, in order to keep abreast of local business and taxation laws.