An accountant job is to manage, report, and maintain financial information and financial transactions for an organization. However, the roles and responsibilities differ with different organizations. The main function is perform financial calculations for organizations related to various aspects, from payroll, budget to taxes, bills and payment and so on.

To do an accountant job in Singapore, a candidate should be a degree or diploma holder in finance/accounting/economics. Additional professional qualifications are added advantages. A young professional who is not from Singapore but is willing to do an accountant job in Singapore should be formally qualified for better job prospects. Singapore companies are in great need of accountants, and hence finance or accounting students have great scope of growth in a finance career in Singapore.

Let us find out below the essential requirements to do an accountant job in Singapore

Bachelor’s degree: An accountant job in Singapore requires a minimum qualification of a Bachelors Degree with specialization in subjects like as Accounts, Finance, Economics or Maths.  But to have a full-time accounting career in the country, it is necessary to complete a full-time accounting professional course.

Certification course: Students intending to do an accountant job in Singapore should take up certification exams besides a regular degree. This gives them an added advantage in getting a better job. For accounting jobs in Singapore, there are few institutes which offer professional finance and accounting courses. These include ISCA (Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants) and CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants).

ACCA: Foreign candidates with professional qualification like as ACCA have better scope. This is because, ACCA is a globally recognized qualification issued by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the global body for professional accountants. In fact, both the local and foreign students should opt for ACCA professional certification to be in a prospective accountant jobs in Singapore. ACCA students are highly employable and they land a job almost immediately upon graduation.

CPA: There is another globally recognized qualification known as CPA. CPA or Certified public accountant is a designation given by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and candidates with CPA certification can do an accountant job in Singapore. CPA qualifications are usually equivalent to high profile qualification like as Chartered Accountants. Candidates with CPA qualification has chances to do jobs in larger organizations in Singapore but they need experience for this. So, experts usually advise students, both local and foreign, to take up ACCA qualification for accountant jobs in Singapore.

Which is more important for an accountant job in Singapore? A degree or a professional qualification1?

This is a very important question that a student needs to ask themselves. There are 2 factors to take into consideration:

• Career: Are you in doubt about your career? If someone asks you, what you want to be, and if your answer is a vague one like as maybe a banker or an accountant or something else, then your bachelor degree is sufficient to give you an accountant job in Singapore. But yes, if you are firm and your answer is a resounding “accountant”, then definitely you should go for a professional qualification.

• Course curriculum: While a professional certification course is tough, rigorous and related to project work and practical activities, a graduation course is more of a fixed pattern with systematic course curriculum. If want to have a smoother academic journey, then a bachelor degree in finance or accountancy is enough for an accountant job in Singapore. Experts say that a global professional achievement on your CV definitely sounds a hundred times more impressive for a better accountant job in Singapore.