Recently Qualified: Candidate Moves
When speaking to candidates looking to make the step into industry many are disheartened by the time it’s taking for them to find a new role. Additionally, those newly entering the job market often look for guidance on the opportunities available to them after qualifying.
This report outlines the types of roles that recently qualified accountants have transitioned into over the past nine months. While not exhaustive, it aims to provide a representative snapshot across Corporate Finance, Commercial Finance, and Accounting, offering insight into realistic timelines, salary expectations, and candidate backgrounds. The focus is primarily on roles within the real estate sector, reflecting my area of specialism, though the positions listed are commonly found across a wide range of industries.
Case Study 1:
Role: Commercial Accountant | Budgeting, Forecasting & Accounting
Firm profile: UK Property Development & Asset Management company, with £10bn+ assets under management
Candidate profile: 2023 ACA qualified. Trained at a Big 4 firm within the real estate department. Strong academic attainment. Covered a wide range of audit areas including consolidation, valuations and going concern.
Time searching: 3 months
Interview process: Two-stage interview process
Salary expectations: £60,000–£65,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Days in office: 4 days
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Role profile: Commercial Finance
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Was fairly open on sector but understood, given their client base, that real estate was the strongest sector to market themselves in. Was interested in FP&A, but in the first instance was keen to secure a role with elements of accounting to build on their ACA training. Interviewed for 3 companies before securing a position.
Case Study 2:
Role: Corporate Finance Analyst | Financial Modelling, Capital Structuring, Business Planning & Investor Reporting
Firm profile: Private equity-backed Real Estate Residential Developer, having delivered over 15,000 new homes across the UK
Candidate profile: 2024 ACA qualified. Excellent academics. Experience with real estate engagements in audit. Interest in the real estate sector. A year's experience on a placement year in an SME Corporate Finance advisory firm.
Time searching: 6 months
Interview process: Four-stage process inc. modelling + data reasoning exercise
Salary expectations: £65,000
Salary expectations achieved: No
Days in office: 3 days
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Role profile: Front / Middle Office
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Fairly sector agnostic, although found real estate an interesting sector. Keen at the start of their search to move into Corporate Finance/M&A, exploring these opportunities extensively for a four-month period. Made little traction during this time, so opened the search to include FP&A/Business Partnering opportunities. Subsequently secured an interview for a Corporate Finance Analyst role and got the role. Interviewed at one company.
Case Study 3:
Role: Finance Business Partner | Budgeting, Forecasting & Investor Reporting
Firm profile: Leading UK Property Developer & Asset Manager (PE backed) with over £15bn assets under management
Candidate profile: 2022 CA qualified. Trained at a Big 4 firm in New Zealand. Recently came over to the UK and was immediately available. Diverse pool of clients covering multiple sectors.
Time searching: 1.5 months
Interview process: Two-stage interview process
Salary expectations: £60,000–£65,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Days in office: 4 days
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Role profile: Commercial Finance
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Arrived in the UK from New Zealand and was looking for work on either a long-term contract or permanent basis. Was keen to find a mid-sized to larger company where they could learn from peers and be part of an established team. Ideally wanted a role with elements of budgeting/forecasting but was also open to accounting roles within a reputable firm.
Case Study 4:
Role: Group Accountant | Accounting, Reporting & Consolidation
Firm profile: UK Energy Provider / Utilities Company
Candidate profile: 2022 ACA qualified. Trained at a Top 25 audit practice. Diverse range of clients during their tenure in audit. Good experience on a complex multi-entity consolidation group audit.
Time searching: 6 months
Interview process: Two-stage interview process
Salary expectations: £65,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Days in office: 3 days
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Role profile: Accounting
How they found the role: Direct application via company website
Candidate journey: Was focused on finding an accounting role. Was fairly sector agnostic and open on the size of firm. The prohibitive factor in their search was that they were only considering opportunities that were three days a week in the office. Interviewed for three companies before securing a position.
Case Study 5:
Role: Finance Manager | Budgeting, Forecasting, Investor Reporting & Accounting
Firm profile: SME Real Estate Private Debt Investment Firm
Candidate profile: 2025 ACCA qualified. Trained at a fund administration firm, with a specialisation in real estate engagements. Broad coverage across preparation of fund and year-end accounts, with additional experience providing variance analysis on budget vs actuals.
Time searching: 1.5 months
Interview process: Two-stage interview process
Salary expectations: £65,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Days in office: 3 days
Type of hire: Growth hire
Role profile: Commercial Finance
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Was keen to move client-side within an investment management firm. Wanted a role where they would gain broad exposure across budgeting, forecasting and deal support within a growing company. Was open to a role that had elements of accounting. Interviewed for two companies before securing a position.
Case study 6:
Role: Management Accountant | Accounting & Variance Analysis
Firm profile: Private equity-backed Real Estate Residential Developer
Candidate profile: 2024 ACCA qualified. Trained in a Top firm in their outsourcing department, with a key sector focus on real estate. Experience preparing management accounts, year-end financial statements and budget vs actual analysis. Strong academic attainment.
Time searching: 3 months
Interview process: Two-stage interview process
Salary expectations: £60,000–£65,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Days in office: 4 days
Role profile: Accounting
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Had an interest in the real estate sector and ended up securing most interviews in the space. Was open to a role with an accounting focus, provided there were elements of analysis. Interviewed for three companies before securing a position.
Case Study 7:
Role: Fund Accountant | Budgeting, Forecasting, Investor Reporting & Accounting
Firm profile: Mid-cap pan-European Real Estate Investment Management firm with £10bn assets under management
Candidate profile: 2023 ACA qualified, having trained in a Top 25 accountancy practice. Experience on real estate audit engagements. Excellent academics.
Time searching: 1.5 months
Interview process: Two-stage process, totalling 2 weeks in length
Salary expectations: £65,000–£70,000
Salary expectations achieved: Yes
Days in office: 4 days
Type of hire: Growth hire
Role profile: Commercial Finance
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Was fairly sector agnostic, although had an interest in investment management. Wanted to move into something more forward-looking and value-add. Was keen to gain exposure to budgeting and forecasting, working with teams outside of core finance. Was less interested in pursuing M&A/Investment roles in the first instance, and was keen to keep elements of finance in their role given their training. Interviewed at one company and secured the position.
Case Study 8:
Role: Finance Business Partner | Budgeting, Forecasting & Investor Reporting
Firm profile: Small-cap UK-focused Real Estate Investment Management firm, with £1.5bn assets under management
Candidate profile: 2022 ACA qualified, having trained in two separate mid-tier practice firms. Experience on real estate engagements during their time in audit.
Time searching: 6 months
Interview process: Three-stage process
Salary expectations: £70,000
Salary expectations achieved: Exceeded
Days in office: 5 days
Type of hire: Replacement hire
Role profile: Commercial Finance
How they found the role: Recruiter
Candidate journey: Sector agnostic. Wanted to move away from undertaking any core accounting and was, at the start, exclusively looking for roles that covered FP&A/Finance Business Partnering. Over time, due to the quiet nature of the job market, opened up to roles with elements of accounting, provided there was still a large involvement in budgeting/forecasting and interaction with non-financial stakeholders. In the end, found the commercial remit they were looking for. Interviewed at 5–6 companies before finding the ideal role.
