cool down people..
why all the arguements?

from my own opinion, for people like me( accounting and finance major), i would take CPA as a backup for my accounting field because:
1. it's by far the easiest professional cert
2. it's well-recognized

i think it doesn't matter how hard or how easy a paper is, the most important thing is, can the person who took the paper, performs?
it could be a case that CPA australia thinks that their paper, with that standard, it's sufficient for them to perform in accounting jobs.

if i would really want to pursue higher professional paper, all these ACCA / CPA would be out of the talk. CA, ICAA or ICAEW would be the real deal because of how the course is structured and how people are recognized through the exams.

Ultimately, the most important thing is how much you can absorb, analyze and apply your knowledge through these courses into work.
You can have all the professional certificates, but you're nothing if it's not being utilized in your work.

just 2 cents

This post has been edited by Blackdawn: May 10 2010, 01:00 PM

Seantang,
You still don't get what I have said concerning recognition. Yes, on paper, it's about recognition but in real fact, it's all about marketing & expansion. Let's leave this recognition issue beside & let me share with you my experience.

I graduated with Bach of Commerce (Hon.) & immediately I started my CPA Program in Aust. It has always been my dream to join the Big 4 in Aust & lady luck was with me, I get called up for interview with all the Big 4. Just to cut the story short, I attended 3 interviews (PWC, EY & Deloitte) in within 1 month time. The interview & assessment process went very well until 1 final requirement from them....you know what? They required me to enrol for the ICAA & ignore the CPA Program. Reason given was that, they only recognise ICAA & not CPA. I wasn't willing to do so becoz at that time I have already completed 2 CPA segments. Then 1 month later I got an interview call frm KPMG, again the same thing happened. This time I asked the interviewer why I must do CA & not CPA. He gave me a friendly answer that ICAA has long been recognised to produce accountants with technical excellency, highly skilled & competent. 3 years have gone & now I deeply regreted that I did not take up CA.

Actually I have just came back to KL 6 months ago & I discovered that most employers prefer to hire ACCA/ICAEW/MICPA/CIMA & other CAs. So what about CPA (Aust) graduates? I have a cousin who's a Senior HR Manager in a listed company. Prior to that, she was the HR Manager of 2 MNCs (both German Companies). She told me that in her current company plus her 2 previous MNC co, they have a policy to hire accountants that belong to a well reputable body that emphasises a lot on the skill & competency of their members. She told me those bodies are ACCA, ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI, CICA, CIMA, ICAA, NZICA & MICPA. However she said CPA (Aus) is not on the list.

That's the reason why I put up this discussion topic to get all the views.

Seantang, pls don't get upset, in this discussion we just want to share info with one another.

Cheers Mate

Ahhh good to see so many had come to support Muru claim. Now I can conclude "don't hire a CPA (AUS)"

i think there are ranking differences with all these certificates
ACCA and CPA is about the same level
while ICAA,ICAEW, CA are at a higher level

I guess the highest ranking of all is ICA Scotland. Nobody can beat them.

well, i will most probably take CPA Aus despite all these comments. Why? To me, it is more of person than the paper.

U can have ICAEW, ACCA or ICAA but what deferentiates you from the others is still YOU. not the paper.

Would serious waste that kind of money to aquire and maintain it, Jim.

Again & again & again.....over & over again, as proven in the previous few post, you don't know your facts. You're just simply creating your own theory & blah blah blah in this discussion topic & you don't even know how to apply the word reciprocal. It even makes you more than a stupid cow...ooops, sorry, as promised I must be polite.

Let me do you another favour by explaining in detail to you.
ACCA never never has any reciprocal agreement in the past & present. They always stand alone. So far they only has MRA with MICPA, HK CPA, ICPAS & GCA. That's all. So basically you're talking rubbish again....aiyaa, I m too rude...must be polite.
On ICAEW, they have reciprocal agreement with ICAS, ICAI, ICAA, CICA, HK CPA, SAICA, NZICA & ICA of Zimbabwe. So where the heck you got the info that ICAEW has reciprocal agreement with CPA (Aus)?...you created yourself, is it?...such a dumb fool. However ICAEW do offer "Pathway" membership to members of ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, AICPA, MICPA & CPA (Aus) members.Under this "pathway", it looks easy to apply but in practical it's never easy. This is bcoz you need to get an ICAEW member as sponsor who has known you for at least 3 years & must be working closely with you for the last 3 of the past 5 years & must know very very very well the level of your competency.
So the question is where's the heck to get an ICAEW member who has known you for 3 years + plus working closely with you for 3 years of the past 5 years + must know your competency level extremely well. How? where to get?.So it's still back to square again, want to become ICAEW member?....then you have to sit for the ICAEW exam! nothing is easy as what you think.
On the other hand, you had done a good job by creating your own facts/theory...your new theory is "A Cow (Practicing) can run faster than a Horse or Cheetah (Chartered or Public)". I don't know how many times you want to make a fool of yourself.

+1 to both. Couldn't agree more.

There is no practical need for this argument to go on actually. Why the hate over CPA (Aust)?

CPA is as common as a Bachelor of Degree nowadays due to commercialization... lots of Australia grads in Finance & Accounting field has one.

CPA exams are easier than ACCA, so an employer might value a ACCA grad than a CPA holder, if that field is purely accounting. But for fields like banking/finance, employer might value a CPA more than ACCA.

If you wanna work in a stock firm, like Hwang DBS, better if you go for CFA - they really value CFA grads. But CFA is harder than CPA, harder than ACCA. If you think ACCA pass rate is low, CFA pass rate is even lower. But if you do get one, you're a hot commodity that employer values alot

This post has been edited by antaeusguy: May 10 2010, 09:46 PM

Sigh the obvious solution is just to take another one lo. I always felt one is not enough. Thing is whether to go for more specialized mode (ICAEW), wider scope (MBA) or diversification (CFA). Anyway still young to do so .

You listed many qualifications - all of which are supposed to be "more recognised" than CPA Aus. I was not specifically talking about any particular qualifications as the net I cast captures many qualifications. My only concession is that I have loosely used the word 'reciprocal' to encompass all forms of recognition, mutual or otherwise.

In any case, anyone who has CPA Aus doesn't need reciprocals or exemptions from ACCA or ICAEW in terms of recognition.

In Malaysia, CPA Aus can join MIA just like ACCA, ICAEW or ICAA. With MIA membership, they can practice as accountants or apply for an audit licence from MOF.

In Singapore, ICPAS admits CPA Aus members just like ACCA, ICAEW or ICAA after a pre-admission course and local law proficiency test. After that they can apply to ACRA for public practice.

In Australia, both CPA Aus and ICAA both issue public practice certifications that allows holders to provide public accounting services in Australia. Members of CPA Aus, ICAA and NIA with the prescribed experience are eligible to apply to ASIC to be registered as a Registered Company Auditor.

In the US, NABSA allows CPA Aus and ICAA members to take the IQEX conversion exam, while most of the other CA and CPA qualifications have to go through the entire uniform CPA exam. After that, they can get a licence from one of the states.

HKICPA which is the licensing body in HK and it has reciprocals in the form of automatic conversion with most of the CA bodies but only a MRA with CPA Aus where they have additional requirements to fulfil as opposed to automatic conversion. However, if this is seen as 'recognition inferiority' of CPA Aus in HK, then ICAEW, ACCA etc must be seen inferior in the US.

Anyway, the list goes on.... but it's late, I'm tired and you're not worth it.

THIS is recognition. No amount of subjective opinion about exam standards or having "practising vs public" in the name or childish behaviour is going to change that. That's why I said if anyone is unhappy about CPA Aus being recognised as so, then MIA members should lobby MIA and MOF, ICPAS members should lobby ICPAS and ASIC, ICAA should lobby ACRA to remove their recognition of CPA Aus. ACCA members don't need to lobby anyone as they don't get to regulate anything.

So, again... I go back to your original statement that CPA Aus is not recognised... well, it's still rubbish statement. And you are still a pathetic name-calling retard... but then again, where else do rubbish statements come from, no?

This post has been edited by seantang: May 11 2010, 04:14 PM

So now, you agree & realise that the CPA Aus qualification is worthless & rubbish and now you propose for it to be de-recognised.
Do you know that if it's being de-recognised, many CPA Aus students/accountants will suffer?

Antaeusguy has made a very solid point & you should take note of it as well:
"CPA is as common as a Bach Degree nowadays due to commercialization....most Aust grad in Finance & Accounting field has one"

You should also take note of the comment posted by Grimm & the past experience of Selecao is not an isolated case, many CPA Aus students/members have similar experience. These are indications that CPA Aus qualification is nothing more than just a piece of blank paper.

What are you trying to prove? What is YOUR point? And let's say if YOU are RIGHT, then what?

So CPA is a piece of sh!t (hypothetically speaking, for the purposes of this argument), so? What are YOU going to do? What do you think ANYONE should do?

Then seantang says, if it sucks and you're unhappy, lobby to derecognize it. Then you come up with the above phrase? What the heck?!

Make up your mind, bean counter.

I think you misinterpreted what I have said. Mind you, I m a CPA too. Please read my comment posted on 7 May 10 on the last paragraph. Then only you come back & talk to me.

So, you are expecting me and other people reading this thread to put the subjective and unsubstantiated opinions of a few anonymous forumers who might or might not even be in the accounting profession ABOVE the published and implemented recognition criteria of the established accounting governing bodies in multiple countries?

You must be drunk or high, or both. Get real.

All of you CPA bashers should simply get a life, get a girlfriend or pay money to get laid or something. Until the day that CPA Aus is no longer recognised by the profession, whatever you say is just your petty, little opinions. And from all your arguments that CPA Aus is too easy, this pettiness probably stems from the fact that you are angry that you suffered more than the CPA Aus folks to get your professional qualification but are unable to obtain a higher payback in terms of recognition and career progression. If you feel so strongly about it, then for goodness' sakes grab a hold of your balls and do something about it. Attend the AGMs and state your point. Better yet, those of you who say you are CPA Aus members, attend the CPA Aus AGM and state your case. Or write to their "In The Black" monthly magazine. Screw them thoroughly for letting their standards dive. What's the point of shooting from the darkness in LYN?

Anyway... this thread has become meaningless. Revive it to take victory when the professional bodies stop recognising CPA Aus. Otherwise, put your tails between your legs and slink quietly away as you have been vanquished by published facts and reality.

Cool down, Seantang. Don't be too emotional & don't let anger to control you. Better stop the discussion here for today.
Seantang, get some rest & I m sure you will feel better tomorrow.

Cheers Mate.

Lol.. i planning to do CPA in this coming june 1... read ur post really scared me off... so wat's d conclusion?? Is CPA good?? As wat I know, Big4 in malaysia did recognize CPA... cuz most of my frens doing it now while working with Big4... and CPA is recognized by MIA (Msia institut of Accountant) to be a Charted Accountant in msia...

But the standard of CPA and ACCA... i think ACCA harder and more reputable ler...

So Selecao, may b u can try to apply big4 here?? and mind to share what u currently working as in malaysia??

Out of so many qualifications you had to pick these 2 -___-

Be more ambitious. Take ICAEW or ICAA. Or US CPA =D

kenkencafe. i cant help but to laugh at your post. just ask yourself this question:

1) WHY MUST YOU DO WHATEVER YOUR FRIEND DOES?

Just because they take CPA/ACCA/ICAEW/ICAA etc etc, you must follow with it? Go read up on the course structure and only then you decide which you want to pursue. Totally no point of you trying to pursue something that you have no idea about. Simply just because of "my friend is taking it".

Sigh. The mentality of Malaysian students.