Working at Platinum Approved Employer Moore Stephens in Dubai, UAE, Muhammad Hasan Jamal explains how his employer ensures that his work is geared towards achieving performance objectives to meet ACCA’s practical experience requirements
This article was first published in May 2008 in Student Accountant.
An early fascination with numbers encouraged ACCA affiliate Muhammad Hasan Jamal to move straight from school into accountancy. ‘I was always good with figures,’ he explains, ‘and so having considered all the options, I decided on accountancy as a career.’ To help gain experience, while Muhammad was studying for his A-levels he worked as a part-time accountant in his father’s business, a company manufacturing paper cartons and other related products, based in Sharjah, UAE. ‘I took on tasks such as bank reconciliations, maintaining the cash book, and the daily processing of sales, purchases, and expense invoices. As soon as I finished my A-levels, I started studying accounting full time.’
Although most students associate travel with a full-time job, Muhammad found that study also allowed him to see more of the world. ‘I began by studying for the CAT qualification, and then moved to the UK to complete my ACCA Part 2 and 3 exams, undertaking an internship with an accountancy firm in Dubai during the summer of 2006. I passed all my exams first time and became an affiliate in December 2006, just before my 22nd birthday. I then moved back to Dubai in early 2007 and joined my current employer, Moore Stephens, as an audit senior.’
Moore Stephens, founded in the UK, is an internationally-renowned accountancy firm. As audit senior, Muhammad’s work is assignment based, focusing on external and internal audit, agreed-upon procedures, and due diligence. ‘My work is assigned to me by my team leader,’ he explains. ‘Depending on the complexity of what has to be done; sometimes I work in a team, sometimes alone. Whatever the assignment, I’m involved in the planning stage, field work (collecting evidence), and then presenting the final report to the team leader and partner to review, before it’s sent to the client for discussion.’
Moore Stephens is a Platinum level ACCA Approved Employer, and this has proved extremely helpful in enabling Muhammad to progress towards membership. ‘Moore Stephens makes sure that all my assignments meet specific ACCA requirements, so whatever work I do, I know that I am fulfilling a performance objective. I also receive regular in-house training on new accounting and auditing standards, and on ethical issues, which also helps me achieve my performance objectives. Senior staff and partners have been very supportive and encourage me to discuss any problems I may have so that I can learn how to deal with them. They also encourage me to help my team, in turn, with their problems, thereby developing my leadership skills.’
Being relatively new to the workplace means that Muhammad has another two years to go before he can apply for ACCA membership which, he hopes, will bring promotion and the chance to travel. ‘I plan to take the Oxford Brookes University BSc degree, while I am working towards membership, and then to take the MBA once I qualify,’ he says, and his ambitions stretch even further: ‘Eventually, I may take care of the family business, or even to open a business of my own in a related field. Before I do that, I would also like to work in a bank to gain experience of wealth management.’
Having only begun his CAT studies in late 2003, Muhammad has clearly come far in a short period of time – and he thanks ACCA for his career progress. ‘It all began with CAT, which showed me that accountancy is not just about numbers, but also about using numbers to help you make decisions. Having opted not to take a degree after leaving school, my ACCA exam passes are my only professional qualifications, but my success has enabled me to demonstrate my skills to my employer and without ACCA I would never have been able to move into my current job.’