Reaching newly qualified status is a major milestone, and as the exams fall away, a new question quickly takes their place: what comes next?
Last month, Rutherford Cross sponsored and attended the ICAS Admission Ceremony, where 776 new members joined the global CA community. It was a privilege to once again be part of such a significant moment, marking the first day of each CA’s newly qualified career.
Becoming qualified reflects years of discipline, hard work, and resilience. Now, newly admitted members can look ahead and shape the careers they aspire to build.
Your Two Main Career Pathways
Progress within Practice
Progression within practice is typically the most familiar and clearly defined route. The career pathway is visible through the structure around you, from your manager to senior leadership and ultimately to the partnership group. Should you wish to build a long term career in practice, these roles illustrate the progression you can expect.
There are also opportunities to move laterally into other service lines such as audit, business restructuring, corporate finance, and tax advisory. In addition, excellent career options exist within private equity firms where qualified accountants can move into investment focused roles supporting business growth and scaling.
Move into Industry
If you’re considering your first move out of practice, remember that the career advice you’ve had so far has typically come from people who stayed in the profession.
Rutherford Cross has helped hundreds of first‑time movers make this transition. In industry, you’ll often report to someone who made the same move three years before you, someone who understands exactly where you’re starting from.
Job titles can be confusing. It’s common to read a job specification and assume you lack experience. In reality, if the role targets newly qualified accountants, employers fully expect that you are still developing commercial exposure. They value your training, work ethic, and technical skillset.
Typical first‑move industry roles include:
- Financial Accountant
- Finance Business Partner
- Financial Controller
- Finance Manager
- Group Reporting Accountant
- Management Accountant
Timing matters. Staying in practice for another year or two can deepen your technical base, but staying too long can misalign salary and responsibility expectations when moving to an industry role.
Why Speak to Rutherford Cross
At Rutherford Cross we specialise in helping accountants at key transition points in their careers, including those taking their first step post qualification. Our consultants each focus on a specific area of the market, which means you receive advice that is focused, relevant, and honest.
If you are considering a move into industry, Ally Deas and Jonathan Donnelly are both focused on opportunities in the West of Scotland, and Chris Sole has a focus on the East and North of Scotland. They can provide tailored guidance and insight across commercial, financial reporting, operational finance and leadership pathways.
If you are looking to progress within the profession, reach out to Fraser Burnett who covers all of Scotland and can talk you through opportunities across audit, corporate finance, advisory, and practice leadership. For individuals interested in specialist tax roles, Ben Jones is best placed to advise on the full market landscape in terms of the profession and industry roles across the whole of Scotland.
Explore Interim Finance Opportunities
Rutherford Cross is also well placed to support ICAS candidates who are exploring interim finance opportunities. There are many reasons why an interim role can be an excellent fit at the newly qualified stage. You may be returning from time spent travelling, navigating the job market after redundancy, or looking to re‑enter the workforce following a break post‑qualification. Interim work can also provide valuable flexibility while you search for your next long‑term role or prepare to step up into a more senior position.
For some, it’s a chance to gain exposure to a new sector or workstream without making a permanent commitment, or to take on an interesting project that helps develop deeper, specialist skills. If this sounds like you, or you’d like to learn more about the interim finance market, speak to Euan Bodie, Christina McLean for opportunities in the West of Scotland, or Kamran Chaudhry for opportunities in the East and North of Scotland. You can also find details of our full interim services offering via our Interim Hub.
What Support Looks Like
Every day we speak to newly qualified accountants and employers across Scotland. We can talk you through what the market looks like right now, the salary ranges typically available at your level, and the common pathways ICAS newly qualified accountants take as they shape the early stages of their careers.
Whether you already have a clear plan in place, or you are unsure which route suits you best, a conversation can make the process feel more manageable. We are happy to welcome you into our offices or arrange a call on Teams to guide you through.
Your Next Step
You have worked incredibly hard to reach this point, and now you have choices. Whether you want to explore roles in commercial industry, financial reporting, internal audit, corporate finance, or practice progression, it is important that every decision supports both your long-term career development and your lifestyle.
When you are ready to look ahead, we are here to help you approach your next chapter with clarity and confidence – get in touch with our team for a confidential discussion.
Contact our Permanent Team
Contact our Interim Team
- Kamran Chaudhry: Contact for all interim finance roles in City of Edinburgh, The Lothians, The Borders, Fife, Dundee, Perth & Kinross, Angus, Aberdeenshire: [email protected]
- Christina McLean: Contact for interim finance roles within the following sectors across the West of Scotland: FMCG, Financial Services, Public Sector/Not-for-profit, Technology, Construction and Engineering: [email protected]
- Euan Bodie: Contact for interim finance roles within the following sectors across the West of Scotland: FMCG, Manufacturing, Renewables/Energy, Pharma/Healthcare, Transport/Logistics, Service Sector incl. Retail, Hospitality/Leisure, Media and Facilities Management: [email protected]
If you’re not sure where to start, send your CV into [email protected] and one of our Consultants will be in touch to arrange a confidential career discussion.
From Exam Success to Career Success: Your First Steps as a Newly Qualified Accountant
Reaching newly qualified status is a major milestone, and as the exams fall away, a new question quickly takes their place: what comes next?
Last month, Rutherford Cross sponsored and attended the ICAS Admission Ceremony, where 776 new members joined the global CA community. It was a privilege to once again be part of such a significant moment, marking the first day of each CA’s newly qualified career.
Becoming qualified reflects years of discipline, hard work, and resilience. Now, newly admitted members can look ahead and shape the careers they aspire to build.
Your Two Main Career Pathways
Progress within Practice
Progression within practice is typically the most familiar and clearly defined route. The career pathway is visible through the structure around you, from your manager to senior leadership and ultimately to the partnership group. Should you wish to build a long term career in practice, these roles illustrate the progression you can expect.
There are also opportunities to move laterally into other service lines such as audit, business restructuring, corporate finance, and tax advisory. In addition, excellent career options exist within private equity firms where qualified accountants can move into investment focused roles supporting business growth and scaling.
Move into Industry
If you’re considering your first move out of practice, remember that the career advice you’ve had so far has typically come from people who stayed in the profession.
Rutherford Cross has helped hundreds of first‑time movers make this transition. In industry, you’ll often report to someone who made the same move three years before you, someone who understands exactly where you’re starting from.
Job titles can be confusing. It’s common to read a job specification and assume you lack experience. In reality, if the role targets newly qualified accountants, employers fully expect that you are still developing commercial exposure. They value your training, work ethic, and technical skillset.
Typical first‑move industry roles include:
Timing matters. Staying in practice for another year or two can deepen your technical base, but staying too long can misalign salary and responsibility expectations when moving to an industry role.
Why Speak to Rutherford Cross
At Rutherford Cross we specialise in helping accountants at key transition points in their careers, including those taking their first step post qualification. Our consultants each focus on a specific area of the market, which means you receive advice that is focused, relevant, and honest.
If you are considering a move into industry, Ally Deas and Jonathan Donnelly are both focused on opportunities in the West of Scotland, and Chris Sole has a focus on the East and North of Scotland. They can provide tailored guidance and insight across commercial, financial reporting, operational finance and leadership pathways.
If you are looking to progress within the profession, reach out to Fraser Burnett who covers all of Scotland and can talk you through opportunities across audit, corporate finance, advisory, and practice leadership. For individuals interested in specialist tax roles, Ben Jones is best placed to advise on the full market landscape in terms of the profession and industry roles across the whole of Scotland.
Explore Interim Finance Opportunities
Rutherford Cross is also well placed to support ICAS candidates who are exploring interim finance opportunities. There are many reasons why an interim role can be an excellent fit at the newly qualified stage. You may be returning from time spent travelling, navigating the job market after redundancy, or looking to re‑enter the workforce following a break post‑qualification. Interim work can also provide valuable flexibility while you search for your next long‑term role or prepare to step up into a more senior position.
For some, it’s a chance to gain exposure to a new sector or workstream without making a permanent commitment, or to take on an interesting project that helps develop deeper, specialist skills. If this sounds like you, or you’d like to learn more about the interim finance market, speak to Euan Bodie, Christina McLean for opportunities in the West of Scotland, or Kamran Chaudhry for opportunities in the East and North of Scotland. You can also find details of our full interim services offering via our Interim Hub.
What Support Looks Like
Every day we speak to newly qualified accountants and employers across Scotland. We can talk you through what the market looks like right now, the salary ranges typically available at your level, and the common pathways ICAS newly qualified accountants take as they shape the early stages of their careers.
Whether you already have a clear plan in place, or you are unsure which route suits you best, a conversation can make the process feel more manageable. We are happy to welcome you into our offices or arrange a call on Teams to guide you through.
Your Next Step
You have worked incredibly hard to reach this point, and now you have choices. Whether you want to explore roles in commercial industry, financial reporting, internal audit, corporate finance, or practice progression, it is important that every decision supports both your long-term career development and your lifestyle.
When you are ready to look ahead, we are here to help you approach your next chapter with clarity and confidence – get in touch with our team for a confidential discussion.
Contact our Permanent Team
Contact our Interim Team
If you’re not sure where to start, send your CV into [email protected] and one of our Consultants will be in touch to arrange a confidential career discussion.
Can we help?
If you are looking for finance recruitment support, please get in touch with our team of experts.
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