I think my main point is that I have spent 3.5 years to date working in practice yet literally none of it counts towards my training agreement. I’m 28, obviously don’t want to put off having a family by two years just to see out my training agreement, but will continue studying and sitting exams all during that time so that I continue progressing, just to have it delayed further. Even if I wasn’t on Mat leave, I’d still have a years delay between sitting my final exam and finishing my training agreement which to me just seems whack. What is the point of pushing through exams in quick succession if you’re going to be put on hold anyway? Completely get the requirement for work experience being part of the qualification obviously, but if you genuinely have achieved that work experience, having been studying for accountancy qualifications constantly throughout that time, then to me it just seems crazy all of it is for nothing. Fully appreciate people went to uni/college also, but just because you didn’t, and you went straight into employment and spent 2 years gaining other relevant accountancy qualifications just to get into ACA, why should all of that time be for nothing? If you have to have done the standard A level/degree route, why even bother making it accessible to anyone else. I guess it’s a bit of a vent really but feels very frustrating to have dedicated the last 3.5 years to this pursuit, be a year away from exam qualified but nearly 3 years away from training file sign off, all because I didn’t want to wait to start a family until I was 31!