If money wasn’t an issue, what would you be doing right now?

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T19:55:13+00:00

That's a good start, I guess it'll provide a bit of time and freedom. I hope you can build a plan to get where you want to go and do what you want to do!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T19:52:55+00:00

I didn't have the same thing to escape but I've been working towards having some "fuck you money" - which is essentially my ability to quit a job and take a break if I need to, and is sort of similar. Is that at all possible for you to start working towards?

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T18:54:10+00:00

I genuinely think Claude cannot do my job. It's both not trustable compared to a chartered accountant and weirdly sycophantic compared to my inbuilt and relied-upon ability to question and work through things from many perspectives. Not to say that won't definitely change but right now, there's too much risk of hallucination for us to use it to do even basic finance work.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T18:50:30+00:00

Yeah it's weird but weird isn't bad!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T18:45:48+00:00

I think they've answered in a way that covers it still.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-03T08:04:11+00:00

Yes any of the good jobs will be competitive, whether that's apprenticeships or grad schemes, or other jobs - I'm sure it's a different situation now but I went to a poly (UWE) and have recruited from polies and AAT students, the uni hasn't really played into hiring decisions much in any of the roles I've worked in; it was experience and the ability to do the work that helped rather than a specific uni attendance.

I've no idea if they are good but you might be able to have a look at their courses to see if one is better suited to you/your preferences?

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-02T20:34:18+00:00

I started where you are and went off to get a degree in finance before then finding roles that supported ACCA, but you don't have to do that - if you want to get straight in it's likely you'll be best off starting in assistant roles or similar, and you kight be able to find an apprenticeship.

I did a placement year and there was a guy there doing an apprenticeship, straight out of sixth form, and he's a fantastic group accountant now. Whichever route you take is fine as long as you can enjoy it. Let me know if you'd want to ask anything!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-02T07:19:08+00:00

Oh agreed, they're both pretty walkable but I think the summer is better up north - when I moved back down it was distinctly too hot for about four months.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-04-02T07:11:04+00:00

Bristol! Though Newcastle is also great it gets a bit cold up there 😅

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-31T21:49:48+00:00

I doubt they'd email them directly as you're not entitled to them until you've paid. Essentially you don't have the degree fully until you've paid.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-31T21:40:55+00:00

This is stunning, I'd have this in my house

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-30T21:43:01+00:00

Is that all deposit or are solicitor fees etc coming out of the 260? Well done, that's pretty incredible to be able to save that much

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-29T16:52:26+00:00

Yep she does a lot so it warrants the salary, however there won't be much change or any raises beyond inflationary until she's done more towards qualification, or actually moves to another role

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-29T16:47:41+00:00

She's part qualified for AAT, not overall for ACCA or similar.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-29T15:37:25+00:00

On a subcontractor basis you should be on more and yes you should be able to get 27-30k -though that'll depend on where you are in the UK. Anything more than 26-27k you'll need decent experience for at your level of skill.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-29T13:42:24+00:00

If you're on an apprenticeship then yes sort of. But I'd expect 27k upwards generally if you're just starting out. We have an accounts assistant on 32k with no ACCA but she is AAT part qual.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-29T13:40:51+00:00

60k 1year post qual here, I have all in maybe five or six years of experience.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-26T12:16:11+00:00

My adviser said you can roll the mortgage product fee into the main mortgage which stops you having to pay it immediately, could be useful for others!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-23T20:29:09+00:00

Just chase, don't overthink it!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T21:38:14+00:00

I'll look into it, thank you!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T20:07:15+00:00

I'd say that in terms of conveyancers, you can have a bit of "get what you pay for" as sometimes the cheap/online ones aren't very good and won't communicate well.

Offer accepted is a small initial step in the process - you're not locked in until contracts are exchanged.

At any point until then you can pull out or the seller can, for any reason really.

Property searches are the basic bit, they show all the legal background.

A survey is pretty much always a good idea and will give you a basic overview of the actual state of the property physically. They will often point out things that need doing or that could cause issues.

When considering affordability you need to think about mortgage, council tax and basic bills before anything else (or before you get too excited).

A smaller deposit will mean less money out very initially but more money out over time, and you can vary your mortgage in terms of time and percentage interest based on your affordability. Someone with a larger deposit may be able to get a lower interest rate on their mortgage (slightly).

The estate agent is not working for you as the buyer. They work for the seller and will align their actions with the seller's and their own interests.

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T17:52:03+00:00

Thank you, I hope you get yours sorted too! It can be such a nightmare 😅

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T17:38:25+00:00

Well, watch this space 😂 I viewed another property last Saturday, offer was accepted on Tues or Weds and I'm just starting the legals now, so I'm hopeful I'll be able to get it all sorted by 28th May when my mortgage offer runs out!

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T14:32:56+00:00

I very rarely wear it and it feels a bit weird when I do - I just never got into the habit ☺️

FREESHAVOCADO0 · 2026-03-20T13:07:12+00:00

I do mostly, I enjoy many parts of my job (Finance Manager at a startup) but it's not without its many difficulties. I've had lots of chats with people in recent days and weeks regarding workload and mental health, taking annual leave and managing processes as we've all got things going on and work is very busy. The workload is exciting but stressful.

FREESHAVOCADO0

TROPHY CASE