Where to get hands-on accounting experience
Finding part-time work at a small practice is a potential way to gain missing practical experience with VAT, corporate tax, payroll, and Excel. However, because people often do not know where to find these opportunities, those with only theoretical knowledge or unexpected workplace promotions are left completely unsure of how to continue in the field.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Seeking part-time employment at a smaller established practice to gain the missing hands-on experience.Did this help you?
- 2Getting an accounting degree or taking classesDid this help you?
- 3Using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude as a teacher or for bookkeeping automationDid this help you?
- 4Watching free YouTube resources to learn accounting software like QuickBooksDid this help you?
- 5Paying a professional to file taxes at the end of the year as long as the books are kept cleanDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“So I work front desk at a hotel and they kinda promoted me to accountant since they really didn’t have anyone else to fill the role”source ↗
“I’ve no experience with this or excel and I really don’t know what else to do with my life so I wondering what would yall suggest I do if I wanted to keep at this?”source ↗
“Only experience I don’t have strength in is VAT, Corporation tax and payroll although I have dibble and dabbled in it but theoretically I have strong understanding of it.”source ↗
“I was considering doing part time work where I could get that experience but wouldn’t know where… maybe a small practice.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How to get clients for a new accounting practice
- 11How to get tax experience without an entry-level job
- 52How to break into accounting as an international student with a low GPA
- 12How to find a responsive accountant for a small nonprofit
- 6Can I skip public accounting and go straight to industry?
- 4Taking over bookkeeping with no records or account logins