\u201cWhy did I even decide to start another qualification?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
I already had professional certifications.
I already worked in accounting and audit.
So why continue studying again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But whenever those thoughts appeared, I kept returning to the reasons that originally motivated me to begin ACCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking back, there were four major reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- ACCA\u2019s global reputation as an IFRS qualification<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The exemption benefits after passing USCPA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The need to improve professional English writing skills<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The University of London MSc pathway<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n1. ACCA as a Global IFRS Qualification<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Of course, KICPA is also based on IFRS, and there is absolutely no issue working in Korea with a Korean CPA license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, because I wanted the possibility of working internationally in the future, ACCA looked more globally recognized to me than KICPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside the United States, most countries use IFRS. And considering the possibility that IFRS and US GAAP may continue converging in the future, pursuing an international IFRS-focused qualification felt logical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Technically, USCPA holders can also register in some IFRS countries through additional procedures. But to me:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cBeing compatible with a system\u201d
and
\u201cBeing part of that system\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nfelt very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That idea became one of the biggest reasons why I became interested in ACCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaap-bridge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-1.png?w=1024\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe IFRS Foundation headquarters is located in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after Brexit and various economic challenges, the UK still maintains enormous influence in the international accounting world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In many ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- the United States represents the home of US GAAP,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- while the UK represents the historical center of IFRS.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Personally, I have always believed that if you want to truly understand something deeply, you should learn it from its original source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That mindset naturally led me toward British accounting qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nACCA vs ICAEW vs ICAS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When researching UK accounting qualifications, I found three major organizations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- ACCA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ICAEW<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ICAS<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
My first impression was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- ICAEW and ICAS felt more domestically focused,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- while ACCA felt designed to operate globally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That global orientation made ACCA particularly attractive to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Compared with other UK accounting bodies, ACCA had:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- significantly larger international membership,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- wider global recognition,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and stronger international presence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The scale alone made me feel that ACCA had greater influence internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Category<\/th> ACCA<\/th> ICAEW<\/th> ICAS<\/th><\/tr><\/thead> Founded<\/td> 1904<\/td> 1880<\/td> 1854<\/td><\/tr> Region<\/td> Global<\/td> England & Wales<\/td> Scotland<\/td><\/tr> Organization<\/td> ACCA
(Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)<\/td>ICAEW
(Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)<\/td>ICAS
(Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland)<\/td><\/tr>Registered Members (*)<\/td> 243,302<\/td> 166,397<\/td> 23,054<\/td><\/tr> Registered Students (*)<\/td> 437,952<\/td> 36,084<\/td> 4,103<\/td><\/tr> Qualification Requirements<\/td> 1) 13 examinations
2) 3 years of practical experience
3) Ethics and Professional Skills Module required<\/td>1) 15 examinations
2) 450 days of practical experience
3) Continuing Professional Development required<\/td>1) 13 examinations
2) 450 days of practical experience
3) Continuing Professional Development required<\/td><\/tr>Characteristics<\/td> 1) Globally recognized qualification
2) Focus on broad accounting principles and business skills
3) Flexibility across various industries and roles<\/td>1) Strong focus on public practice and audit
2) Specialized for England & Wales<\/td>1) Focus on public practice and advisory services
2) Strong tradition and historical prestige
3) Emphasis on ethics and professionalism<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n(*) Based on 2023 statistics<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n2. USCPA Exemptions<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Honestly speaking, this was one of the most attractive parts of ACCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passing the USCPA exam gives exemptions for up to 8 ACCA papers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many universities in countries like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Singapore,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Malaysia,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and the UK<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
also provide exemptions, but since I had already graduated from university, using my USCPA qualification as the exemption route was by far the most efficient option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, when I was deciding whether to pursue USCPA or ACCA first, one of the biggest reasons I chose USCPA first was this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- USCPA ? ACCA gives exemptions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- ACCA ? USCPA gives no exemptions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That made the order feel obvious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nEven with exemptions, exemption fees still had to be paid for each subject, and the total cost was still significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But considering that those papers were essentially passed without additional study, it still felt worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And honestly\u2026 having the Tax papers exempted felt amazing ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nOne interesting thing I learned during this process was that KICPA holders receive far fewer exemptions than I initially expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though KICPA is an extremely difficult qualification, ACCA only granted limited exemptions for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That made me realize something important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
Different accounting qualifications are viewed very differently internationally.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n3. The Need to Improve Professional English Writing<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
I am a very typical Korean student who learned English mainly through Korean public education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if I truly wanted to work internationally someday, I realized something very important:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would not be enough to simply speak English casually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I would eventually need to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- write reports,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- communicate with clients,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- prepare professional memos,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and explain accounting issues professionally in English.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
USCPA certainly involved English, but many parts \u2014 especially the old BEC writing section \u2014 felt relatively formulaic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ACCA felt very different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What attracted me most was ACCA\u2019s emphasis on Professional Skills Marks and practical business writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exam actually requires:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- reports,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- professional recommendations,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- business analysis,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and structured communication.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That felt much closer to real professional work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And to me, that was incredibly attractive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because if I was going to study English writing anyway,
why not:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- \n
- improve my professional communication,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- deepen my accounting knowledge,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and earn another qualification at the same time?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
That felt extremely efficient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHonestly, I had not practiced structured writing seriously since preparing for university entrance essays years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while preparing for ACCA, I found myself studying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- introductions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- logical flow,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- supporting arguments,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- conclusions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and professional business tone again.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Surprisingly, while studying ACCA, I sometimes felt that my English writing ability improved even more than my accounting knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I genuinely enjoyed that part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n4. The University of London MSc Pathway<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
The final major reason was the MSc in Professional Accountancy offered through the University of London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I do not necessarily enjoy studying in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I do enjoy going deeply into subjects that genuinely interest me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And over time, while working in audit and accounting, I became increasingly interested in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- accounting standards,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- audit standards,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and academic research related to the profession.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
I even started reading accounting research papers occasionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At some point, I found myself thinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n
\u201cMaybe someday I should try writing a paper myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Which honestly surprised me, considering how casually I approached my undergraduate thesis years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nThe ACCA + University of London MSc pathway felt incredibly attractive because:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- completing ACCA,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- meeting the English requirement,<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- and writing a dissertation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
could eventually lead to a master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Again:
one effort creating multiple outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThat efficiency strongly appealed to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, now that I am actually studying for these exams, I occasionally question whether this path is truly \u201cefficient\u201d considering the time, energy, and money involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But looking back, I also realize:
I started ACCA shortly after passing USCPA \u2014
when motivation, adrenaline, and ambition were probably at their absolute peak.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo perhaps it makes sense after all ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nFinal Thoughts<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Looking back, these were the four biggest reasons why I originally started ACCA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even now, while studying, there are definitely moments when I regret starting another difficult qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But organizing these thoughts again reminded me that beginning this journey was still a meaningful decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hope this article helps anyone currently considering ACCA or thinking about international accounting qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you again for reading. ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hello, this is Global CPA. ?? 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