I have recently come across a good few people in Pakistan who seem quite interested in studying for CIMA ..
Most of them have done MBA with different majors like HR, marketing etc
I am keen to find out , is CIMA the upcoming new qualification trend in Pakistan? part qualified CIMA professionals ,do they have better job prospects locally in Pakistan and internationally ?
Three guys in Pakistan I asked this question from, said , they are aiming to go abroad for work and CIMA is a way forward and an important step…
CIMA is predominantly management accounting. They would be better off pursuing a CA. CA bodies around the world have mutual agreements with each other making it easier to transfer from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Its isnt difficult. They would be better off pursuing that route. Also, CA is a much better rounded qualification. Its a BUSINESS qualification. Not just accounting. There are positions that are exclusive to people who hold a CA and CA only. The same cant be said about CIMA or ACCA - but then that might change who knows. 70% of people who work in the city hold a CA. Its a very good springboard onto CFA if you maybe wanna pursue that further down the line
CIMA used to be a good qualification in in the 1980s and 1990s in Pakistan and the Gulf. But later CIMA declined due to its bad policies and even they closed their Pakistan office in early 2000s.
Whereas ACCA was aggressively marketing in Pakistan as well as in the middle east and the fart east. As a result ACCA is now the number 2 accountancy qualification in Pakistan after Pakistan CA qualification leaving behind CIMA, UK and ICMAP.
The only country where CIMA stands good outside the UK is Sri Lanka (with its own CIMA Sri Lanka Division) and to some extent KSA.
The CA qualification from Pakistan worth internationally as so many of its members work internationally and even deputed to big 5 in London from UAE/Pakistan.
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK
same like:
Institute of Management Accountants, USA
Canadian Society of Management Accountants, Canada
Institute of Cost & Works Accountants, India
Institute of Cost & Management Accountants, Pakistan
Institute of Cost & Management Accountants, Bangladesh
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK
same like:
Institute of Management Accountants, USA
Canadian Society of Management Accountants, Canada
Institute of Cost & Works Accountants, India
Institute of Cost & Management Accountants, Pakistan
Institute of Cost & Management Accountants, Bangladesh
oh, thank you so much, brother! :) you mentioned that they closed their chapter/offices in Pakistan in 2000...what was the reason for their closure?
Mainly cost cutting but they kept on operating from UK. On the other hand, ACCA was aggressively marking in Pakistan and now they have so many members from Pakistan.
But why this sudden surge in so many people deciding to do CIMA in Pakistan?
Does it have any reliable acceptance in Pakistan itself? If someone’s done their MBA and then part qualified CIMA, what are the chances of them securing a job in the Middle East v/s UK/US
also the point to notice is that majority of this group of people I mentioned , are already in their early 30’s and are on some kind of jobs like admin in a government department, HR in a government organization, supply chain etc .. and they have now decided to pursue CIMA .. Hence why I asked how its going to help them ?
There are 15 papers to pass in CIMA. Now CIMA offers masters degree holders to take just one exam for the first 11 papers to pass and then take the top CIMA qualification. But unfortunately CIMA is no longer in demand as it used to be in the past.
Oh I see , thanks so much Mostar.. yes the group was talking about certain exemptions they would get due their courses during MBA ...
On the CIMA Pakistan website they have a salary survey where they mention that people can expect salaries of upto Rs 70K in pakistan by just being part qualified ... I am now seriously wondering if that has any truth or is it just another marketing ploy?
If you look at Dawn’s advertisement for finance job, you would hardly find anyone asking for a CIMA qualified person - they prefer CA/ACCA and then CMA Pakistan.
CIMA is still a prestigious financial qualification of the world - very hard to pass it - but it is seriously lagging behind in marketing its employability at the moment.
I my self pursued CIMA up to its Advanced Diploma level after qualifying my ICAMP exams and getting some 3 papers exempt on that basis. But then I lost the interest in it and abandoned it.
I have placed ACA's and ACCA's .. but dont know what the job market for CIMA is here in the UK .. Is it really possible for them to find work in the current climate in the UK ? what are we looking at Fully qualified ones or part quals?
Also is it possible for someone to complete half of CIMA in Paksitan and then maybe come to the UK on student visa and continue the rest of CIMA?
I have placed ACA's and ACCA's .. but dont know what the job market for CIMA is here in the UK .. Is it really possible for them to find work in the current climate in the UK ? what are we looking at Fully qualified ones or part quals?
Also is it possible for someone to complete half of CIMA in Paksitan and then maybe come to the UK on student visa and continue the rest of CIMA?
If you look at the job ads in UK, most of them ask for CIMA/ACCA equally.
