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An accountant trainee typically has education or training in accounting but is not licensed. A bachelor’s degree or structured courses in accounting can qualify one for the position, but on-the-job training can also substitute. The accounting profession licenses its professionals but does not prohibit laypeople from dealing with accounting issues. To become an accounting intern, a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in accounting is typically required, but hands-on accounting experience can also be gained outside of formal education.
The title of accountant trainee is typically reserved for people who have an education or training in accounting but are not licensed by a licensing board. You can become an accountant intern for many employers by earning a four-year degree with an academic emphasis in accounting or completing a curriculum of structured courses in accounting at a business or proprietary school. Due to the practical applicability of accounting, it is possible for an employer to waive the educational requirement for the accountant trainee position and substitute on-the-job training in the style of an apprenticeship.
Professions that require a license usually prohibit people from practicing in the profession without one. For example, the legal profession requires lawyers to be licensed and makes the unauthorized practice of law illegal. Likewise, the medical profession requires doctors to be licensed and makes it illegal to practice unlicensed. The accounting profession, on the other hand, licenses its professionals but does not prohibit laypeople from dealing with accounting issues. In fact, it would be very difficult to stop people from practicing accounting because keeping track of income and expenses is the core of business financial management.
The accounting profession licenses its professionals based on mastery of the accounting code established by a licensing board as industry best practices. This process only distinguishes accountants and does not preclude someone from operating as an unlicensed accountant if the person can master the basic concepts. Employers often use the title accountant trainee to indicate that they want to hire someone who has a basic understanding of accounting principles but has not progressed far enough in the profession to seek official licensing as a master.
To become an accounting intern, you will typically need a bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in accounting. You can also typically substitute a bachelor’s degree for specialized training in a proprietary accounting program. This will qualify you to work for most firms or accounting firms, particularly if your express desire is to obtain a license. In the private context, an accounting firm is more likely to call a trainee an accounting associate, but government agencies are more likely to use the title trainee.
Getting a bachelor’s degree isn’t the only way to become an accountant trainee. As companies use bookkeeping and bookkeeping as critical managerial inputs, it is often more important to demonstrate proficiency in job performance than to have a formal education. You can become an accountant trainee by gaining hands-on accounting experience in many ways outside of a college or formal educational setting. Some people learn the fundamentals of accounting by helping to run the family business as children, for example. Others have their own businesses and have had to learn as a necessity.
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