Become a public accountant or a statutory auditor?

Are you interested in financial expertise and the numbers business? Do you have questions about public accounting and auditing? You don’t know what the pathways are to access these regulated professions?

Let’s take stock of the situation right away!

What does the accountant do?

The use of a chartered accountant is not a legal obligation but in fact many companies do not have an accounting department and therefore use a chartered accountant.

On a daily basis, the chartered accountant accompanies and advises companies in their administrative and financial management:

• ensures the correct recording of operations in the accounting system
• It establishes the pay slips
• It ensures compliance with the tax system
• It produces the legal acts
• He advises managers in the development and structuring of their company

At the end of the year, he is responsible for the production of the annual accounts and the filing of the tax return in compliance with legal obligations.

What does the auditor do?

The use of an auditor is a legal obligation for companies exceeding certain thresholds (turnover, total balance sheet and number of employees).

Unlike the chartered accountant who is in charge of producing financial statements, the auditor has a control mission. This leads it to pronounce on the true and fair view of the accounts with regard to the company’s activity and the accounting rules and principles in force.

In practice, the auditor performs audit procedures (tests, sampling, process reviews) to ensure that the accounts do not contain any material misstatements.

The work of the auditor thus provides a guarantee to the users of the financial statements (shareholders, investors, banks, etc.)

What are the courses of study to obtain the diplomas of these 2 regulated professions?

There are 2 different degrees which are Bac+8 degrees:

• The DEC (Diploma of Accounting Expertise)
• The CAFCAC (Certificate of aptitude for the functions of auditor)

These 2 diplomas are obtained after the completion of a 3-year professional internship and the validation of a final exam.

How to access the courses:

• For the DEC: you must hold the DSCG (Diplôme supérieur de comptabilité et de gestion) which is a Bac +5)
• For the CAFCAC: simply hold a bachelor’s degree

Although the two diplomas are specific, they will both give you access to the professions of public accountant and auditor

You still have questions

Do not hesitate to contact us at Altermès, as we do both public accounting and auditing.