What is a cadetship?

A cadetship involves paid employment at the same time you're studying your business/commerce degree. Cadetships are offered by a range of Chartered Accountant organisations including the Big 4 and public practice firms.


Why should I be a cadet?

Cadetships are a chance for you to get a head start on your career goals. As a cadet you'll combine 'theory and practice', completing your degree part-time and full-time depending on your work projects.

As a cadet you are often challenged to do exciting work much earlier than most students. In fact, many cadets are often given projects by their employer that are beyond what someone of their age would expect.

Best of all, you earn a salary while you're studying.


How do I become a cadet?

The best and easiest way to meet all the employers offering cadetships is to attend the Chartered Accountants Cadetship Evening in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Cadetships are offered around May/June each year.

The majority of cadetship opportunities are in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia and most of the recruitment will occur during the June/July school holidays.

You can also visit the Jobs Lounge to search for cadetship opportunities in your state.


Who can be cadets?

School leavers (year 12 students) who are citizens or permanent residents of Australia and who have been accepted to do an Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia accredited degree at an Australian university.


Examples of work/study patterns and benefits

The cadetship 'package' varies from organisation to organisation and state to state. The following two examples are a guide only, to the typical structure, each state may be different.

2 + 2 cadetship program

2 + 2 Cadetship Program

(a) Two years of part-time study at an Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia accredited tertiary institution while in full-time employment. This program provides for:

• Lecture and tutorial leave (half-day per week paid leave during semester)
• Study leave (up to 10 days paid leave per annum)
• Exam leave (up to 5 days paid leave per annum)
• Flexible hours (eg. working lunches or early starts that allow you to leave early to attend night lectures)
• Assistance with the costs of textbooks and some university fees (HECS liability not covered).

(b) Two years full-time study (leave of absence with vacation employment).



3 + 1.5 Cadetship Program

Same details as for '2 + 2' scheme, except that it provides for three years of full-time work with part-time study, and 1.5 years of full-time study.


Regional cadetships

If you would like to find out how you can become involved in your local area, here are some great tips on how to go about it.

1. Ensure your CV and covering letter are up to date – check out our recruitment tips in the Jobs Lounge for help in this area
2. Check the Jobs Lounge for any regional cadetships roles advertised by local firms
3. Look up the yellow or white pages or use an internet search engine to obtain a list of accounting firms in your area
4. Research these firms as best you can – use your initiative! Contact the firm via telephone or email and ask them for the best person to speak to with regards to cadetship employment. Obtain the name of the person responsible for recruiting – this is often one of the partners
5. Tell the person responsible for recruiting that you would like to send them your CV and that you would be interested in talking to them with regards to any employment opportunities
6. Don’t get disheartened if you have to ring around a few firms to find out who is offering cadetship opportunities
7. Send the firms with cadetship vacancies your CV and covering letter, and follow it up with a phone call if you don’t hear from them
8. Offer yourself for work experience as it also shows you are enthusiastic and proactive – and often leads to a job offer at the end.