CIMA or ACCA? Which is better?

[keepen2]

I have just been hired as a trainee accountant and will have to decide whether I would like to do CIMA or ACCA.

What are the benefits?in terms of salary later on in my career and international opportunities.

which qualification is more highly regarded and which is more sought after by employers? 

which is more useful if you want to set up your own business in the future? 

Many thanks for any advice you could offer

[sprogglin]

This may be wrong, but i've heard from a CIMA holder that the two are to merge soon.

[Rach4018]

i too had this dilema a few months back.  In terms of salary i don't think it makes much difference, if you want to work internationally you could pick the international versions of papers. Neither is more highly regarded than the other. ( apart from people thinking the one they do is better)  Both would be useful for setting up your own business. In the end i looked at both syllabus' and choose the one i thought looked easiest. I find management accounting stuff confusing. What type of job do you? I do a financial accounting role so i knew my job would give me relevant experience and i could get help at work. Also if you decide to do one then wish you'd done the other i think i remember reading that if you have passed stage 2 of one then you are exempt up to the stage two of the other. So you can always swap. They cover basically the same stuff in the first two years.

[keepen2]

well in the end i'd like to go into consultancy/business advisory but also consider setting up my own business. i was told also that if you do one with an additional year's experience or study you can get both qualifications. the main issue that i am looking at are links internationally as I would like to gain work experience in different countries as well

[Rach4018]

I know that you can choose international papers with ACCA.  I would email ACCA and CIMA and ask them about there international papers and tell them what countries you are thinking of working in and ask them what they suggest. They are both very helpful.