The benefits of turning Brummy

The phrase ‘up-and-coming’ seems to have lost its meaning recently, with estate agents all too eager to sell some forgotten and decrepit corner of Zone 8 as a soon-to-be mecca of flat whites and ‘the creative industries’.

While we at Marks Sattin claim to be no experts when it comes to picking out the ‘new-new-Shoreditch’, we like to think that we know a thing or two about the UK’s accountancy hotspots, and there’s no mistaking that Birmingham’s stock is set to soar. With the leaders of several West Midlands councils planning to build on an impressive growth record, and create an economic powerhouse in the region, opening a new office in the city was a no-brainer for us.

Accounting and finance professionals practicing in the region can enjoy a wide variety of work. In addition to being home to industrial heavyweights like Jaguar Land Rover, Birmingham and the West Midlands is also home to some of the country’s best known consumer brands like Cadbury – which made headlines after being acquired by global giant Kraft.

While not quite at London-level, salaries for qualified professionals in the region are pretty generous. Managers in private practice take home around £50,000 a year, with partners and in-house directors generally taking home six figures. Furthermore, salaries go much further in the West Midlands than they do in London; the average £140,417 house costing a fraction (28%) of one in London (£493,026) allowing for a much improved standard of living.

There is plenty on offer culturally in the city too: the Birmingham Comedy Festival ran from the 2nd to the 11th October, but it’s no joke – accounting professionals really can have an excellent and fulfilling career here.