Frequently asked questions about six-monthly reviews.
- What are six-monthly reviews and what do I and my employer have to do?
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If you are in an ACA training agreement, then ICAEW requires that students and employers meet regularly - at least every six months - throughout the period of training. The purpose is to discuss what you have learnt in the leat six months and to review your progress and development.
These regular reviews help ensure that you are on track to qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant and make it easier for you and your employer to identify earlier if you need any additional support or guidance during your training.
Ultimately it is a student’s responsibility to arrange a suitable time with their employer. However, employers should do everything they can to facilitate these meetings. You should make enough time (usually about an hour) to discuss:
- Who can conduct my six-monthly reviews and sign off? Does this have to be an ICAEW member?
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ICAEW requires pre-agreed, authorised individuals to be involved in six-monthly reviews and sign off process. This will usually be your counsellor or QPRT (qualified person responsible for training).
Ideally, your counsellor or QPRT should be ICAEW members, but where this is not possible they can be a member of one of the following professional bodies: ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAS or CAI or equivalent international bodies.
If your employer wants more information on roles and responsibilities regarding who can/cannot sign off which documents, they can find this in their employer handbook (PDF 850KB/19 pages) .
- Does the counsellor (for six-monthly reviews) need to be an ICAEW member?
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Ideally counsellors should be an ICAEW Chartered Accountant. If this is not possible, then they must be a member of one of the following professional bodies: ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAS or CAI or equivalent international bodies.
All counsellors must also have experience of giving feedback and impartial advice, encouraging constructive discussion and coaching. They will need to have an interest in developing students and discussing training issues. Ideally it should be the same individual involved throughout a student’s training.
- My QPRT is an ICAEW Chartered Accountant, but my managers are all locally qualified chartered accountants. Can they conduct my six-monthly reviews (and my QPRT conduct the final sign off)?
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Please refer to the answer above. If your counsellor or direct manager is a member of ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAS or CAI or equivalent international bodies then they can conduct your reviews.
Regarding the final sign off, this must be done by the QPRT. If your QPRT (qualified person responsible for training) has not previously been involved in your reviews, then whoever has been involved in your reviews will need to discuss your development with the QPRT so that the QPRT has the necessary information to be able to declare you fit and proper.
- Can they be held once a year instead of every six months?
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No. It is a requirement of the ACA training agreement that students are reviewed at least twice a year (ie, every six months). The employer has agreed to this during the employer authorisation process. Even though the ultimate responsibility rests with the student to arrange these reviews, employers should also be committed to the review process and help ensure effective meetings take place regularly because agreeing to do so was part of the ICAEW authorised training employer (ATE) process.
Where students have fallen behind in arranging their reviews (and keeping their training records up-to-date), it is essential that they catch up immediately.
- My employer wants to do progress reviews every quarter, is this OK?
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Yes, you can be reviewed for shorter periods (eg, every three months). The basic requirement is that a student has at least two reviews per year.
- My employer won’t make the time for six-monthly reviews, what should I do?
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Even though it is your responsibility as a student to arrange these regular reviews with your employer, they should be committed to ensuring these meetings are scheduled and take place regularly. Commitment to conducting regular reviews – at least twice a year – is a key part of the ICAEW authorised training employer process. ICAEW can also ask employers for evidence of six-monthly reviews at any point during a students’ training agreement.
If your employer has refused to meet with you on a number of occasions, make sure you keep any evidence (emails, memos etc) that show you have tried to set up these meetings with your employer. Providing you have this evidence, then you have met your responsibility. You should complete your records as you go along, irrespective of whether they have been reviewed. You should date them as you complete them.
You should also seek further advice from the student support helpline at +44 (0)1908 248 250 or email the team at studentsupport@icaew.com.
ICAEW can then discuss with your employer their failure to properly undertake six-monthly reviews and can agree some action points with your employer for the future.
- I haven’t had any six-monthly reviews since I joined my employer. Do I lose this time and have to start all over again?
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No. As long as you are with the same employer, you should set up a meeting as soon as possible and get your online sign offs and technical work experience forms completed and signed. This will help bring your training records up to date. You should then ensure that you have regular six-monthly review meetings. See the earlier question in this section for guidance on what you should cover in your reviews.
Employers: please note that the six-monthly review process is an essential part of the ACA training agreement. It is also an essential part of your authorised training status. Employers must do everything they can to facilitate regular progress reviews with students.
- I have done some STE (and IPD and TWE) in my first year of training, but not recorded any of it. Will I fail my six-monthly review?
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Your six-monthly reviews are not based on a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ mark. They are however an essential part of the ACA training agreement, and are a two-way discussion between you and your employer regarding the progress you are making with your studies and development. You cannot qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant without having your progress recorded and signed off at regular intervals.
You should catch up with documenting what you have done immediately. You must then arrange a six-monthly review with your employer to discuss your progress so far, identify any areas where you might need further support and get your forms and online sign offs completed.
It is your responsibility as part of the ACA training agreement to produce accurate and timely training records throughout training – these should be the basis of discussion at each of your six-monthly reviews. You must make sure you continue to have regular six-monthly review meetings to ensure you are on track to qualify as an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.
- What happens if I miss a six-monthly review I have set up?
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As a student, it is your responsibility to arrange six-monthly reviews and to ensure that your progress is discussed regularly – at least twice a year. If you refuse to arrange these meetings, ignore any review meeting requests from your employer or you miss a scheduled review, then some employers may choose to treat this as a disciplinary offence or as a sign of underperformance.
It is important that you arrange and attend these reviews. They will help you and your employer to see if you are on track to become an ICAEW Chartered Accountant.
- Do I need to show ICAEW any evidence of when I have my six-monthly reviews?
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ICAEW requires students to have formal reviews at least twice a year, but ICAEW does not need to be sent any formal documentation or declaration regarding these reviews during training. You should keep your documents, training records and all supporting evidence (job sheets, diaries etc) for your reference and for discussion at your review meetings. ICAEW can request to see evidence of reviews at any point during training especially at employer re-authorisation visits.
- Will the same ETWE be filled and signed off each time on six-monthly reviews or are there multiple ETWE forms that need to be filled in at each review?
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No. You should only have one evidence of technical work experience (ETWE) form throughout your training.
For all questions/answers relating to TWE, see technical work experience FAQs .