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Portfolio Careers Community resources

Key resources for Portfolio Careers Community members.

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Developing your business and career

Choose how you learn with CABA
  • CABA
Fit an e-learning course around your schedule or work directly with our CABA’s expert trainers. ACA students, past and present ICAEW members and their close family can choose from 32 free personal and professional development courses and learn in a way that suits them.
Career and personal development
  • ICAEW Library and Information Service
Find guides and other resources on careers, job hunting, professional development and personal skills to help you at work.
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Helplines

TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES Technical and ethics support
  • Technical Advisory Services
Whatever your technical or ethical query, ICAEW members, affiliates, ICAEW students and staff in eligible firms with member firm access can phone +44 (0)1908 248 250 for objective, confidential advice from the experts.

Practising Certificates

Practising certificates
  • 26 Apr 2023
Before you engage in public practice, you need to hold an ICAEW practising certificate (PC) and comply with our Professional Indemnity Insurance and Practice Assurance Regulations. From 1 January 2024 the practising certificate guidelines are changing. Find out who is affected and what is changing.
Do I need a practising certificate?
  • 03 May 2023
  • ICAEW
Guidelines to help you decide if you require a practising certificate.
Portfolio career scenarios
  • 07 Jun 2023
If you have a portfolio career you'll need to look closely at the different roles you hold and assess whether each one requires you to have a practising certificate.

Engagement letters

Engagement letters
  • ICAEW Library and Information Service
Engagement letters are a key document in the relationship between you and your client, providing a written confirmation of the work that will be carried out. The Library can provide sample wording for a wide variety of engagement letters.
Exclusive What if you have not issued an engagement letter?
  • Technical Advisory Services
Technical helpsheet providing guidance for members in practice who choose not to issue engagement letters for non-regulated work.
Writing fair contracts: guidance for business
Government produced guides to help businesses ensure that their contract terms and notices are fair and clear for consumers.

Know your client

Help is at hand to know your client better
  • 26 Jan 2021
ICAEW has produced a short video to help members know their clients better using open sources of information.

Professional indemnity insurance

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS DEPARTMENT Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII)
  • 17 Jun 2014
Professional indemnity insurance (PII) is compulsory for all ICAEW members who have a practising certificate and engage in public practice. PII is a requirement for a number of regulations.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS DEPARTMENT PII requirements: What changed on 1 September 2024?
  • 05 Apr 2024
  • Professional Standards Department
Last year, the ICAEW Regulatory Board, working collaboratively with the Professional Indemnity Insurance Committee (PIIC), launched a review of ICAEW’s insurance requirements. A consultation relating to proposed changes ran between 18 October and 14 December 2023. Following careful consideration of the feedback we received, some of the proposals were taken forward and came into effect on 1 September.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS DEPARTMENT Changes to PII Regulations: FAQs
  • 02 Jul 2024
  • Professional Standards Department
After reviewing the existing PII Regulations and consulting on a range of proposals, ICAEW has made some changes to its requirements. We have set out responses to some FAQs below to help you understand the changes and assess whether you will need to make changes to your firm’s professional indemnity insurance.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS DEPARTMENT New PII Regulations from 1 September
  • 12 Mar 2024
  • Professional Standards Department
A review of ICAEW’s professional indemnity insurance requirements has taken place which included a public consultation that closed in December 2023. Wide-ranging proposals were presented and some of these are now being taken forward. Changes will come into effect from 1 September 2024.

Ethics

BUSINESS LAW Economic crime
  • 20 Dec 2017
Access guidance, resources and tools relating to the prevention of economic crime, including legislative developments, anti-money laundering, fraud, bribery and corruption, and modern slavery.
ETHICS Ethics
  • 25 May 2011
Ethical behaviour plays a vital role in ensuring public trust in financial reporting and business practices and upholding the reputation of the accountancy profession. ICAEW members are expected to demonstrate the highest standards of professional conduct and take into consideration the public interest.
Exclusive TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES The ethics of a Chartered Accountant in business
  • 01 Jan 2015
  • Ethics Advisory Service
Technical helpsheet issued to highlight key ethical responsibilities under the ICAEW Code of Ethics.
TECHNICAL ADVISORY SERVICES Ethics helpsheets
  • 20 Apr 2016
  • Technical Advisory Services
Helpsheets prepared by ICAEW's Ethics Advisory Service to assist you in your day-to-day work. We offer practical advice, respond to frequently asked questions and highlight the issues you may need to consider.
FAQs on the ICAEW disciplinary process (for ICAEW members, firms and ACA students who have received a complaint against them)
  • 28 Apr 2011
This page answers some of the questions you may have if there is a complaint against you or your firm.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS DEPARTMENT What to do if you receive a complaint against you and/or your firm
  • 12 Dec 2016
  • Professional Standards Department
Information and support for ICAEW firms, members, affiliates, or any other relevant person who has received a complaint against them. We understand that finding out that a complaint has been made against you or your firm can be stressful. The information below is designed to guide you through the process.

Marketing and brand building

LIBRARY Social media marketing
  • 01 Apr 2014
Find out how to use social media tools for marketing and publicity.
Personal Branding Strategy: A Roadmap for Professionals, Experts and Executives
  • 09 Aug 2023
Advice on how to take your reputation and career from obscurity to high visibility.
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Technical knowledge

Practical guidance on technical matters for interim managers, independent advisers and consultants.
Insolvency
  • 18 May 2011
ICAEW is the largest insolvency regulator in the UK. We offer the opportunity for ICAEW Chartered Accountants and non-ICAEW members to qualify and be licensed as insolvency practitioners with us. We also offer a comprehensive programme of support for our current and future insolvency practitioners including membership to our Restructuring & Insolvency Community.
BUSINESS LAW Anti-money laundering law and guidance
  • 14 Mar 2012
  • Business Law
Guidance and other work that we have done on anti-money laundering law and practice, in the UK and internationally.
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Tax

TAX FACULTY Tax Faculty
  • 10 May 2018
Find out more about the Tax Faculty and upcoming events. Faculty members can access exclusive content, including TAXline, TAXguides, webinars, representations and support schemes.
TAX FACULTY TAXguides
  • 08 Dec 2016
TAXguides are published by ICAEW Tax Faculty to provide practical guidance to members on important developments to tax practice and policy.
TAX FACULTY Tax
  • 16 Apr 2014
The Tax area has information and guidance on technical and practical tax matters, with links to events, the latest tax news and the Faculty’s publications, including helpsheets, webinars and tax representations.

IR35

Exclusive IR35: fundamental problems remain, says ICAEW
  • 24 May 2022
Tax Faculty recommends restricting or removing fiscal incentives to arbitrage employment status.
TAX FACULTY Off-payroll working and IR35
  • 30 Jan 2018
Off-payroll working, commonly referred to as "IR35", is the name given to the anti-avoidance legislation that ensures individuals providing services through an intermediary company are taxed correctly. Here you will find practical guidance, webinars and other resources related to IR35 and the taxation of intermediaries.

Selected eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive LIBRARY Consultant's quick start guide: an action plan for your first year in business, The
  • 16 Jan 2009
  • Elaine Blech
A guide to working as a consultant from a US perspective.
Exclusive LIBRARY How to build a successful consulting practice
  • 01 Aug 2006
  • Jack Phillips
Practical guide to creating and sustaining a consulting practice.
Exclusive LIBRARY Strategic marketing planning for the small to medium-sized business: writing a marketing plan
  • 19 Jan 2012
  • David Anderson
A guide to marketing for SMEs.
Exclusive LIBRARY What color is your parachute? 2018 : a practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers
  • 01 Jan 2018
  • Richard Nelson Bolles
The world's most popular job-search book gives guidance with up-to-the-minute information and advice for today's job-hunters and career-changers.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

Thought leadership

Our thought leadership is intended to change thinking and behaviour. We want to help our members do their jobs as best they can. Ultimately, this will enable people everywhere to do business with confidence..
Find out more
Rodin's The Thinker
Information

Some of the content on this web page was provided by the Chartered Accountants’ Trust for Education and Research, a registered charity, which owns the library and operates it for ICAEW.