To qualify as an accountant, you must do more than pass your professional exams—you also need to gain practical work experience. At AIA, this is known as Initial Professional Development (IPD).
Initial Professional Development (IPD) is the practical work experience you gain by performing the duties of a professional accountant under qualified supervision. It’s a core part of becoming an AIA-qualified accountant and ensures you’re ready to apply your knowledge in the real world.
As part of your qualification process, you’ll be asked to provide evidence of your work experience. This helps confirm that you’ve developed the competencies required to practise with confidence and integrity.
To complete IPD, you must gain three years of relevant, supervised work experience. This can be completed before, during, or after your exams.
The IPD programme helps you:
IPD provides a structured framework to help you grow into a confident, capable, and ethical accounting professional.
AIA provides each student with an IPD Record which should be kept up-to-date as they progress through their work experience and log your progression. The IPD Record is designed to signpost students to obtain the required technical competency and professional skills, values and ethics.
AIA is here to make sure you reach your goal of becoming a qualified accountant as soon as possible, with the right skills, knowledge and experience. See the Frequently Asked Questions below, and if you have any queries please contact AIA Membership Services or review the guides provided on this page.
You can gain your IPD in a wide range of settings, including:
You’re not limited to one sector—gaining experience across different environments can broaden your skills and enhance your career prospects.
The organisation you work for can be of any size, and the type of work may vary. What matters most is that:
This ensures your experience is relevant, well-rounded, and aligned with AIA’s professional standards.
You can start gaining IPD:
You can choose the route that best suits your career path. However, your IPD must be completed within ten years of registering as an AIA student.
AIA recognises any work experience gained through:
To be accepted as IPD, your experience must be:
This ensures your experience meets AIA’s standards for professional competence and ethical practice.
Your IPD must be supervised by a professionally qualified accountant. Ideally, this should be:
This ensures your experience is properly guided, relevant, and meets AIA’s professional standards.
All AIA students and graduates must complete and submit their IPD Declaration by 1 October each year.
You can submit your declaration online through your My AIA account.
You’ll become a qualified professional accountant once you:
Achieving Associate membership confirms that you’ve met all the academic and practical requirements of the AIA professional qualification.
IPD Guide (Employers)
IPD Guide (Trainees)
