Abstract:
The shortage of accounting professionals is well documented. To address this
shortage, greater numbers of school students should be attracted and enrolled in
undergraduate accounting programmes. Unfortunately, school students may have
misperceptions of the accounting profession. These misperceptions may result in potential
entrants to the profession being lost to other professions. Secondary school teachers play an
influential role in students’ perceptions of future careers. This survey assessed the
perceptions of the secondary school career guidance counsellors and mathematics teachers’
perceptions of the accounting profession in South Africa in comparison to the medical,
engineering and legal professions. The findings suggest that the accounting profession is held
in lower esteem than the engineering and medical professions, however, in higher esteem
than the legal profession. The findings confirm previous research conducted in the USA,
Australasia and Japan. Marketing and recruitment programmes should educate secondary
school teachers as to the true nature of the accounting profession.
