Rachel's story

I first got in touch with caba on behalf of my husband. He's a chartered accountant and had recently been unwell, which made both us think about how we handle stress in our lives. He booked into a caba course about resilience. When he couldn't go, caba suggested that I attend instead. I really valued being able to pause and make wellbeing a priority for a change.

After that my husband received support from caba when he was going through a transitional period at work. I'm a Sales and Marketing Director, and even though I often advise younger colleagues on their CVs, I wasn't sure about how I was presenting myself on paper and if there was more I could do to stand out. I approached caba and asked if I could have some support revising my CV. I was given some career coaching and it was a fantastic experience.

caba career coaching gave me fantastic advice, but they also gave me the chance to create time and space for myself, which is such a challenging thing to do between a busy career and family life.

Rachel

Boosting my career and confidence

It's not just the advice the career coach gave me. It was taking time and space to think about my position that was really valuable. My CV covered the 25 years of my career and looked like an encyclopaedia. I needed someone with fresh eyes to help me prioritise. Rather than focusing on what I'd done, together we adjusted it to focus on the changes that I had made to certain projects.

I was also feeling stuck about social media because I'm not someone who likes to put themselves out there in that way. My coach and I talked it through and we decided that being on LinkedIn was best for my career. They helped me feel confident with choosing the settings I wanted and how to write it.

I had 3 two-hour sessions, but the knock-on effect was huge. I've used what I learned to mentor others. I don't want to move on from the company I work for at the moment, but if circumstances change I feel confident that I'd be ready and optimistic about that change.

how caba can help

caba supports the wellbeing of past and present ICAEW members, ACA students, ICAEW staff members, and their spouses, partners and children up to the age of 25. For advice, information and support please:

training and events

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your questions answered 

Who is eligible for support?

We support past and present members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), ACA students, ICAEW staff members, and the family and carers of members and students. 

  1. No matter where your career takes you, past and present members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England Wales (ICAEW) are eligible for caba’s services for life, even if you change your career and leave accountancy 
  2. ACA students (ICAEW Provisional Members) who are either an active student or have been an active student within the last three years are eligible for caba's services 
  3. Past and present staff members of the ICAEW or caba are eligible for caba's services for life, even if you leave either organisation. Please note, for former employees, our financial support is only available to those who have had five years continuous employment with either organisation 
  4. Family members and carers of either an eligible past or present ICAEW member, ACA student or past or present employee of the ICAEW or caba are eligible for caba's support. We define a family member as a: 
    1. spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner 
    2. widow, widower or surviving civil partner who has not remarried or cohabiting with a partner 
    3. divorced spouse or civil partner who has not remarried or cohabiting with a partner 
    4. child aged up to 25. Please note, children aged between 16 and 25 are not eligible for individual financial support 
    5. any other person who is dependent on the eligible individual supporting them financially or are reliant on the eligible individual’s care 
    6. any other person on whom the eligible individual is reliant, either financially or for care 

You can find out more about our available support both in the UK and around the world on our support we offer  page. 

Are your services means-tested?

If you need financial support, we carry out a means test where we consider income, expenditure, capital and assets.  

*Please note none of our other services are means-tested. 

I’m an accountant, but not a member of ICAEW, can you still help?

Unfortunately not. We only support past and present ICAEW members, their carers and their families. If we are unable to support you, where possible we will point you to help elsewhere.

caba has supported me in the past; can I receive support from caba again?

We understand that circumstances change. If we’ve helped you in the past there’s no reason why we can’t help you again. You can contact us at any time. Please call us if you need our help.

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