AAT success stories: from student to business owner  

Severn Accounting founder Ali Jaw FMAAT credits the technical skills and support he has gained from AAT for much of his success in the finance world.

Ali Jaw at a glance…

Born: The Gambia
Years in accounting: 26
Name of employer: Severn Accounting
Top tip for students: It’s so important to put in the effort during your studies and to keep going even if you fail an exam or get rejected by an employer, for example. The future is very bright if you persevere.

Landing his first accounting job

Ali Jaw started studying with AAT in 1999 as he had a passion for numbers and wanted to become an accountant.

It wasn’t long before Jaw started to put his studies to good use, by taking on an accounting job at a local hotel. Taking this job also turned out to be a pivotal moment in Jaw’s life, as it was while working at the hotel that he met two friends from Bristol, Martin and Lorraine, who persuaded him to move to the UK to continue his studies.

When his mum sadly passed away, Ali decided it was the right time to take the pair up on their offer and moved to the UK to continue his accountancy dream, but it wasn’t all plain sailing.

Juggling work and studies

“Martin and Lorraine are still like family to me today,” says Jaw, who now lives in Worcester with his wife and children.

“But shortly after I came to the UK, their business hit financial problems, and I no longer felt comfortable relying on them for a place to live.

“I moved to Birmingham to live with a friend and took on a job as a security guard at the Bull Ring building site to make money.

“I worked at night and went to college during the day. It was really tough but I was raised to work for what you want, so I managed to keep doing that until I completed my AAT qualifications.”

He also went on to do an ACCA qualification and got a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Oxford Brookes University, studying online at the same time as working.

Setting up his own business

After volunteering in finance to gain on-the-job experience, it was in 2013 that Jaw set up his own business with a friend, Severn Accounting. “I met people at AAT events who inspired me to set up in practice with a friend,” he says. “It was very successful, but after several good years we decided to each do our own thing, which is when I started running my own practice.

It was down to his hard work and perseverance that helped Ali Jaw overcome adversity to achieve his dream.

He added: “Once you have your AAT qualifications, the world is your oyster. They open so many doors and are a great starting point, whatever you want to be in business – accountant, business owner or entrepreneur.”

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