Abstract

Today, there is a strong demand for employees who are competent in communication skills as a result of global competitiveness in industries. The same requirement is also demanded of those in the accountancy discipline. Accountants need to be competent in various generic skills, including those related to communication, working under pressure and problem solving. This study explored accounting interns’ perspectives of the challenges and issues faced during their internship experiences and how their English language and communication skills can be improved. In this study, a qualitative research method was adopted where semi-structured interviews were conducted with (i) five interns from the Faculty of Economics and Management of a public university in Malaysia, along with (ii) two managers, and (iii) a supervisor of a Chartered Accountant Company. The interview data was transcribed verbatim and analysed using Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis. The interns’ data were triangulated with the responses from the managers and supervisor which were later validated by three independent interraters using the Cohen's Kappa Reliability Test. Based on the findings, it was identified that the English language communication challenges faced by the accounting interns encompassed (i) their unfamiliarity with workplace terms and jargon, (ii) the English accent being used, and (iii) the level of difficulty of the various tasks. The interns’ perspectives on ways to improve English language communication skills included improving the teaching and learning of English at the university, holding more programmes in English, and making self-efforts by undergraduates to improve their communication skills.