UK accounting firms have offshored production work to India and the Philippines for years. South Africa offers a shared working day, English as a first language, and a large pool of trained accountants.
Time zone
South Africa sits within an hour or two of the UK all year round. Your team and your offshore team are online together for the whole working day, so a query is answered on Teams within minutes. With a team several hours ahead, a query sent in the UK afternoon is answered the next day.
First-language English
South Africa does business in English. Your reviewers read file notes written in fluent English, and your managers join calls without an interpreter.
Depth of accounting talent
South Africa trains accounting graduates in large numbers.
Cost
Some locations charge less per hour than South Africa. Compare providers on total cost, including rework, query delays, management time and staff turnover.
Choosing an offshoring partner
Ask each provider whether it runs an accounting practice of its own. We do. Our Pretoria team produces the work for Buzz Accounting's UK offices, so our own clients' filings depend on it. Our full offshoring guide covers how to run a pilot, or see how our outsourcing works.