I have a question and would be very grateful for any advice anyone would care to offer. I would love to gain a book-keeping qualification, but don't know which one to go for. Ideally I would eventually really love to set up my own business. I have worked in accounts all my working life. Even trained as an accountant, but had to give up when we moved and I had to leave the firm I was training with. I have taken farm secretary book-keeping exams - and passed with flying colours. I have experience with various Sage packages and also excel and manual accounts/book-keeping. Aged 53, so quite a few years experience of book-keeping, just no proper qualifications to offer to prospective employers/clients (other than City and Guilds Farm Accounts). Many thanks for any advice offered.
With all that experience you have more than enough to offer an employer, you do not need qualifications !
But I understand where you are coming from in terms of putting that experience down on paper. In what way do you want to gain your bookkeeping qualification ? Do you want to go back to college or study at home ?
I went with ICB, I purchased Kaplans practical bookkeeping book (you can get this from ICB or Kaplan direct), ICB past papers and studied on my own. This is just one way in which you can gain your qualifications.
I live out in the sticks a bit in terms of college, and I also work almost full time, so I would like to study frome home.
As you rightly say, I have plenty of experience, but I do feel that people would probably wish to see qualifications before they'd let me loose on their books/accounts.
I've been lucky before, and worked for people who knew my background, so knew what I was capable of, but since we've moved no-one locally to me now knows unless I can show them.
I have letters of reference, but always feel that these are good, but only up to a certain degree.
Thanks again for the information, I'll look into it and hopefully you'll see more of me on this site before long.
