Hi Folks .... i've just found this forum & hoping i can get some advice. I have lots of questions ,,,, so please be patient
A quick background of myself. I'm 36 years of age ex-financial advisor & estate agent. In 2002 i had to withdraw from work, to become my wifes full time carer as she was diagnosed with cancer
A year or so later (2004) i did a day release course at my local college & completed the AAT foundation level (level 2). I then went onto AAT Intermediate, but unfortunately my wife health deterioted at the time so had to withdraw from the course partway through.
To this present day i am still my wifes carer, but it is becoming more evident that not only do i need to increase our income, but i am very aware at some point i will need to return to full time employment. I have no interest in returning to the sales environment the housing or finance industries offer.
I am good with figures & enjoyed the AAT course i did, I need to be able to work from home as this will enable me to continue caring for my wife.
So .... I have recently revisited the book-keeping idea & have just completed the OCR Cerificate in Book-Keeping (passed) which i done at my local college as a refresher really. I've now been invited to attend the next OCR course (OCR certificate in Accountancy).
I am hoping to start small & grow slowly as i'm unsure how i will balance different commitments. I am looking to target the sole trader, or very small business, but i am unsure how far i need to go & what a client would expect.
I am not looking at going the "full hog" as an accountant but possibly sort peoples books ready for an accountant. I can work up to trial balance & bank reconciliation manually at the moment ............. Is this enough to start offering a service ???
I have no "hands on" experience in the "real world" & i'm fully aware from previous experience that reality of the actual job can sometime be a world away from learning (and passing) in a classroom situation. This makes me quite nervous.
Is this making sense & is it realistic goal do you think ??
Not knowing anyone in the industry i'm struggling to get honest opinions. I've approached the college for advice but feel they just want me to sign up for more courses.
Any feedback will be appreciated.
Sorry for the long post but felt relevant that you were aware of circumstances before responding
A route you may want to investigate to gain some practical hands on experience, is to enquire whether any local charity organisations need any volunteers in their accounts department. Obviously this will be upaid work, but it should give you some really good experience - perhaps using Sage or similar accounting packages.
You may also want to offer your services to self-employed family and friends who require a basic book-keeping service. Most small businesses use an accountant, but all of them have to keep their own books, or pay accountant to pull it all together at the year end. This usually entails recording the income and expenses and reconciling the relevant bank and cash accounts. This will come together in the form of TB or cash book which is then passed on to their accountant. Have a chat to any small business owners you know to see if they'd be interested.
