I am sure that someone on here will be able to help me with this query. I am an affiliate member of the ICB at the moment and have now passed my level 2 manual exam and to I am going to upgrade my membership.
If I upgrade with my new qualification then am I right in thinking that it will make me an associate member? With this I get the technical and legal advice, letters after my name, full access to members only section - but not the ability to use the ICB crest on my literature and website 0- for this I would need to apply for a practising certifiate. Is my understanding right?
What would I need to do to get my practising certificate - would I need more qualifications than just level 2 manual and how much would it cost.
Thank you in advance for your help, I tried sending an email to the ICB but its been four days now and no reply and if I call them I dont want them to make me feel pressured to pay for the membership today as I am still thinking about whether it will be worth if for me.
Membership for an associate I believe is £60. Practising certificate is £66. As for letters after your name then you need to pay £15 per exam you have qualification in each year. This is my sore point with ICB it was fine when the job vacancies let you in to see job adverts, many aimed at the self employed bookkeeper once you were associate member with a practising certificate, but now they have taken that away from most of the vacancies and say you can only find out the information if you have the correct letters paid for £15 per year.
Also if you go down this route to get practising certificate you must send ICB proof of your professional indemnity insurance which can vary greatly some insurance companies it is a set amount, others it is based on turnover in a year, most cases this is over £100 a year. There is companies online that you can get online quote.
Thanks Alison, I have professional indemnity in place at the moment, just wondering whether or not to upgrade my membership to them yet. I send them emails and they never reply, I always have trouble getting through to them on the phone and on Friday, I received my computerised exam through the post with the paper, but no disc. I am feeling disappointed with their service at the moment and it seems a waste to shell out more money to them if I'm not going to see any benefit. I might call them on Monday and try to speak to someone. One of the main reasons that I want to join is so that I can feel like I have someone behind me who I can turn to if I need assistance, but so far, I've just not felt supported at all, and I have only been a student up to now. Oh well, I guess I'll talk to them and see how I feel.
Just picked up this thread. I have recently upgraded my membership to Associate after passing level 2 and beleived that I would need to pay the additional £15 for the letters however was advised that this was only the case if you wanted the ICB to recognise qualifications from other organisations - my fee was therefore only £60. I also applied for a practicing certificate which did take 4 weeks to sort, which I found very disappointing - they advised that they had been making changes to the packs and this was the reason for the hold up!?! I now have access to the self employed section of their website other than for job positions where you require full membership or payroll status. Other than this hold up I have found the ICB helpful although I have not used them for any support as yet.
Thanks for your reply Jane, so in your experience, would you recommend upgrading to a full member. What did you have to do to get your practising certificate?
Sorry to read that you are having problems with ICB - looks like things are slowing down! I ordered my practice certificate in March for £66 and received it within a week. As already pointed out you need some professional indemnity insurance. If I remember correctly, after you make a request for a practice certificate from the ICB you will receive a form to provide evidence of the indemnity insurance - the provider and a reference are all you need I think! But I got my insurance via the ICB website anyway so it was all straightforward for me.
As regards to upgrading your membership you will probably have to pay for a full year which will be added on to the end of your existing membership. So if your current membership expires in Sept 2009 you will be entitled to the upgraded membership (including the remainder of the existing period) until Sept 2010. Cost £60 + £15 (for ICB letters after your name).
As for job vacancies on the ICB website it appears that clients are more 'picky' about which bookkeepers they want. In other words, most clients looking for bookkeepers listed on the website, will not take on Associate members - only Full members will do (level 3 or above).
Looks as if Peter has covered your question on membership. Last month I didn't have to pay £15 for ICB letters and I was told this was only relevant if you wanted to add letters for other organisations - this may have changed since Peter paid or you may need to pay for level 3 - so would be worth asking the current situation.
As yet I can't tell if I would recommend being an Associate member although I am finding prospecting hard as I am curtailed by the ICB on who I can approach. My experience is in Ltd companies and this is where I want my business to be so I am continuing with my studies as quickly as possible to gain full membership and concerntrating on getting my name out there.
I now have access to the self employed section of their website other than for job positions where you require full membership or payroll status. Other than this hold up I have found the ICB helpful although I have not used them for any support as yet.
