Has anyone done Home Learning College -Sage Computerised Book-keeping course? - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

hamster_tango · Member

Has anyone done Home Learning College -Sage Computerised Book-keeping course?

hamster_tango · Member

I have been doing lots of research. I have decided that as I only need to prove Sage abilities combined with my existing experience to get the sort of part-time job I am looking for at present I am going to do Sage 50 level 1,2,3 home learning instead. Its £260 with certificates included.

I will look at doing the ICB course in the future when I can afford it more.

Sue Bignell · Newbie

Hi

I done a course through home learning college (manual level 1 and 2) it was very expensive, whereas i did not realise at the time, the reps have good way of making you say yes, there are loads of other companies you can do home learning with, it's just a case of shopping around.

Hope this helps

Sue

p.s you can find courses on the ICB website

Alison · Senior Member

Hi

Would say that if you have some bookkeeping experience you would be able to teach yourself.

With ICB you can buy past papers for £5.

If you have the sage software or can buy it on ebay cheaply then you could keep the costs right down.

I bought the past papers £10 for level 2 and 3 1 paper of each, already had sage accounts and just paid for the exams which were around £30 each I believe so level 2 and 3 I did for less then £100.

Alison

hamster_tango · Member

Many thanks for your replies, I shall follow your advice and do the ICB myself. I am half way through Sage 50 level 1 Home study course and should be ready to take the first exam next week.

Weebly_one · Veteran Member

Alison wrote:

Hi
snip

If you have the sage software or can buy it on ebay cheaply then you could keep the costs right down.

snip
Alison

I am happy to sell any Sage Software to members here at s discounted price as I get a good commission from Sage. I tried selling through ebay but with paypal fees, and ebay fees I could not be competitive with the high volume sellers on ebay. We are fully Sage Accredited and any sofwtare comes direct from Sage and is brand new.

daniellafed · Newbie

Hello

My name is Daniella Federico.

I actually bought this course and it cost me £1150. I didn't bother going ahead with the course, as I fell pregnant and changed my mind in doing it. I couldn't send it back as it was too late. I have all the materials, CD and bag still in the cupboard NEW NEVER USED.

I am selling this for £500 ono if you are interested, please contact me on 07527 209591.

I hope this helps.

Thanks

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Hello hamster tango,

I am also training myself up on Sage 50 Accounts using Sage's own Workbooks. My experience so far follows, you will know a lot of this already, so rest is for others who might be thinking of doing the same.

Sage 50 Accounts Workbooks are very good, four in a box for each of 3 stages, you also get a trial version of the software valid for 6 months on CD in each box. Cost also includes fee for each Stage exam (normally £50 each).

I bought all 3 stages bundled as got a good discount doing that (total cost was £265). So far I have passed Stage 1 exam and am almost ready to take the Stage 2 exam. So far I've only used 62 of the first 180 days of my Stage 1 licence, so giving you 180 days for each stage is plenty.

You get to take a quick online test after finishing each of the four workbooks in each Stage. When you're ready for the Stage exam proper, just log in, make sure it all works ok by taking a few trial questions, then hit the start button. Do it when and where you choose.

The exam is on a 60 minute time limit but I finished the Stage 1 exam in half that time. You are not allowed to have access to Sage running on a separate computer while doing the exam, but you can refer to your workbooks and own notes if need be.

In amongst all this I've been taking ICB exams and I can tell you that the Sage workbooks prepared me very well for the ICB Level 2 Computerised exam. Also, you can use the Sage workbooks 50 Accounts software to take the ICB computerised exams, very useful if you don't normally have access to Sage or another accounting software package.

I had problems getting the exam software to run on my pc (you have to run it within a restricted browser called QM Secure that didn't like latest versions of Firefox and IE). It is also fussy about the screen resolution settings etc. If you encounter problems, try running it from with Sage using the weblinks menu option.

Re ICB Manual exams, I'm managing ok just using text books but did study AAT up to 6 years ago so am just refreshing rather than learning from scratch. Worth a try though as will save you massive money. Have a look at "Book-keeping and Accounts (7th ed)" by Frank Wood & Sheila Robinson, will get you through Level 2 no probls. ICB also sell Kaplan books in their shop but I can't vouch for these.

ICB past exam papers are a must and only £5 each to download instantly.

Nice offer re Sage software Weebly one, I might take you up on that eventually...

sally-anne · Veteran Member

Hi Phil
Where did you purchase your Sage 50 Accounts Workbooks from, I am interested in doing this course.

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Hi Sally-Anne,

Direct form Sage. Go to their website (www.sage.co.uk), click on "Sage Store" then hover mouse pointer over "Training Store" and it's all there.
I note they also do workbooks for Sage Instant Accounts, Sage Instant Payroll and Sage 50 Payroll as well as Sage 50 Accounts. The Instant Accounts workbook is all in one pack with 6 workbooks and includes certification exam, it costs £99 so if that's all you need, go for that.

50 Accounts costs £145 per stage or £310 for all three (but they show a code to input at the checkout for £50 off so you get them all for £265 incl carriage, which is about what I paid).
So the choice is 1 Stage for £150 incl carriage, 2 Stages for £249, or all 3 Stages for £265 - now you see why I bought them all wink

Have fun.

Phil

semsley · Guru

Keep a watch on Amazon you can sometimes get some amazing deals of these, particularly when the annual new version of Sage comes out. I got the Level 3 for £25 last year.

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

True. Sage brought our 2011 version of Sage 50 Accounts just after I bought workbooks for 2010 version. I wonder what version worksbooks Sage are selling right now cover, 2010 or 2011?

Constant software upgrades are a blessing and curse of the computerised world. Have lived with it for many years courtesy of Microsoft (Windows, MS Office) now I'll have to get used to it with Sage too, sigh!

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Just finished the Sage 50 Accounts Stage 2 certification exam on my home pc, phew, glad that's done with!

Used 49 of the 60 minutes allowed as I spent more time today and referred to my workbooks more, which is permitted. Also helped that I knew from last time the exam has about 80 questions split over four sections so could gauge my time use better as went along. Reckon I got nearly all questions right today, will have to wait up to 10 days now for confirmation of pass.

When I sat the Stage 1 exam on 5th August, I didn't know how many questions there were and there is nothing on screen to say how far through the exam you are, just a timer counting down! So I rushed it and ended up with over 30 minutes spare at the end, passed though, fortunately.

On with Stage 3 now...

sally-anne · Veteran Member

Hi Phil
Thank you very much for your help on Sage, much appreciated. biggrin

Donna CBK · Senior Member

Hi, Ive probably joined this site a bit late but the expense you have mentioned is really extreme. I am a Sage Accredited accountant partner. I sell sage workbooks stages 1, 2 & 3 for £ 230 - this INCLUDES the sage online exam.

Additionally I offer an email support service while you study for £25 (+ VAT)per level which includes access to sage test questions.

Please let me know if any use to you - or spread the word.
kind regards
Donna
sagesales@completebookkeeping.co.uk

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Re my post 20 Sep, containing
"In amongst all this I've been taking ICB exams and I can tell you that the Sage workbooks prepared me very well for the ICB Level 2 Computerised exam. "
To confirm, just got result today - 96% - so Sage training definitely helped.

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Just finished the Stage 3 Sage 50 Accounts certification exam at my home pc. I found this one the hardest of the three to study for and take, mainly because the subject matter is mostly not directly related to bookkeeping per se, so I had no previous knowledge to help me. Just had to learn it from the workbooks, which was a grind (subjects very dry and written like any computerised-system manuals..).

Tip for all the Sage exams: you are allowed to refer to your workbooks and notes during the exam, so make some, a good index is also useful for rapid lookup of where in the books to go to read up on questions you're not sure about, during the exam. Making the index is also a good way to review the material.

Other essential preparation for ALL home-based timed online exams (Sage, ICB, etc):
- switch off your mobile and disconnect your landline phones from the BT sockets
- if you are expecting a delivery, put a suitable note on the door (a textbook was delivered just before I started and I had to sign for it)
- brew yourself some strong coffee and with sugar in it (even if like me you don't normally use sugar)
- if like me you have builders working across the road, shove some cotton wool in your ears or put some headphones on to deaden external sound
- absolutely DO do the pre-exam diagnostic test before the exam, both to practice and to settle yourself into the right frame of mind for the exam proper.

Anyway, answered all the questions and finished with about 13 mins of the hour to spare, mainly because while section 3 had 20 questions, section 4 only had about 10 so I had left too much time for it. Hope I've passed, as I don't think I would stump up £50 to have another go at this one.

I previously stated incorrectly that there are about 80 questions, make that about 60. I also said you have no idea during the exam how far you were through it, that's not true either - there is a counter top right of the screen, mind you I was too focused/flustered with answering questions and watching the clock on-screen counting down to use it, hence I had too much time at the end.

2 weeks to wait for this result, still another week to wait for the Stage 2 result.

The text book that arrived is Business Accounting 1, which I hope will get me through the ICB Level 3 exams. Got straight on and booked the ICB L3 Manual exam for Monday 11 Oct, which was the first available slot at my local Pearson Vue. Having the target to get ready within 2 weeks will motivate me to get on with it.

Done enough today, though, think I'll give myself the rest of today off and start swotting again tomorrow

-- Edited by PhilMcTankup on Monday 27th of September 2010 03:42:37 PM

rachel_mclean · Guru

Hi I started off with home learning college and the prices are hideous, then I found training link and their prices are much more reasonable but are not written very well but defenatly worth it to save the money.

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Received the Stage 2 certificate in the post yesterday, should find out if passed Stage 3 by end of this week. Will post update for sake of completeness.

ps I'm disappointed with Business Accounting 1, much of it is exactly same as content of "Bookkeeping and Accounts", text is smaller and paper inferior quality. Miffed I've had to pay another £30 to fill in the few bits needed for Level 3 that they left out of "Bookkeeping and Accounts". If I had time over, I would try the Kaplan books for ICB Level 3

-- Edited by PhilMcTankup on Saturday 2nd of October 2010 08:58:31 AM

PhilMcTankup · Senior Member

Received the Sage 50 Accounts Stage 3 pass certificate in the post today, what a relief! That completes the set biggrin

Concentrating now on ICB L3M exam Monday and ICB L3C exam which will be sent out this Friday

I see a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel.......

Wella · Expert

Congratulations Phil

Bill

semsley · Guru

Well done Phil

lee1892 · Newbie

Thanks for all the info on this page Phil, very useful as I was considering the home college option.

Just a few questions:
Can I just ask how long it took you to complete all 3 levels? How many hours per week were you studying? and did you have a lot of accounts experience prior to doing it?

I'm AAT qualified (as of June 2009) and have a foundation degree in accountancy & financial management. I recall being pretty fast when doing a few weeks of Sage when doing my AAT foundation course.

I currently have the dilemma where i'm applying for accountancy jobs but as I have no work experience in Accounting I havent been successful as of yet (I currently work full-time as an admin officer) and I am also doing a BA Hons in Accounting and Financial management via distance learning which I should have completed within a year.

I have noticed that most job adverts want people with Sage 50 experience so I am wanting to do this course, but im not sure if I'm going to be taking too much on at once by doing so.

regards
Lee

Scrat · Veteran Member

Hi Lee,

From my diary, I've extracted this summary of the studying and exams I have done, with dates:

20/07 started Sage WB Stage 1 training
05/08 took Sage Stage 1 exam (passed) started Stage 2 training
26/08 joined ICB as student member, took Level 1 Basic Bookkeeping exam and passed with 99%
27/08 bought a text book and started preparing for ICB Level 2 exams, alongside Sage Stage 2 training
06/09 submitted ICB Level 2 Computerised exam entry (passed 96%)
13/09 sat ICB Level 2 Manual exam (passed 100%)
21/09 took Sage Stage 2 exam (passed) started Stage 3 training alongside preparation for ICB Level 3 exams
27/09 took Sage Stage 3 exam (passed)
11/10 sat ICB Level 3 Manual exam (passed 98%)
12/10 submitted ICB Level 3 Computerised exam entry (passed 90%).

So I did all the Sage training and exams in 2 months, all the ICB training and exams in 7 weeks, and the whole the lot over a period of less than three months

Reckon I did so well and so quickly because:
- I am not currently working and live on my own, so was able to devote as much time as wanted each day to studying (on average maybe 5 hours per day in chunks)
- I spent 26 years working in high street banking so numbers, accounts, etc are in my blood
- up to 6 years ago I studied at college for AAT, passed Intermediate level but stopped a few modules short of achieving Technician level (due to changed cisrcumstances at the time, something I bitterly regret now) and AAT Intermediate is higher level that ICB Level 3.

Reading your background, I would say you have the same advantages in terms of a head start but don't have as much free time (you say you work full time). You have recent experience of studying for and passing tough exams so I reckon you should fly through the Sage Workbooks in same length of time as I did.

All the best

Phil

-- Edited by Scrat on Wednesday 3rd of November 2010 10:28:57 AM

Sangeetha · Member

Congrats, that is a true motivation:)

daniellafed · Newbie

Hi

I haven't done this, but I had a rep around and paid over £1000 for this college course and intended on doing it. I had a change of heart and another unplanned baby, so I didn't do it.

I couldn't send it back or have a refund and its just sitting in my cupboard BRAND NEW still in the black carry case with all books, cd roms, paper, stationery etc.

I am happy to sell for £300 ono.

This would really help with christmas as I have 3 small children.

cheers

kjmcculloch · Guru

I did this. It was over priced, poorly supported, the training materials are not great with some errors. The sales people are pushy and make crazy statements (you just don't realise they're crazy at the time)

Steer clear.

Kris

john Boy · Veteran Member

I agree with Kris, my wife got stung by the same pushy sales techniques, for something which wasnt worth the paper it was written on.

zoe Taylor · Veteran Member

Hi

I did the manual bookkeeping and sage payroll with homelearning college I really enjoyed it and you had a tutor at hand all the time. It is pricey I have been looking to do sage line 50 course but somewhere else as they onli do sage and it is so much cheaper else where and you get a recognised qualification..... look on the internet for sage courses within your area.

zoe