hello to you all!! - The Book-keepers Forum (UK)

Rhoda · Member

hello to you all!!

kjmcculloch · Guru

Hi Rhona,

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your business. Sorry I can't offer much useful advice as I know nothing about ICM.

Kris

Terri · Senior Member

Welcome to the forum. I am attending a business link session on Monday, I really found the last one useful. Sorry, like Kris, I know nothing about the ICM qualification. I have studied however via the ICB route and so far, so good.

Good luck with your new business

Terri

Marky65 · Guru

Hi Rhoda

Welcome to the forum

Again I am not able to offer advice re ICM as I am also studying with ICB.

Hope you get some advice soon.

Regards

Mark

Rhoda · Member

hi Kris, Terri & Mark,

Thanks all of you for your reply, i really appreciate it.

Terri: Business Link courses are really good: i've been to several courses and beleive me there very useful.!!

I have been spending time going through the ICB qualifications on their website:

will you advise the computerised ones or the manual ones? i am thinking of at least start with that and later on go ahead on the ICM.

I understand it does not take time to complete: I will check this weekend at the local Kaplan training Centre to see if they do it. As the local college does not do it. i contacted a local learning provider but they only do it as onsite self study.

how are you doing yours? are you attending college? home/self studying? what level are you doing?

thanks

Marky65 · Guru

Hi Rhoda

I do my studying at home using the books and past papers provided by the ICB. The past papers cost about £5 each and the book £25. Possibly you could order the past papers,have a look and then see how difficult you think they are and decide from there as to how to proceed with your learning.

I am currently taking only computerised through to full membership and payroll. I will look at the manual options once I have completed these.

Regards

Mark

Terri · Senior Member

I studied level 1 Basic Bookkeeping, then level 2 Manual Bookkeeping, then level 2 Computerised Bookkeeping and now I am studying level 3 Diploma

I studied by distance learning but it has been quite expensive (just over £2000) for the level 1 and level 2 courses.

I am studying the level 3 at home using a book and past papers to see if I can do it that way, and had I known this was a possibility when I started, I wouldn't have done the other courses using the distance learning provider that I did.

I would recommend doing your manual before computerised as if you do the computerised first, you will just be learning what numbers to put where in Sage, but will not have the understanding of what you are doing.

I hope that helps

Terri

Alison · Senior Member

HI Mark

With ICB I believe that you can only get full membership on completion of the level 3 manual exam, you can be an associate member with the level 3 computerised.

Alison

Wella · Expert

Hi Rhoda

Like a lot of others, I took the ICB route.

I studied through Ideal Schools on a distance learning basis.
They offer a full "Career Path" qualification starting at level 1 through to level 3 including both manual and computerised. It also includes level 3 Payroll Management and Sage Instant Accounts and Payroll Management software.

At the moment they have a special offer to include the course work for the Small Business Financial Control Diploma if paid in full all for £1099.

I found the course content comprehensive and tutors extremely helpful. The only draw back I found was the delay between sending off assisgnments and getting them back, because you can only send off one assignment at a time. In total it took nearly 2 years to complete, although you can get higher level ICB membership and start offering services before you complete.

Check out their website http://www.idealschools.co.uk/

Incidently the ICB are the supervisory body for money laundering compliance for the Institute of Credit Management

Bill

Rhoda · Member

hi all,

thanks for the comments!!

these information are so useful and helpful

Bill: i will contact the idealschools the offer seems very good. i will keep you all posted.

and once again, Thanks for the advice

regards

Amy8n · Veteran Member

Alison wrote:

HI Mark

With ICB I believe that you can only get full membership on completion of the level 3 manual exam, you can be an associate member with the level 3 computerised.

Alison

Hi Alison,

You can get full membership to the ICB by completing level 3 computerised. I am a full ICB Member and took the computerised exam.

Amy8n · Veteran Member

Rhoda wrote:

Hi all,

New to the Forum but i am already finding it very useful!!

I have been doing various accounts job for the past 10yrs after my French HNC/D in accounting: but mainly working in the Sales Ledgering/Credit Control side the past 3-4yrs.

it was only last months that i decided to start something on my own offering Credit Control/Sales Ledgering Management to small and medium size business.

My company is now registered, designed my website and actively working on marketing side and still looking forward to sign the first contract/client: . I did attend a lot of "business startup" courses with businesslink which have helped me a lot.

I was talking to one of my ex collegue about my new adventure, her 1st question to me was " why don't you offer a full Bookkeeping Service?" Well i must say i could not really answer to that question and since then i have been thinking about it. i have learned the credit management job by doing it and so far i've been getting positive feedback. so i was thinking of studying the ICM (Credit Management)qualification,

but i am confused, i am thinking of incorperating the bookkeeping services into this adventure: but 1st target will be sole traders..etc while i am refreshing my bookkeeping knowlege.

My only concern is: what qualification should i go for? credit managment (ICM) or Bookkkeeping (ICB)

your comments are more than welcome!!

Kind regards

Hi Rhoda,

Welcome to the forum!

In your position, I think I would go down the ICB route to begin with. As an ICB member you would be able to offer a full bookkeeping and credit control service but, as far as I can tell, you would not be able to offer bookkeeping with the ICM qualification alone.

That said, if you only want to offer credit control (as that is your area of expertise) then ICM is probably the best bet.

Whatever you decide, I hope you enjoy the freedom of running your own business- it's quite a buzz!

Alison · Senior Member

HI Amy

Thanks for letting me know.

That is another thing that ICB told me incorrectly, I got the level 3 computerised more than a year ago - think March/April 2008 and they told me I could not upgrade until I had manual level 3.

I am in the process of joining IAB now as had so much bother with ICB - they refused to send me a practising certificate after I paid for it claiming because they sent it I must have received it (they would not believe that it must have gone missing within Royal Mail), after months of this they finally sent another certificate and also when I asked a polite question why I could not access the job vacancies on the website they were rude to me saying that there was more benefits to the membership then viewing the job vacancies - for me that was the most important and they did not like it when I told them this, I told them that different bookkeeping companies or self employed bookkeepers want different things from their membership and no one should tell them what that should be.

Alison

Amy8n · Veteran Member

Hi Alison,

I'm really shocked at your experience with the ICB. I have always found them professional, knowledgeable and helpful. I can't blame you for wanting to join IAB instead! At the end of the day, you pay your fees and if you can't access the jobs board then you are unable to make full use of your membership (and it isn't cheap!).

Mike · Veteran Member

Alison wrote:

HI Amy

Thanks for letting me know.

That is another thing that ICB told me incorrectly, I got the level 3 computerised more than a year ago - think March/April 2008 and they told me I could not upgrade until I had manual level 3.

Alison,

You are sort of right.

Bizarrely, if you go exclusively down the Computerised route (ie ICB Basic + Levels II and III computerised) you can become a FULL member of the ICB and are entitled to use the letters MICB (comp) after your name.

However, if you were to complete ICB basic + manual level II + computerised levels II & III you are only entitled to Associate membership of the ICB and can use the designation AICB, CB. Dip. You could only become a full member of the Institute on completing their Level III manual diploma, which does seem a little bit strange and, possibly, unfair (even) given that you've already completed one more exam (Level II manual) than the person above who's already been awarded full membership.

But apparently that is how it works! disbelief