Hi Amy,

Long winded is good. Nice to listen to someone trying to get a job in accountancy rather than jump straight to self employment.

City & Guilds is certainly a recognised qualification by employers (unlike ICB!) but it's only for the low level roles which are generally those that have the word clerk in them somewhere.

As you mention there is the online skill test that you can do with the AAT. You can only take it only once and you get the results straight away. That test will advise you at what level you should start your AAT. You then take that along to training companies and if you want exemption from foundation you can wave your results at them.

To start at intermediate you need 80%+. However, if your just starting out and can afford it then perhaps you should think about doing units 1-4 even if you can get exemption as there is nothing like repetition of the basics to ingrain the knowledge that you'll be using for the rest of your life (I'm years in and still go back and do those units on occasion).

I know that it's rude to ask a ladies age, but, if your 16 to 21 (or up to 25 in some cases) you could get yourself on an AAT apprenticeship with BPP. You may find that all of your studies are paid for plus you get the experience. It's a win / win for both you and BPP as you get your training and the much needed experience and they get to keep their charity status and government funding.

On the CV mailshot front I know some accountants in practice and they do get a lot of those. If the apprenticeship isn't applicable to you, You might be better off talking to Reed about temp roles in Sales Ledger, Purchase ledger and entry level credit control.

On the software front no matter what else that you may read on this site the main tool that we have at our disposal is Excel. Beyond the basics learn how to do Pivot Tables and Vlookups and you'll be well on your way (Macro programming is useful but not essential for starters).

If your intent is to work in practice then Sage is quite important as it's the most common of the packages. However, it's not the be all and end all and you will get to use others such as SAP and Quickbooks. But as Sage training is the most accessible it's the best place to start. You can do Sage by distance learning. Premier Training is a good reasonably priced provider.

Right, think that I've waffled enough for now. Hope that I've answered some of your questions. Write again with any specifics and I'll endeavor to answer when I can. I'm studying at the moment so may be some delay dependent upon whether the studying is flowing or if I'm beating my head repeatedly against the desk in despair.

kind regards,

Shaun.

-- Edited by Shamus on Thursday 25th of February 2010 09:55:28 AM

Hi Amy,

BPP is one of the top two providers of accountancy related text books, the other being FTC Kaplan.

here's a link to the BPP AAT pages :

http://www.bpp.com/aat/

Osbourne books and Prentice Hall are also very good publishers of quality accountancy and bookkeeping material.

Premier training are really good but there's no option for free training there. A link to their AAT NVQ page is :

http://www.premiertraining.co.uk/courses/aat_nvq/aat_nvq.shtml

If you talk to them Jane Hasler is a really good first point of contact. Very friendly and helpful.

There is no restriction with AAT as to the order that you do the units within any level but you need to pass all of the units of the level before you move on to the next one.

I find that the people at AAT are quite helpful but they do tend to defer a lot of advice to the training providers.

For the NVQ route you do need to pick up Sage skills for some of the Skills tests. Premier provide Sage as part of their foundation stage but it is an add on cost to you of an extra £100. (Which is pretty cheap for Sage certification).

Have a look at the BPP site and see if apprenticeship is an option for you.

From what you've said, my advice would be to start at the foundation level. You will find some of the material repetition of what you've already done but that will just build stronger foundations for you.

Of myself, I'm actually advanced level ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants). I've got my own business and joined the ICB to get cover for Money Laundering Regulations and cheaper Professional Indemnity insurance.

However, I'm not a big fan of the ICB as I think that they're trying to reinvent themselves into a more professional organisation but they're doing so with total disregard to the existing members in practice.

As a result of the ICB attitude towards it's members I have been looking seriously at AAT myself as like ACCA it's a globally recognised qualification (unlike ICB which is not really recognised at all in business) and it also gives me MLR cover without having to purchase such directly from HMRC.

There's another thread on this site on the go at the moment where people in a similar position to myself who can go straight in at technician level are trying to figure out exactly how one can take the AAT qualification (and so jump ship from the ICB) without the overhead of having to have a training provider.

Unfortunately, although with a little jiggery pokery you can for most units at technician level, you can't get past using a training provider for the project for unit 10 and the cost of that one done separately defeats the cost saving gained elsewhere.

Right, back to my studies.

Be sure to visit the above sites and don't be shy to ask any questions as either myself or one of the other regulars on here are always happy to help people getting a foot on the ladder.

kind regards,

Shaun.

Shamus,

Thank you very much for the links, I have looked into both of them. The BPP site was great, but I live in Cornwall so the nearest place for me to study would be Bristol. If I had a choice I didnt really want to go down this route but if its the easiest one for me then I will consider it. I have had a look at the premier training site, and the distance learning route prices are very competitive.

I think you are right, I think I may need to start at foundation level just to really sink in everything I know and everything I will learn. I will chat to AAT beforehand so they can offer me their advice.

You're nearly there then! I am considering the ACCA route after AAT but that is a long way off yet! Good luck with your studies and congratulations on having your own business, that cannot have been easy!

Hi semsley, this is very interesting, but I have had a look at google and typed in local careers advice centre and nothing comes up, I cannot think what it would be called? I would be very interested in taking this route, I dont mind not being paid all that well as I would have been willing to pay for the AAT course myself and I know experience is so important. If you could dig up any more info on this I would really appreciate it.

Thanks, Amy

Ah I see semsley, I have found my local career centre and have emailed them so hopefully they will reply soon. I think they were called Next Step.

Fingers crossed they have some good news for me!

Thanks again, Amy

Hi Amy,
I've just been approached by a local charity. They are looking for around 5 hours per month and they say their requirements are:
Knowledge of Sage line 50 accounting package
Working with our Financial Administrator and General MAnager, to ensure the sound financial management of the charity
Preparing monthly finacial reports with the GM for presentation at management meetings
Attending management meetings (as required)
Preparing accounts in conjunction with the auditor, GM and Finance Administrator for the AGM and Annual Report.

I guess this is quite specific but I would imagine not too different from what most charities wouyld be looking for. It would give you good experience, not only in the work you do but also with working with other financial types and could lead to paid work from supporters etc.

Well when it comes down to it, it is voluntary. I would approach the organisation and tell them what your experience is but you would like to help in any way you can. They will no doubt have certain systems in place and show you what is needed to be done. I think they will bite your hand off for some help. Someone more experienced may also volunteer and you could work alongside that person. It is rare for a charity to turn a volunteer away! Good luck!