I planning to start training to become a Book-keeper and I am looking for some advice on which home study course's people recommend are good and value for money as there seem to be so many around at vastly fluctuating prices
I always advise people to invest in copies of Mastering Book-keeping by Dr. Peter Marshall and Mastering Accounting Sk8ills by Margaret Nicholson.
If you come through the other side of those two with a basic understanding of bookkeeping and a continued interest in the subject then thats the time to invest in courses and memberships.
If you find that you can't take to it as many don't then you've lost less than twenty pounds for the two books rather than several hundred for courses that promise the earth.
If you are adamant about the course route then the Open University introduction to bookkeeping is a good and not unreasonably priced introduction.
The OU course is the same as the AAT ABC bookkeeping course. Both are prepared by EQL who also do the CD courses for the the BPP ACCA studies.
After that it comes down to the route that you are looking to take. If it's self employment then ICB or IAB seem to be good routes to becoming a professional bookkeeper.
If you are looking for employment then the AAT route would be better for you as that is generally the qualification that employers are looking for.
For AAT Premier Training seem to have the most commendations on this site as being a good training provider.
The company that comes up again and again amongst people on this site as one to avoid like the plague is HLC (Home Learning College).
Good luck in your studies and as I say, for starters begin cheap and invest in those two introductory bookkeeping books. If you do take to the subject in the future they will both go on to serve as invaluable reference material.
Kind regards,
Shaun.
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Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
