I decided that I could not work for another idiot ever again. I actually find the practice management aspect most interesting, meeting new clients and the marketing. If I could justify getting someone else just to do the bookkeeping I would. Maybe by the end of the year I'll be in position to do just that.
Kris
-- Edited by kjmcculloch83 on Monday 13th of February 2012 02:51:36 PM
You really don't want to know all this Neil but here goes. I went to a private commercial school did O Level principles of accounts when I was 15 and A level at 17 thought about joining an accountancy practice to become an account but as a articled clerk but the wage was £5 a week whereas as a secretary I could get £7 a week and I was young, foolish and went that route. Worked for a self made wool merchant and when the book-keeper left to have a baby I moved into that role. Then he retired so got another job as an MDs secretary did this sort of thing always with some accounts involved for several years working in all sorts of different industries. Then went to Uni and did a teaching qualification (had small children so thought of having school holidays off). Did a bit of self employed work at the same time, then taught IT, Business Admin and Book-keeping in FE for several more years, managed a training centre, decided I'd had enough of the inspection regime in education and decided to pack it all in and work for myself (I'd always done the books for a friend who I met 27 years ago when the children were at nursery together and who was just setting up in business). Managed through word of mouth to get several small business clients and a couple of charities plus did examining and moderating for OCR.
my girlfreind at the time (and now best freind) was just finishing her training to become chartered and after seeing what it involved realised that it wasn't so big a step from my day job in banking operations (pretty much had the entirety of the management accounts side so how hard could it be to pick up financial accounting and accounting theory!!!!).
Went the ACCA route as it fitted around everything else, opened up new business options and enhanced my salability with my bankers hat on.
I like accountancy as I seem to have a natural flair for it (so you could say that it chose me) combined with it giving me greater freedom to set my own hours which works well around my other commitments
Major foolish decisions... I was accepted to study law at a good Uni but took a well paid job in IT that almost fell into my lap instead. Intention was to do it for a year and build up some reserves before going to Uni but life (and more to the point girls) got in the way and Uni never happened.
Other trouble that my testosterones gotton me into...
Learning to speak Russian (now all but forgotten)
Learning to speak Thai (can still speak it but have forgotten how to write in it... Way too many letters for any sensible alphabet).
Living in Thailand (A village in the Isaan region in the North East close to the city of Khon Kaen)
Being caught up in a war (Slovenia)
Playing a major part in starting a charity
Organising a Marathon (organising it is the closest you'll ever get me to any running shoes... Definitely more your stand and fight sort of person).
Oh, and not to forget being a single Dad with sole custody.
To quote Mickey Rooney "most of my money went on fast cars and loose women and the rest I just squandered".
... well, Plenty of scope there to get this one off peist!
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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.
I too, have no interest in cars. I normally buy a cheap old runaround last lasts me 3ish years, i cant be bothered with motorsport or any of that stuff and spend my days working with engine management systems. I am seriously at the point now of crying before i leave for work and crying with relief once i arrive home. This is not a profession i chose, my main job was working in a semi skilled environment reconditioning starter motors and alternators. Workshop is dead due to our Americanised throw away society and the engine management side of the job which used to be a welcome relief from the workshop now and then has turned into a full time position, has been for the past 6-7 years, now it's more of a means to an end and totally unenjoyable.
If i never land a job working in an accounts department i will still die a happy man as this is something i thoroughly enjoy and have chosen to pursue off of my own back.
Think i'll go phone Esther now lol.
P.S. Bill, i am currently designing a full body harness that enables a person to be strapped to the front bumper, rear or sides of a moving vehicle so as to be able to repair said vehicle whilst the owner/driver can go about their normal daily routine. Currently at phase 3 of development and good for 50mph.
-- Edited by Spamkebab on Tuesday 14th of February 2012 12:16:45 PM
The trouble is Peasie, if we spend time on intermittant faults and don't find anything as everything is actually working as it should be, would you be prepared to pay a bill? someone like myself who has to make their own wage can't afford to spend all day driving around in a car that's not broken. It's a harsh thing to say but it's the truth. Not to say i wouldn't give it half hour of my time though.
What car do you drive?
I own one of those Bill, no good at 50mph
-- Edited by Spamkebab on Tuesday 14th of February 2012 01:55:48 PM
Spent my formative years, one way or another working with cars. Which is ironic really, as I have no interest in them at all (a preference for two wheels). Atr one time I had my own Ltd company, and enjoyed doing the bookkeeping more than the cars.
Decided to leave leafy Surrey, and return to my roots in 2003. Spent two years "on holiday" ran out of money, so spent 18 months teaching motor vehicle technology to 16-25 year olds. That turned out to be the biggest waste of my time ever.
Decided I needed a change, and thought about the time I had my Ltd co. and thought "I know, I'll be a bookkeeper, get a qualification, get loadsa clients, make loadsa money, How hard can it be?". Five years later (must update my forum profile ), and just getting in to the paying tax and NI bracket.
I took my car in to the car doctors a couple of weeks ago as the speedometer, odometer, trip counter, petrol gauge etc was not working. It had packed in as I drove home around midnight one Friday. Not too bothered as it's only 3 miles home. My only worry is the 30mph sign is quite a distance from the first houses and the police tend to hang around that spot to catch folk speeding. As I didn't know my speed I wouldn't know at what point to slow down. When in town I rarely go anywhere near 30mph as there are generally cars parked at the side of the streets all the way home. Don't want someone jumping out in front of me. Anyway, back to the faulty speedo - Monday morning I thought I'd check on it again before phoning the garage. It was working again.
The next time I needed it was the Wednesday night when I was doing the fortnightly shopping. It wasn't working. I needed the car on the Thursday and Friday so the next Monday I booked it in for the Wednesday. Drove it down on the Wednesday and it was working again. They said they'd have a look at it but if it was working there was nothing they could do. I get the impression if they plug it into their computer and it says it is working then that's the end of the story for them. They're not interested in why it works one day and not the next.
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Never buy black socks from a normal shop. They shaft you every time.
P.S. Bill, i am currently designing a full body harness that enables a person to be strapped to the front bumper, rear or sides of a moving vehicle so as to be able to repair said vehicle whilst the owner/driver can go about their normal daily routine. Currently at phase 3 of development and good for 50mph.
-- Edited by Spamkebab on Tuesday 14th of February 2012 12:16:45 PM
Drove it down on the Wednesday and it was working again. They said they'd have a look at it but if it was working there was nothing they could do. .......
I was in Ljubljana when the Serbs brought their tanks up and around the back of the city via Maribor (I was out before they were actually rolling through the streets of Ljubljana though).
People are never as freindly as when they think they might be dead the next day!
Actually had some great times on the last days before the invasion going up into the mountains with crates of beer which you tie to the bank of a fast flowing river as an impromptu beer cooler.
That whole war was an example of countries with serious acrimonious history being thrown together that should never have been thrown together (now lets think of another example of that!!!!).
Think that the serbs came unstuck when they had to face a nation (Slovenia) that was actually properly armed and had the attitude and aptitude to use the weapons.
If you ever listened to the BBC interviews from Ljubliana during the war the girl sniper holding the radio tower that they interviewed was my freind.
Moral of the tale for Serbia methinks. Don't try picking on a country with Austria (makers and suppliers of some of the worlds finest armourments) as a freindly neighbour that doesn't particularly like who they might get as a neighbour.
Moral of the tale for me, not a great idea to risk relationships with slightly imbalanced girls who can use and have easy access to sniper rifles and semi automatic weaponry!
More seriously though. A very worrying aspect of the whole conflict was that something like that could again happen in Europe. All it takes is one nutter with charisma and a vision!
Now how far from bookkeeping was that post!
Shaun.
__________________
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.
The trouble is Peasie, if we spend time on intermittant faults and don't find anything as everything is actually working as it should be, would you be prepared to pay a bill? someone like myself who has to make their own wage can't afford to spend all day driving around in a car that's not broken. It's a harsh thing to say but it's the truth. Not to say i wouldn't give it half hour of my time though.
What car do you drive?
I own one of those Bill, no good at 50mph
-- Edited by Spamkebab on Tuesday 14th of February 2012 01:55:48 PM
Yes - I would be prepared to pay a bill. I was surprised when told there was nothing to pay as "we didn't actually do anything". I was hoping they would have given it about half an hour of their time.
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Never buy black socks from a normal shop. They shaft you every time.
I need more customers like you Peasie, as you can tell from my post, there aint many people around these parts that would be happy to pay when nothing was fixed.
I never even got to see the place. Girl I was with lived in UK but was born there. She wanted to show me where she came from, and I had heard a lot about the medieval city, so thought why not.
Basically got there a couple of days before it kicked off, she didn't want to get caught up in it, so we got on the first available back to blighty.
First thing I saw on the TV when I got back was the pictures of the piles of rubble that was the ancient port.
Needless to say, like the ancient buildings, the relationship never lasted, and I never got back there.
Hm Hope the missus doesn't see this, she doesn't know
Wella wrote:Hm Hope the missus doesn't see this, she doesn't know
I'll send you an email of the address to post the bundle of used twenties to!
My biggest mess up on that side of things was buying an engagement ring for the girlfreind and a year later the idiots of jewelers went and sent an insurance renewal for the ring to my home which the wife opened!!!
Well, that was divorce number two.
Ok, I admit it, I'm a tart.
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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.
Dick and Jane are about to get married but the day before their wedding they die in a car accident.
At the pearly gates they meet Saint Peter and Dick says "I know that this is a strange request but we are still very much in love and want to get married".
St. Peter nods and says "I'll see what I can do" and disappears.
Dick and Jane wait... and wait... and wait...
A month goes by and finally Peter turns up with a vicar.
Dick now says. "We've had a lot of time to talk while you were away and we worry what happens if the marraige doesn't work out. Is there divorce in heaven?".
To which Saint Peter replies "It took me a month to find a vicar up here, how long do you think it would take for me to find a lawyer!".
__________________
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.
The way i got into accounts-- My husband started he's own locksmith's business ( sole trader) i was keeping tracks of he's finance's via the collings books you can get. Over the past 4 years he's business has grown and he is now a Ltd company and i thought it was about time i learnt how to do book-keeping properly and have more of an understanding. I have enjoyed learning all aspect of book keeping and the sense of achievement once passing the exams.
I will feel embarrassed handing over the books to our accountant at the end of may--it's a mess..
), and just getting in to the paying tax and NI bracket.
