I am hoping someone out there may be able to point me in the right direction as to how I can work at becoming a self employed book-keeper. I am currently on maternity leave with my 2nd child and finding it very difficult to go back to work. I would love to be able to work for myself which will be flexible around my family and bookkeeping (on the surface) seems to be ideal for me. I am under no illusions and I completely realise that this is not something I can just walk into (I have spent 10 years+ working on my CAD knowledge for kitchen design therefore I understand experience is key), but I just really need to find out where to begin.
So far I have spoke with Home Learning College regarding a distance learning course for IAB Bookkeeping Levels 1, 2, 3. I was quoted £1995, which unfortunately is out of my price range. I have seen an IAB Computerised Bookkeeping course at a local college to me which is remarkably cheaper for the 3 levels although I do not know why. (Is it because it is 'Computerised'?)
I am not looking to rack in mega bucks - I am merely looking to gain the confidence and qualifications I need to be able to work for myself bookkeeping for sole traders bringing in an income of around £150-£200 per week. (Please tell me if this is totally unrealistic).
I am very keen to get this under way, I have a 2 year old and a 12 week old and dreading becoming 'unemployed' come the end of my maternity any help and advice that anyone can give me will be much appreciated.
Welcome to the BKN forum. I hope you can get a course that suits your needs (and budget). Have you considered the ICB qualification route? They are also a specialist bookkeeping qualification provider and have many services available to help you set up on your own as a bookkeeper. They have a list of accredited training providers, which we are one, and you'll find Level 3 training available from around £600-£700, including computerised elements. I should add that, if you do plan on offering a bookkeeping service on a self-employed basis, a grounding of the manual principles is very important. Here's a link to the ICB provider page: http://www.bookkeepers.org.uk/Study--Qualifications/Bookkeeping-Courses
Good luck with your search and get in touch again if you are looking for more advice.
Hi Brian, Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry I haven't responded sooner, I have been looking at the link you sent and also at the Ideal Schools website. I am still feeling a little confused, firstly over costs. I cant understand why the prices vary so much between different training providers? I guess they must include different things and although I am on a *tight* budget i still want to be provided with the materials i need to be able to complete each course, I do not want to find that certain materials/aids that I require are then excessively priced in order for me to reach completion. Also, I am finding it very hard to decide what course is more suited for what I am looking for. I really must start to make some serious progress with this but i just feel a little lost/nervous. Thank you for input on this, I will no doubt be in touch with you again soon.
Morning Stacie, Your apprehension is understandable. My advice would be to make a list of points that are most important to you, then pick out a few colleges and give them a ring. That way you'll get a feel for what is on offer and you'll also get feeling about those particular colleges.
Welcome to the forum, some good advice from Brian there, I think when it comes to costs there are certain factors to take into consideration, some training providers will include all exam fee's whereas others will charge for exams as and when ready to take and not from point of purchase, those that include exam fees may appear to be more expensive than those that don't but you still have to pay for the exams! Then there is software options, quality of materials, quality of support and speed of marking assignments. Brian is correct, give a few providers a call and see which one you feel is right for you, I know Ideal Schools do a free trial as do Training Link. Some providers only have a couple of assignments and again others there will be several assignments, in my opinion a lot of short assignments is better for the learner than a couple of larger ones. I am sure you will find a provider that suits your needs, there are enough of us lol.
Also consider networking, it is important to get yourself out and about if looking for a career as a self employed Bookkeeper, the ICB hold their national Bookkeepers summit in October this year which is a massive event and is well worth attending, yes it is expensive but the wealth of knowledge one can gain from this event is worth its weight in gold, this is of course just my personal opinion, give the ICB a call on 0845 060 2345 for more details on this.
In the meantime I wish you the best of luck in your endeavours to find the right Training Provider for you.
any help and advice that anyone can give me will be much appreciated. 
