So i've decided that I want to start and do the ICB book-keeping courses. I have looked at the courses through training-link and idealschools and they both look really appealing.
One question I do have is about some of the training, I have a macbook pro rather than a windows PC or Laptop. Would this prevent me in anyway from completing the courses as I know they are from sage ( I thought most software was cloud based now)?
A quick research revealed that Sage seems to support Mac users www.sage.co.uk/products/sage-software-for-mac.html You'll find that Sage is what they call the "industry" standard, and that opinions about Sage by users, who are accountants and bookkeepers mostly, vary in largely. Some think it is very expensive, restrictive and burdensome. While others run and manage clients or their own businesses from it and like it. There also bookkeepers/accountants who have been working so long on Sage that they do not even hear of other accounting softwares. I think most training providers also focus on Sage with their training offers. There also accounting/bookkeeping businesses that use and offer a selection of softwares. Some software are "cloud-based", while the rest run from PCs. Some names to be mentioned are: Online: Kashflow, Quickbooks Online, Wave, Clearbooks, Xero, Sage One etc Desktop: Quickbooks, VT Transactions+, Sage, Iris and many others At end of the day, most of these softwares only do 2/3 of the accountant's job. I mean final accounts, bookkeeping, management reports and vat returns, stock control etc.. There is still the tax calculation and tax return filing to do. There is a lot more to tell, I think, but I leave it to the real experts. Edit: I can't say much about training providers as I study with another body called AAT at a local college. Edit2: It seems that for Mac from Sage you only have Sage One, One Payroll and One accounts and the CRM packages.
HTH
-- Edited by richard2013 on Monday 5th of January 2015 08:17:40 PM
-- Edited by richard2013 on Monday 5th of January 2015 08:20:20 PM
Thank you for your reply it was incredibly useful. is it a ICB thing that you have to study sage?
I've looked on the websites and it looks like they will be supplying the software, on the plus side I have found a old laptop - windows XP - do you think it will work?
The only problem with having a MacBook is the lack of CD-Drive, admittedly i may have considered the online version, but it could be up to 15 companies i would have to set up to pass.
I've never had a macbook. Americans are obsessed with them, so I hear.
Most accounting packages should run on XP without a problem, though XP is no longer updated, so don't scammed by some virus et al.
With AAT L2 Computerised accounting, I believe they still promote Sage. At least they taught Sage to us and Sage was used on the exam.
Beware that with Online software, they are "leased" to you on a monthly basis, so effectively you are renting the software. In the end, the cloud softwares stores and backs up the company information for you, so ownership of the data and chance of recovering is complicated, but for training purposes this should not be a problem.
I did not study yet with ICB, but I am an associate for the practice licence, anyway. But I want to take their Payroll Mgt Dip. for obvious reasons.
They might insist on me taking their Self-assessment module for doing Self-assessment returns in my "practice". I've done AAT's "Personal Tax", but I think this PTAX module is barely worth mentioning.
It's not an ICB thing Tony, their requirement is only that you use an 'appropriate' package.
The training collages use Sage as it is the most asked for package in the market place due to its history as the best performer. I did train (and am still training) through Ideal Schools and their standard offering does indeed use Sage products, though this in no way affects the manual bookkeeping courses.
It might be worth you while phoning the training providers you are looking at to see if there are any mac/pc emulators you can use - I was under the impression that Sage could be used with a mac - you just have to get the correct software version but I could be entirely wrong.
Brian is on here on occasion, as are other training bods - hopefully one of them will pick this up.
Good morning and a Happy New Year to one and all. I hope 2015 brings all you wish for.
I've already contacted Tony directly but for the benefit of all Sage can be used on a Mac with the help of Windows platform software such as: VM Ware, Parellels & Boot Camp. I can't speak for the training software but the fully licensed software works ok using these programs.
it was incredibly useful. is it a ICB thing that you have to study sage? 
