Just as! Depends what you want to do and how far you want to climb up the corporate ladder. You may want to look at chartereds as well if you want senior manager level.
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Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
Well I'm a complete beginner so looking to gain a strong foundation/knowledge first š I wasn't sure whether Employers valued the AAT Accounting qualification more than the bookkeeping one?
The AAT site can be a bit confusing. The Accounting qualification can be taken to different levels. You can be an AAT registered bookkeeper once you have got to the end of level 3 (with suitable experience and get a practising certificate). You can start at level 1, 2 or indeed 3 depending on your background and existing knowledge.
The Accounting qualification then goes on to level 4.
You can get a job within an Accountancy or other bookkeeping practice or indeed work in industry with anything from level 2 upwards, depending on what it is your employer is looking for.
I wouldnt recommend you do Level 1 unless you are new to the UK or have been living under a bush for the last 18 years. You will learn all you need from level 2 upwards and I would suggest you start there as the double entry basics of all things Bookkeeping and Accountancy related are taught at this level - the building blocks you could say. This will give you that strong foundation. Also I would suggest that you do some additional reading rather than just relying on your course notes. So many people do not, but then struggle with a lot of general concepts as they go. We can provide a guide if you need this, but its good to understand your background to point you in the right direction.
Many thanks for info!
At the moment, I work in motor claims, recovering money from other insurers.
I'm keen to expand my skillset/career options and bookkeeping looks really interesting!
I was planning to start off with the Bookkeeping level 2/3 and maybe go onto the AAT level 3 diploma in accounting.
I have looked at the ICB route as well, but have no aspirations to become self employed at this stage.
Thanks again š
You would be better off with the straight AAT Accounting qualifcation as that gives you both options and is the one which is more recognised (by other Accountants and employers). You will cover the bookkeeping side anyway but be more prepared for the level 4 when you come to it. ICB is not recognised by employers (in the corporate world I mean).
Good luck with it. Keep us updated and pop back with any study Qs you may have.
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
Many thanks for the info again šš
One last question...Would it even be worth applying for entry level jobs with Level 2 accounting or should I wait until I've achieved Level 3?
I'm just trying to action-plan my career over the next year or so!!
Unfortunately with this industry and the VAST numbers of folk wanting to be in it, whether you get your level 2 or level 4 then you have to start with entry level jobs, so the sooner you get on that bottom rung the better I guess. The only other rub with that one is that everyone doing their exams is trying to do the same so the market is a wee bit over-heated so it might take tens of applications to even get that one job interview. Not trying to put you off, just to warn you so you dont become down-hearted (just keep going, it will happen at some point!) You need to be able to grab someone's attention with your CV so its not like everyone else's - part of that should be around the experiences you have gained working where you have before.
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
