I am sorry to bother you but Im looking for some advice on starting a career in bookkeeping. I have no previous bookkeeping or accounts experience and have been out of work for 10yrs due to health issues. I am currently being placed on the transplant list and to be honest, after all this time of being house bound, I am nearly as scared to get better as I am of the alternative. The fact that My health will not allow me before my transplant, to attend collage based training is a massive restriction in gaining new skills as I will have to gain qualification through online training. I have lost all confidence in myself or the skills I once had anc this makes me wonder what I will be able to do. Also knowing that the transplant is not a permanent fix, makes me realise that in a few years or maybe a little more, I could possibly be back here where I am now, at home. With all of this going through my head, I thought that maybe bookkeeping would be the ideal career to start studying in. I thought that I may be able to gain employment in a companys bookkeeping and accounts department and then if and when my transplant fails I could possibly not lose all hope of working and be able to work for myself privately from home, doing bookkeeping for small to medium companies. I know very little about the courses I would need to take and the qualifications I would need to gain to make the employment for a company and the selfemployment optiobs possible. Ive heard of the AAT route, the ICB and the IAT but I dont know which would would give me the flexibility to go from employment for a company to self employed from Home, if I needed to. I am not looking to start a 5year study journey in accountancy With the high flying accountancy firms, as the future is not set in stone for me. I would like to be able to offer basic bookkeeping, Payrole, ledger accounts, vat, tax or credit control skills. The main thing is that I will have the flexibility to take the skills I have gained from company employment to self employment and be fully trained, accredited and ensured. Please can you offer some advice on where to start my journey and the route I should take from there. Thanks
Hi Nat This is sort of the wrong time of year to be asking for indepth responses as we are in Accountants silly season and nobody gets any sleep never mind much chance to chat on here.
That said:-
Its been covered ad infinitum on here - spend some (a lot of) time wandering round the site. (posts cover people who are in the same boat health wise/AAT or other arguments/how to get started etc etc. You will probably have to look beyond some of the posts headings)
Try doing level 2 AAT, seeing if you really take to it, and then apply for a job with a training contract for the rest (doesnt need to be at college).
AAT more widely recognised for either/or.
Get a job in a company with a large accounts department so you are properly supervised and have scope to be promoted.
Getting a job is the hard part - there are far far far too many people coming into bookkeeping than there are jobs available already so employeers can take the creme de la creme.
5 years wont get you to be an Accountant - try 10 with the supervision etc. as the real training starts when the exams finish, plus for a job with the top table type Accountants you would probably need to be 16 and straight from school or better still have a degree first tbh.
I you are looking to move on to tax - look at ATT after the AAT.
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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
I echo what Joanne said, AAT all the way if you are looking at employment initially. You would need AAT Level 3 for a bookkeeping qualification and Level 4 for an accountancy qualification but, as she says, do level 2 as it will give you a feel of what it's all about and whether it's for you.
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
Thank you all so much for your help and advice and for taking the time to reply. Im not sure what I was expecting as far as finding a perfect late starting career for someone in my position but I was stupidly hoping this would be it lol. I will possibly look at the AAT courses as suggested and go from there. Maybe Ive left if far too late to start in such a competitive career. im not sure ill be along side the creme de la creme in however many years i have ahead, but hey.. cottage cheese maybe doable lol. No, thank you all so much again, Ill read through the forum a little more and then maybe look at booking an AAT course and search for a job after my op. Cheers again everyone for your welcome and your advice, youre very kind.
