[Help] Becoming a self employed bookkeeper - help!

[HHGull]

Mrs HHG was made redundant earlier this year. She has been unable to find anything new that allows her the flexibility we need for childcare.

So she is looking to retrain as a bookkeeper, and look to become self employed in a year or so once fully qualified.

We have found some distance learning courses - Level 2 and 3 in bookkeeping and accounts - through the professional body (ICB).

Has anyone gone down this route? Any tips?

 

[Weststander]

Study AAT, not the others, it’s THE professional body. Even if your wife only see out a level or two (there are exams), it will give her a great grounding and potential clients/employers will often recognise AAT ... possibly the first thing they look out for.

https://www.aat.org.uk/training-providers/search
There are very reputable organisations providing excellent distant learning courses.

Give the AAT a call for free advice.

Please don’t go by price, by selecting the other bookkeeping ‘bodies’. The investment will be worth it, AAT giving your wife the key skills, and often leading to a greater hourly charge out rate.

Good luck to Mrs HHGull!

 

[HHGull]

Study AAT, not the others, it’s THE professional body. Even if your wife only see out a level or two (there are exams), it will give her a great grounding and potential clients/employers will often recognise AAT ... possibly the first thing they look out for.

https://www.aat.org.uk/training-providers/search
There are very reputable organisations providing excellent distant learning courses.

Give the AAT a call for free advice.

Please don’t go by price, by selecting the other bookkeeping ‘bodies’. The investment will be worth it, AAT giving your wife the key skills, and often leading to a greater hourly charge out rate.

Good luck to Mrs HHGull!

Thanks - I had heard contradictory advice, hence heading to ICB. I’ll give AAT another look.

 

[Weststander]

Thanks - I had heard contradictory advice, hence heading to ICB. I’ll give AAT another look.

I’ve been in the accounting/tax profession, sadly for over 30 years. I’ve seen that debate.

More important than anything is common sense, logic and getting things right first time by taking your time until you’re very competent. With a studied grounding in the logic/rules too.

I’ve seen people who could pass exams all the way to the highest level, but lacked common sense = woeful work.

 

[Nobby]

Thanks - I had heard contradictory advice, hence heading to ICB. I’ll give AAT another look.

AAT is the one to go for.
When I was looking for accounting support staff, AAT was the qualification I would require from applicants

 

[StillHateBellotti]

I graduated from Uni 2 years ago with an International Business Management Degree and was looking to add another string to the bow and was also looking at the AAT qualifications. I have seen numerous companies advertising them and can't remember which one's I was recommended, but be careful as most of the advertised courses show the lower price approx £700 which does not include membership to AAT, mock exams and also the examination costs. With the bits added its over £1000 per level.

 

[Weststander]

I graduated from Uni 2 years ago with an International Business Management Degree and was looking to add another string to the bow and was also looking at the AAT qualifications. I have seen numerous companies advertising them and can't remember which one's I was recommended, but be careful as most of the advertised courses show the lower price approx £700 which does not include membership to AAT, mock exams and also the examination costs. With the bits added its over £1000 per level.

Backing that up.

I’m currently home studying for an additional tax qualification. About £300 per paper through Tolley’s, but their manual and question bank is the business and they do genuinely have a great pass rate.

(That’s not necessarily advice to use them for bookkeeping studying. AAT will recommend).

 

[Saunders]

I did the level two AAT qual doing evenings at Brighton City College. She could look at that although I felt it could have been done a lot quicker. Level 3 is where she needs to get but circumstances changed for me so I didnt take it any further.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I'm an accountant and I echo the advice re AAT. Furthermore, it is essential for new bookkeeper to be proficient in either Xero or QuickBooks accounting software, they are the top two and Xero is best. With Making Tax Digital it's a must.

 

[timbha]

AAT is the most recognised before you get to the big stuff, ACCA, CACA and CIMA

 

[Saunders]

I'm an accountant and I echo the advice re AAT. Furthermore, it is essential for new bookkeeper to be proficient in either Xero or QuickBooks accounting software, they are the top two and Xero is best. With Making Tax Digital it's a must.

Yea our course had us use Sage but our tutor insisted we looked at Xero.

 

[Weststander]

I'm an accountant and I echo the advice re AAT. Furthermore, it is essential for new bookkeeper to be proficient in either Xero or QuickBooks accounting software, they are the top two and Xero is best. With Making Tax Digital it's a must.

And Sage software, the market leader in professions, commerce and industry, it dominates.

 

[Pavilionaire]

And Sage software, the market leader in professions, commerce and industry, it dominates.

Not in the small business market - Xero and QuickBooks are miles ahead. I've just recruited a girl who left her last firm because she hates Sage and they way her employer foisted it upon their clients.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Study AAT, not the others, it’s THE professional body. Even if your wife only see out a level or two (there are exams), it will give her a great grounding and potential clients/employers will often recognise AAT ... possibly the first thing they look out for.

https://www.aat.org.uk/training-providers/search
There are very reputable organisations providing excellent distant learning courses.

Give the AAT a call for free advice.

Please don’t go by price, by selecting the other bookkeeping ‘bodies’. The investment will be worth it, AAT giving your wife the key skills, and often leading to a greater hourly charge out rate.

Good luck to Mrs HHGull!

Very very this.

AAT can also be a way in to one of the chartered institute if she wants to go all the way.

 

[Weststander]

Very very this.

AAT can also be a way in to one of the chartered institute if she wants to go all the way.

Great point, exemptions from a whole level of full blown accounts exams.

 

[Weststander]

Not in the small business market - Xero and QuickBooks are miles ahead. I've just recruited a girl who left her last firm because she hates Sage and they way her employer foisted it upon their clients.

We’ll have to agree to disagree. Respectfully.

I’ve used Sage in the accounting profession, with my own business, and at 100’s of clients over 20 years. All SME’s. I love it, clients do too. In the last couple of years at a client’s, a 50 year old bookkeeper started who’d never used Sage, so she was intimidated. Within no time at all, all was running very smoothly.

The only criticism I ever see of Sage is from tight-fisted people, who refuse to pay Sage’s software cost.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

I'm an accountant and I echo the advice re AAT. Furthermore, it is essential for new bookkeeper to be proficient in either Xero or QuickBooks accounting software, they are the top two and Xero is best. With Making Tax Digital it's a must.

I would definitely recommend Xero, as we run this in our business for years.
My accounting qualifications are ZERO!

I found the userface clear and easy and saved us hours In bank reconciliation.
Tried out QuickBooks in the early days but didn't rate It as high but It may have improved.

 

[Pavilionaire]

We’ll have to agree to disagree. Respectfully.

I’ve used Sage in the accounting profession, with my own business, and at 100’s of clients over 20 years. All SME’s. I love it, clients do too. In the last couple of years at a client’s, a 50 year old bookkeeper started who’d never used Sage, so she was intimidated. Within no time at all, all was running very smoothly.

The only criticism I ever see of Sage is from tight-fisted people, who refuse to pay Sage’s software cost.

22 years, 100s of clients myself, many many of whom have been glad to move off Sage, nobody's ever asked to go on it from Xero Not user friendly for the business owner, pricey, clunky, a dinosaur bit of software. Even on the Sage Facebook page Sage people themselves say Xero is better for small businesses.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

We’ll have to agree to disagree. Respectfully.

I’ve used Sage in the accounting profession, with my own business, and at 100’s of clients over 20 years. All SME’s. I love it, clients do too. In the last couple of years at a client’s, a 50 year old bookkeeper started who’d never used Sage, so she was intimidated. Within no time at all, all was running very smoothly.

The only criticism I ever see of Sage is from tight-fisted people, who refuse to pay Sage’s software cost.

I have to say Weststander, although it wasn't my profession, Xero was much more user-friendly, I used Tas software before that and that took a bit of time to get our heads around it, Sage was a notch more complicated for your average bod than Tas.

So I will have to back Pavillionaire on this one.

 

[Weststander]

22 years, 100s of clients myself, many many of whom have been glad to move off Sage, nobody's ever asked to go on it from Xero Not user friendly for the business owner, pricey, clunky, a dinosaur bit of software. Even on the Sage Facebook page Sage people themselves say Xero is better for small businesses.

We must live in parallel universes .

The 100’s of clients using Sage I’ve been involved with range from tiny businesses in all sectors, up to medium size businesses. As an aside, when they receive statements from businesses across the UK, they’re more than not a Sage report, with SagePay an option.

My only criticism was that about 4 years ago a standard update went out prematurely with obvious bugs. Being very corporate and listed, they wouldn’t come clean. All telephone operatives were bullshitters, obviously reading from a faux positive script. Been fine since though.