Hi.....some advice needed please

N3OVR

i have been working with a recruitment company for 5 yrs now doing the credit control, purchase ledger etc basically the easy things on sage. anyway i have just started doing the end of months/reconciliation etc for the 3 companies they own and basically they have asked me to gain an actual qualification in accountancy so i can do more. i was lucky gettin the job i have no qualifications at all......barring GCSE's lol so now i am looking into what is the best qualification to get and how to go about it.
I have been pushed in this direction to start with and was wondering if this is the correct path really?
any advice would be greatly appreciated

shaxxa

Quite simply - Yes! :thumbup:
The AAT is a great starting point, in fact I can't think of any other qualification to get you onto the long old road of accountancy.
As you already work in accounts, you may find the foundation level easy but I always ascertain you should know the basics before the big stuff is tackled.
Have a look at the syllabus on here or BBP/Osbourne.
The AAT is a well respected qualification and once qualified will gain you exemptions for ACCA/CIMA depending on which road you want to go down.
Will your company pay for your study etc? If so, what have you got to lose?

Good luck
Sharon

Jan

N3OVR

There will be many a reader that will read this post green with envy! Personally I think AAT is a great 1st step into accountancy (and no I don't work for them!). With your experience it may be that you can start on Intermediate level - there is a skills checker (somewhere on this site!) - if you type in skills check on the home page it should come up.
How you study is up to you & your employers - will you be allowed day release and so can attend college or will they expect you to attend a night class or learn via distance learning. Your timing for college is a little out as they run by the acedemic year ie September to June/July, so distance learning may be your only option if you want to start now. You will also have enrol with AAT by March 1st for exams in June. Try googling accountancy courses - it will come up with lots of options - Premier, BPP and Kaplan being the most well known.

Hope this has been of help

N3OVR

thank you :thumbup1:

yes, my company will pay for everything, i had my appraisal yesterday and that was the outcome. so im quite lucky really.
i agree with going in at the base level, i would rather learn everything properly than just the way i do things at the mo coz im sure i do things in a roundabouts way lol
i just want to make sure i do the correct courses etc to benefit me and my company and i can go from there
so im guessin i would do levels 2/3 and 4 but im not looking forward to sittin in a classroom again lol :001_tongue:

N3OVR

jan - i did that skill thing.....i only got 66% and my manager only got 70% haha
so i would do it all i think......
but thank you, i am going to look into this distance learning then firstly i really want to just get started asap but if not i can wait ,as like you said i do do this already

Jan

Don't worry - if I can do it in my 40's I'm sure you can!

Agree with Shaxxa - start with the basics, especially if you haven't done double entry. I started at level 3 without that knowledge, which made it harder.
Good luck

PS You must have found the skills checker ok, but where was it? I did a search and only find the payroll one! Which the next thing I want to do.

jorja1986

I started at level 2 through choice as I thought it best to get the groundings. It was the best thing I done as level 3 was much easier as you already know how to do all the journals and t accounts, it is also a good introduction to get you back into the swing of learning as it isnt as fast paced as level 3.

AAT is definately worth the time. It is world recognised and it helps you gain basic administration skills as well. (With level 2 I had to do a Sage option which was invaluable as now most employers request an understanding of Sage.)

It will also lead to other skills eg ECDL - or other computing qualifications as you get the bug to learn and improve.

Good luck with your new learning programme and congrats on your review!

N3OVR

jan - http://www.aatskillcheck.org :thumbup1:

yeah jorja i agree with going in at the beggining level, i might aswell, there is no harm in learning more :cool2:
and thank you for the replies, im sure i will be on here more with more advice needed then soon enough haha

System

advice for N3OVR

Hi,

since the area of credit control is very broad I would advise you to read as much about it as you can find. The Internet is a good source of knowledge. I found a website with advice on credit control. I think it`s worth taking a look.

http://www.tak-outsourcing.com/pages/credit_management_advice

N3OVR

i have my interview today at college......first time ill have been back in a school in 8-9 yrs lol
wish me luck

Brian

Help!!!!!!

Hi, I think you should start asap & and go for the AAT qualification. Its an nvq, which employers really like as you're having hands on many accountancy practises. I have found my nearly three years stressful at times,as I'm also in the Ta (Army), but should be sitting my technician exams in June. My employer has really helped me a lot throughout, as they've paid for everything including registration, exams & courses. Employers really prefer a qualification such as the AAT. If I can assit you with anything else, please don't hesitate to contact me. Although, I'm from abroad, I will endevour to assit you if I can.

Brian.:thumbup: