FAO Steve
Comments
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Steve I am in my late 40s and yes I do want to make something of myself. I have 2 children who are grown up and I am probably older than you. How old are you? 25? 26? And you've done it. I find it so patronising to have a person younger than me telling me it will be ok and I have to work for it. OF COURSE I have to work for it but I HAVE worked for it. I've been working for it for nearly 30 bloody years but still get told by people like you who are young enough to be my children that I have to work harder than I already have!
In that case shouldnt you admire those that have already walked the path you wish to walk in and maybe ask how they got there?
A-Vic 36 mother granmother and will always be learning no matter what level or age.
Also if your children talked and respected people they way you show disrepect wouldnt you chastise them0 -
Ok steve how did you do it? Did your parents pay for it?0
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Unfortunately age doesn't automatically command respect.
If you qualify now, as Steve has said, you will be working with people younger than you but more experienced than you, you will have to live with it, they won't defer to you just because you are older than them!
FYI I was a mature student, managed to qualify ACCA at the grand old age of 39! I put myself through AAT and the majority of ACCA.0 -
Ok steve how did you do it? Did your parents pay for it?
No they did not. My parents did not put us through university because none of us wanted that - myself and my brothers all left school at 16 and we all worked our way up. Both of my brothers (they're twins) have their own business and I qualified as a chartered accountant. My father is a sales director of a waste management company and my mother is retired.
I left home when I was 21 and became extremely independent. I left my job at a well-known building company when I was 21 (much to my father's annoyance) and got a job in a DIY company (again much to my father's annoyance). I decided at 24 years old that I needed to change direction so went through lots of agencies - all of whom were extremely helpful - and got a training contract with the firm I am still with.
Glynis, I was not brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth and have always stuck to my roots (which I am very proud of) but you need to stop this negativity as it is not good for you.
Best wishes
Steve0 -
I've sat and read through all this and all of Glynis's previous quotes and rants.
I'm a mature student, I'm 58 in June. I changed careers 6 -7 years ago, I left sales and came back into accounts after a break of over 30 years. Things have changed so I had to start at the bottom again as a junior. I have willingly thrown my self into study, I was supported by my employer initially but then I lost my job 18 months ago. Since then I have eaked out a living froma few private clients. I now travel 50 miles each way, every day, to work for ยฃ13k a year. I'm still studying because I failed some exams and have had to resit, when I can afford the exam fees.
Does the world owe me a living?....no
Do I whinge and moan?....no
I just get my head down and get on with it. Live isn't a bed of roses and never will be.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is, there is always someone worse off than you who nuckles down and gets on with life with nary a whinge or a whine.
If you put as much energy into your studies and exams as you put into whinging on here, you would have qualified ages ago!!!
So heed the advice you have recieved freely from the wonderful people on here who don't have to support us and go away and get qualified!!!!!!!!
End of rant!!0 -
farmergiles wrote: ยปLive isn't a bed of roses and never will be.
Unless you're boyfriend is asking you to marry you in a very romantic way!
(A friend of mine got asked and her boyfriend filled the whole house up with candles and rosepeddles)
Anyways, I like this thread, just because it shows me that this is one good reason to stay positive and not whine here.
Glynis, life isn't so bad, once you start enjoying the little things, the big things will seem less of an issue and that will make things easier!
I left school when I was 18, left my parents house when I was around that age as well, lived on my own, worked via agencies, doing all kind of jobs, for different types of companies, found out what I liked and started studying (homelearning) to get ahead in the field. I ended up as a payroll consultant in practices after a number of years, partially worked for myself besides my job and made quite a lot of money for my age, instead of sticking to it, I decided to completely uproot my life and moved to the UK.
After I moved, I had to start at the bottom again (different laws), so decided to focus on general accounts instead and now working slowly towards getting ahead of myself again. And yes it is hard starting at the bottom again, and yes it sometimes feels very annoying if you got a supervisor who knows less about accounts then you do (and I am often correcting his mistakes), but the point is, he is my supervisor and I got to respect that. (It just means he is better at selling himself then I am.)
Glynis, you say that you worked for it for 30 years. Does that mean you have been working in accounts for 30 years? Because in that case I wonder why you only recently did AAT and started on ACCA if you want to do more. Have you done something completely else before? In which case you cannot expect that employers count that as experience in accounts, so it limits the work experience greatly.
Try and see it this way. If you were an employer, and you wanted to hire someone in accounts, would you hire someone who has 30 years of experience in building towers but no accounts experience, or would you hire someone who is younger, but has only 5 years of work experience, but all of that experience is in accounts?
I am not saying it is impossible, I am just saying it is harder. Now you got your current job, which is experience in accounts, but it has been pointed out before that it is experience in the industry sector and not in practices and the basics may be the same, but practices are very different in workload, type of work and expectations.
Please read the comments on this thread and get it in your head that even though you worked so hard for so long, you still start over if you start in a new line of work.
And yes studying is expensive, but it's the reward in the end that makes it worth it.
And yes studying besides your job is very hard, but it does mean you get better job prospects afterwards.
And yes doing everything at the same time makes it even harder, but as your company is not paying for your study, you could easily do a step back on speed if that means you get less stressed, more time to enjoy life, more time to save for the next bit of study and more time to spread out your studyload.
Once qualified employers don't really mind if you took 3 or 5 years to finish your study, the important thing is that you qualified.0 -
For your information Glynis, I'm nearly 43 years old, father of five, grandfather of one, now work as a management accountant at a recruitment company, have previously worked as a retail manager, costing supervisor, yard labourer - and when I was self funding my AAT studies as a lone parent, had two near full time jobs to pay for it, the second delivering pizzas late at night during the week and over the weekend while everyone else was looking forward to theirs. Have suffered two breakdowns in my life - 2002 and 2003 - both of which have taken their toll on me - and been at the very brink of total despair where I wondered if life was worth living but I never once gave up.
I'm where I am now through having worked, strived and suffered for it, not because I expected others to simply hand it to me as you do. It'll never happen.
Is that enough personal information for you?0 -
You won't get a job @ a practice if you apply for managers roles and then look down your noses at the firm when they offer you a junior training role.
I left school at 16 and started working in practice with no only standard grades as an admin junior. The firm took a gamble on me and started training me up in accounts a yr later and i like to think it's paid off. 3 yrs on and i'm sitting my last AAT exams this June.
If you did get a job in practice you'd probably find again that a lot of your colleagues would be younger than you.
You do seem to have a problem with peoples ages'. What does it matter how old they are? If they can do the job?
I'm the youngest in my office of about 80 staff, so what? Do i get treated any differently by managers/partners/staff? No.0 -
Glynis I volunteer at a small, local recruitment agency (why do I volunteer? Because I want to get some experience in payroll, have you considered volunteering at a local practice?) and if you haven't got a job yet, it's probably because they can't put you forward because of your stinking attitude.
You are AAT qualified. You should be applying for trainee graduate schemes, not manager posts! Around here, you'd start on a salary of about ยฃ11,000 + study support. You'd have people half your age instructing and guiding you. You'd have clients treating you like you treated your auditors. If you think you can hack it, then go for it. But you're not gonna get there by blaming recruitment agencies and blaming tutors and blaming every person younger than you who has worked hard to get the job that you want.0 -
Hi...what I dispute are the fees charged especially when some of us have to pay for ourself.
Since you donโt work for BPP or have ever been on one of their courses, who are you to say they are over priced?People like me should have the right to better quality education at affordable prices...
Why, what makes you better than anyone else? As for the price, why should BPP bend to your wallet when you've done nothing for them? BPP is a private business, if you want subsidised education, you should try a local college or uni that (despite whatโs in the news) do receive some government funding.as well as a better chance at getting the jobs we need and deserve.
Again, why? If you've done so much, why do you need hand holding in order to get another job? Also, if you behave in life as you do on these forums why should you be given a job over someone with a more professional manner?
Your post sounds just like another modern day person expecting something for nothing from a, and wanting a, nanny state.
As for BPP justifying their fees to you, they donโt need to. Having done BPP course (incidentally funded by myself at the early stages until I got study support) I say the fees are justified especially when you compare them to uni course etc (see early post) and the calculations provided by "sdv".
That fact that you are a mature student changes nothing. You say youโve worked hard and made some wrong decisions in the past but why should that mean you are now automatically entitled to something? If Iโd could go back and change things I'd leave school and go down the training contract route. But I didnโt and I'm not blaming other people for the fact that course etc are expensive, I accepted it as the way things are, got on with it and found a solution rather than trying to negate some of the responsibility for my own study. The reason you have to work even harder than you already have is because you simply do! Also, if you want to make a qualified career after you complete the qualification, you're going to have to work even harder again!
Far be it from me to defend recruitment agencies, but if they really were as bad as you say then (given that the majority of accountancy roles are dealt with through agencies) no one would even be working in accountancy! The reason people might be looking for better jobs is a) the current climate and b) that people want to progress with their careers. The reason they may not have found you work is either because there may simply be nothing suitable for you - they can't create jobs!
Glynis you really are making a rod for your own back on these forums. You insult people who have helped you and have created a very negative image of yourself. If the way you conduct yourself on these forums is an indication of the way you conduct yourself in your working life you really are going to fall down in your career as a qualified accountant You're overly defensive, present your self as unprofessional and you can be damn right rude - not good traits for any profession but particularly one where you could be facing clients. You said you find some people on here patronising due to their age but you're going to come across people in your career who younger than you are but are more qualified and experienced at their jobs than you and as a result are going to be in higher positions and could be people who you actually work for/under. If you canโt hack that on a forum, how are you going to deal with it in real life?
There's an saying that goes something along the lines of "if so many people tell you that your are ill, lie down". So many people on here have told you that you rude, uninformed, disrepestful etc yet you still fail to realise why or actually consider chaning your attitude.
Neil0 -
We must all admit that the forums are always more interesting when Glynis turns up. Shame it's only usually late at night on weekends, but I guess that's the drawback of restricted internet access at the local loony bins.0
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We must all admit that the forums are always more interesting when Glynis turns up. Shame it's only usually late at night on weekends, but I guess that's the drawback of restricted internet access at the local loony bins.
Haha ๎
i was actually think the same thing
as frustrating as she may be, I do find myself clicking on threads started by her first! 0 -
Glynis,
I think all the majority of people tried to do on here was give you genuine advice. Somehow its turned sour and i think its time to forget and move on. As for the negativaty towards agencies, Yes it is annoying when you apply for positions you are qualified for and they dont reply at all it really is. But on the other hand these people have hundreds of people applying for jobs and surely they cant reply back to everybody. Ive been frustrated so many times in the past when ive applied for jobs and they havent even replied, however the job im in now was found for me through an agency and i absolutely love the working environment im in now. Agencies have to make money and concentrate more on candidates they feel are best suited for the position, they have to do this constantly to bring in the revenue, this is not neglagance towards applicants that they dont want to put forward, its just that they need to apply most of their time to stronger applicants and i wouldnt take it personally, its just they way it is. (Please dont take this as me saying your not one of the suitable applicants, because i do my job sufficently and have been in the position of no replies from agencies many times).
As for Prices of Accountancy study:
I study at the London School of Business and Finance and i have 1 evening lecture per week for every paper i do. For Operational & Management levels (6 Papers) this cost ยฃ2300, therefore ยฃ383 per paper inc all study material & every lecture is recorded so if you didnt click on during the lecture you can go home log in and watch the lecture again, its fantastic.
They have colleges all over the country, theres one in Bham & Manchester for sure, im not sure where else though.
This is cheaper than BPP i think and the lectures are brilliant, i know its still ยฃ400 per paper but its a great deal and 1 worth investing in.
I hope this helps.0 -
I've just read through the last 24 hours.
Gosh I have found some of the posts quite amazing and simply downright rude in many instances.
Glynis, all the people on this site aren't under 22 and a half! Whilst some of your posts are despairing the others are just insulting people. I worry about your blood pressure and think you probably still have a stress condition.
The second aspect of this thread that alarms me is that the body we are striving to gain full membership of would like to think that the people who represent them are all round 'good eggs'; how is it that there is no personality/psychometric test to weed out those who could be damaging to the good reputation of the AAT??
In case you are wondering Glynis, I am a 41 year old mother of 2 who started studying with a 6 month old baby. I'm a late starter as I had a violent mother who convinced me, from very early childhood, that I truly was useless at anything I tried (she was in Mensa so anybody was thick compared to her); it was actually a lady I went for a job interview with who told me I was wasting my life and suggested I study AAT. I have worked and passed all my exams first time around so far. I didn't get the job I went for the interview for - she said I was to clever and would be bored but, we have become friends and I am still in touch with her on a regular basis!!!FMAAT - AAT Licensed Member in Practice - Pewsey, Wiltshire0 -
Steve I am in my late 40s and yes I do want to make something of myself. I have 2 children who are grown up and I am probably older than you. How old are you? 25? 26? And you've done it. I find it so patronising to have a person younger than me telling me it will be ok and I have to work for it. OF COURSE I have to work for it but I HAVE worked for it. I've been working for it for nearly 30 bloody years but still get told by people like you who are young enough to be my children that I have to work harder than I already have!
Head Wall...BANG.
One of my colleagues is MUCH more senior in years than what I am (and you), yet when i ask her to do something she does it as she understands that I have more experience than her in a particular field. 25,55,65 - we all have different skills sets, we all have our own experiences, that we bring to employment and junior / trainee / assistant are merely titles to pigeon hole into a pay band.
We all work damn hard and just because you are 40ish with 2 grown up children does that make you any better than a 24 who has passed well at all there exams and started doing the teas and coffees as soon as they left school? I have had to fund some of my way through college and it looks as though I will fund my way through CIMA or ACCA. Way around it, do one paper at a time - it may take longer but I'll get the same result.
You seem to think that the whole world is against you Glynis. Have you ever thought that your only enemy is yourself.
Maybe you need to reassess what is most important to you. Money and success mean nothing if it is going to be at the expense of your health and your friends and family.
Having been there and had problems myself I know my limits and when i need to step back and think "is it really worth it? I am not the person that I was or want to be."0 -
Maybe it's me, but why is someone so desperate to change from a job they are so good at to one that they struggle to understand and get really stressed out with?
If I wanted to change careers, which basically is what you are wanting, I would choose something that I was good at. You struggled with DFS and Audit, didn't take any of the tax modules and want to work in practice? It just doesn't add up.
And talking of not adding up, if you cannot afford to fund your own education on your present salary, how are you going to manage if you do get a trainee positon with a drop in salary? You cannot seriously think that because you are in your 40's you will be on the same as you are now? Do you???
What are you going to do if you do get a job in practice and find you don't like it? I think we all know the answer to that one.
And by the way, I'm older than you, changed careers in my early 40's, took a pay cut or two to get the jobs I wanted, studied hard, passed the exams and finally found the right place to work. Its taken a few years, but I'm happy where I am. No, I'm not an accountant, but I've found something that I am good at and that gives me the quality of life I was searching for. Perhaps you should review what you really want.
I agrees with jorja1986
Maybe you need to reassess what is most important to you. Money and success mean nothing if it is going to be at the expense of your health and your friends and family.
I know my limits and when i need to step back and think "is it really worth it? I am not the person that I was or want to be."0 -
Glynis,
1) You have not been working for this for 30 years. You only just started ACCA.
2) Recruitment firms are not exactly inundated with vacancies at the moment, especially in the area of finance. (well this is certainly true of East sussex!) and most of the time they will give priority to people who are out of work.
3) your predudice against people who are younger than you is shocking. So what if they are younger than you? They were just lucky enough to know what they wanted to do from a young age, they have worked hard to get where they are, so deserve your respect for that.
4) Training contracts are hard to come by and they normally come with a low pay. Because you are doing things such as making the tea, and filling (at least initially), and have no knowledge to speak of. - obviously this is not the case with you, having completed AAT, but if you want a training contract for ACCA, you will still be on a low wage - as they will be the ones paying the money, it will come out of whatever wages they think your worth.
Hopefully, you will now stop insulting the people on this forum, and have some manners. i mean how dare you ask steve if his parents paid for his studies!! that is first of all none of your business (even though steve very politly didnt tell you where to shove it!) and secondly, so you think that everyone has 'mummy and daddy' to pay for things? no, they either pay for it themselves, and work hard to do so, or are lucky enough to get a RARE training contract.
Blimey, your 40, not 4.0 -
Glynis
Have you looked on opentuition.com or accountancy students website?
You might find some downloads or notes that help you look at this paper from a different perspective. I found looking at different resources often helped me as someone might explain things slightly differently and it may make sense.
With the paper you have chosen I really would recommend a revision course with someone. Question practice is really key to this paper and a learning provider can help you approach the questions in the right way. I think BPP do weekend ones (I'm sure Kaplan do too) which aren't too horrendously expensive but can put you on the right track. However with a revision course they do not teach so you have to have done the work before hand and know the subject -they will just teach you how to apply it correctly.0 -
I love it, this is almost and good as he job interview post!!! Keep it up... 0
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Gosh I have found some of the posts quite amazing and simply downright rude in many instances.
The second aspect of this thread that alarms me is that the body we are striving to gain full membership of would like to think that the people who represent them are all round 'good eggs'; how is it that there is no personality/psychometric test to weed out those who could be damaging to the good reputation of the AAT??
It's important to note that the darker personas of certain people on this forum, whether acidic or abrasive, are not necessarily representative of how we behave in real life in our professional careers. The largely unmoderated nature on here means that people tend to speak more openly, which I for one don't feel is a bad thing. If people need a kick up the arse for something then it doesn't help them to be overly polite or politely indifferent but nor would it be nice to keep kicking them when they're down.
Having said that, some people are the architects of their own downfall by lacking the self awareness to know how other people will view them. If people are rude then they''ll usually get rude back and I fully accept this for some of my own posts but I'm a big lad and I can handle it. While Glynis often questions the professionalism of people on this forum, likewise we're entitled to question hers by return and I honestly cannot believe that with a 30 year accounting career behind her, she is as bad in real life as she is on here.
Ultimately, everyone has a choice of whether they post here or not and how they establish their personas. If posters just want straight, objective answers in future, they shouldn't get sidetracked - either through themselves or by others - into making inflammatory comments and opinions about other people or their professions.0 -
Just read this thread and decided to not get involved.
But I do have one comment to make. Glynis I cannot understand this. You are constantly on here asking for Steve's help and then you have the nerve to criticise him by saying he was probably born with a silver spoon in his mouth amongst other comments. I just hope you dont have the nerve to start another post F.A.O Steve in the future asking for help!0 -
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newbie
I usually do not get involved in such threads however i feel that this time i cannot sit it out..
I am only 20 and will be finished AAt in June then onto cima so with any luck qualified by the time i am around 24. I have worked in my current job for 3 years starting in payroll working my way up - i am now the finance officer
I pay my own fees yes it is a struggle as my wage is ok but not great however i know in the long run this will pay off.
Just because someone is younger than you does not mean that you are better or more qualified jsut becasue you are a mature student and have grown up children.
It is not younger students fault that they started their studies earlier and will therfor qualify younger.
I can tell you are frustrated and are finding it hard to get a job etc... however you should count yourself lucky you have a job at all as many people on here do not.
I wish you well with your studies but i think you need to be careful in the manner you post as it is very inappropriate.0 -
Quote: Hey, speak for yourself! Many of us sadly look forward to them and they're often among the most subscribed, frequently running to several pages.
Oops sorry blobby (or do I call you cretin?
) but I did say I wasnt getting involved. I just couldn't believe that Steve was insulted like that! 0 -
You should also remember Glynis that age isn't necessarily linked to ability. Someone could have been in their job for 30 years but doing it wrong for the last 25 of them while a 25 year old may have been doing it for only five but all five of them of doing it right, their entire career. There are also other things to consider such as natural flair, intuitiveness and technical problem solving abilities.0
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*****************the end**************0
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F.A.O Steve in the future asking for help!
I think this and any other FAO Steve threads should be treated in the same contemptment gylnis has shown to very respected members of here and basically ignored and left to fade away.
***************************now the end
************************ 0 -
Can individuals please not decide when threads end? Many threads transcend the original post and delve into other lines of discussion, some fruitful, others not so. But if someone who isn't the OP doesn't like the way a thread is going they're of course free to read no further but please don't assume the thread should end just because they don't like it.0
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I hope putting the end didnt affend anyone i was using a visual statement not ment in any way to stiffle anyones oppoinuns on the subject matter.
Plus the fact Glynis hasnt even attempted to defend herself/ retract her statement and probly wont, showed to me the contempt she feels towards anyone.0
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