Home› For AAT student members› AQ 2013› AAT Level 4 (Level 8 in Scotland)

Salary help

moneymotivatedmoneymotivated Feels At HomeRegistered Posts: 35
in AAT Level 4 (Level 8 in Scotland)
Hi again

I am very interested to know the average salary of an AAT studier (technician level) & the average salary of an AAT qualified employee.

I look on the back of the AAT magazine and I am shocked to see some of the job vacancies and what they are offering. For example I saw one for £16,000 for AAT technician studier?


You can work in McDonalds for more than that!

Is there anywhere I can look to find out?

Confused of Surrey!

Comments

  • aer87aer87 Feels At Home Registered Posts: 26
    hmmmmmm

    I am also confused here, but for opposite reasons!

    Basically what i get paid atm, is tuppence, and a complete joke?
    And thats why i am thinking this is my time to break free, between studying years yes?

    But what salary should i look at now im AAT qualified?
    I live in a small town in NorthWest, but would commute to manchester?
  • coocoocadgoocoocoocadgoo Feels At Home Registered Posts: 41
    Well, I'm in St Albans, Hertfordshire been with the company for 8 years and I'm on £26K. That was while I was studying and after! No talk of a rise now I'm qualified...
  • moneymotivatedmoneymotivated Feels At Home Registered Posts: 35
    Cool

    well I have been at this company since I finished my A-Levels (3 years and 27 days to be precise!)

    When I first started and done foundation my salary was £14,000
    Onto intermediate £17,500
    Onto technician £20,000

    These exclude the yearly bonus which is not a lot (£500 ave)

    I work in Surrey by the way, 12 miles from London (I know that location comes into it when it comes to salary varainces).

    Does that salary seem fair?

    Obviously the firm pay for all my college fees, books etc and give me fully paid study leave.
  • NichNich Feels At Home Registered Posts: 49
    I have just passed my Technician and earn £26k. I am also in Hertfordshire
  • coocoocadgoocoocoocadgoo Feels At Home Registered Posts: 41
    I suppose it really depends what job you're doing... If you're AAT qualified, but work as a purchase ledger clerk, the salary is not going to be overly high. However, if every year that you've worked there you've taken on more and more, then I would expect your salary to reflect that.
    If you work out your college fees etc, then you can easily add another £1K to your salary. And a £6K rise in two years is not to be sniffed at! :)
  • PGMPGM Font Of All Knowledge Registered Posts: 1,954
    It'll always come down to a combination of; Qualifications / Experience / Responsibility

    I'd say roughly you'd want close to 20k when qualified, going to mid 20's as experience and responsibility of job are both significant.

    Then looking at 30k+ with high experience / repsonsibility. And higher when chartered, location etc.

    Not saying I'm right but thats the feeling I get.
  • clazaridisclazaridis Feels At Home Registered Posts: 30
    Hi,
    I first started AAT back in 2003, once i passed my salary didn't go up it stuck at 12.5k, i since have moved about a couple of times and settled in my current job, the deal with my employer is as i go on day release because the college is a fair drive away for two nights a week.... that i give up 18 days holiday spread over the academc year, i pay for my books, reg fees and exam fees, after passing my intermediate my salary went up by the rate of inflation from 17k to 17.5k which in the north midlands is a really good salary to be on at my level and to say i'm bored out of my brain all day everyday wasting my well earned qualifications on sitting buying junk off ebay as i have nothing else to do!! I am looking to move after Technician level and go somewhere i will be more appreciated and understood! I do think it depends on the company as to what you get paid as the average round here is about 15k when ive looked about at the job websites!
  • stevo1stevo1 Feels At Home Registered Posts: 27
    PGM wrote: »
    It'll always come down to a combination of; Qualifications / Experience / Responsibility

    I'd say roughly you'd want close to 20k when qualified, going to mid 20's as experience and responsibility of job are both significant.

    Then looking at 30k+ with high experience / repsonsibility. And higher when chartered, location etc.

    Not saying I'm right but thats the feeling I get.


    Area also plays its part!!!!

    I'm on about 17.5k plus bonuses and a very good study package but company policy is a 2% payrise each year regardless of qualifications so the only way to make a bit is to go for a promotion but the position has to become available!

    However the study package is too good not to consider when I think about upping sticks.....will wait till after I pass DFS in Dec then I'll be qualified and I can see what awaits me on the open market!!!
  • AdamRAdamR Experienced Mentor Registered Posts: 668
    I'm 19, I've just completed Technician and I've been rewarded with a £1k raise - I now earn just short of £13,000pa. I agree with the comments about area as I live in South Lincolnshire and it's the same all over. However, none of the salary guides seem to factor this area in and so I have no idea what the actual average is - if I knew this, I would be able to negotiate a better deal. (It's not like I don't need it; mortgages don't come cheap these days!)

    If anybody else earns around my salary, I can guess how you feel when you read all the other figures being quoted. To cheer you up though (and me when I feel hard-done by), for the first 18 months of my AAT I earned up to £6,500 - if anybody can get lower than that I will be surprised. (My current salary is due to changing employers; I doubt I'd be on much above £8k even now had I stayed where I was!)
  • richardwrichardw Well-Known Registered Posts: 108
    Dont believe the salaries they have on these salary surveys
    They consitently claim that an AAT qualified in the midlands/west midlands will be on £22/23k+, & yet they advertise jobs at that level for ACCA & CIMA part-qualified & qualified.
  • welshwizardwelshwizard Trusted Regular South WalesRegistered Posts: 465
    In India, newly qualified and exeprienced Chartered Accountants are being recruited for llow paid edger roles and I think there is a similar trend here now with part qualified ACCA/CIMA etc being recruited into jbs that until recently were traditionally done by AAT level staff. I have seen no end of jobs £16-18K but requiring ACCA/CIMA part qualified candidates. I even saw 2 jobs recently insisting that an accounts administrator job at £14K necessitated someone half way through ACCA! That is why I am retraining again. I can't meet these types of roles' requirements so I am going to train to teach accounting and business studies!
  • PGMPGM Font Of All Knowledge Registered Posts: 1,954
    welshwizard wrote: »
    In India, newly qualified and exeprienced Chartered Accountants are being recruited for llow paid edger roles and I think there is a similar trend here now with part qualified ACCA/CIMA etc being recruited into jbs that until recently were traditionally done by AAT level staff. I have seen no end of jobs £16-18K but requiring ACCA/CIMA part qualified candidates. I even saw 2 jobs recently insisting that an accounts administrator job at £14K necessitated someone half way through ACCA! That is why I am retraining again. I can't meet these types of roles' requirements so I am going to train to teach accounting and business studies!

    Or compare what plumbers, joiners etc can earn. Seems they are more in demand than chartered accountants...
  • *Sarah**Sarah* Well-Known Registered Posts: 172
    coocoocadgoo wrote: »
    Well, I'm in St Albans, Hertfordshire been with the company for 8 years and I'm on £26K. That was while I was studying and after! No talk of a rise now I'm qualified...

    I live in St Albans too, small world

    I earn £25k and just have MAC to complete after failing it in the last sitting. I don't get any kind of study support though so is costing me a small fortune to go to college!
  • mooshmoosh Feels At Home Registered Posts: 28
    Salary

    Hi, I live in Blackburn in Lancashire. I was working as an accounts assistant for 8 years (without any accounts qualifications). Started studying AAT about 3 years ago so I could find a better job. Did homestudy as was working, am married and with 1 young child at that time (now have 2 kids). Changed jobs last October (after maternity leave). I am now Management Accountant on £25750 p/a. Just passed Technicial level so hoping I will get an increase but now sure how much :)
  • Laura88Laura88 Feels At Home Registered Posts: 48
    Well I work for a Local Authority in the West Midlands, I have just PEV to completed and my salary is 14.5k. My job is within the accountancy department and I am an Accountancy Assistant Trainee. In the authority/council I work to become the next level up to me you have to be fully AAT qualified and salary starts at 15K.

    To be honest, I think this is shocking after the studying we have done. (Work do pay for college fees but AAT membership and all our books have to be paid for by oursleves). The amount of responsibility we have I think this is a poor pay out, especially as an Accountancy Assistant, you are basically an an accountant for a school!

    I do really like my job but compared with other people's comments on salaries, it just makes me think...why are we paid so little!!?

    Also at the council, you don't just get promoted with qualifications, you have to wait for a position to become available and apply for it and have interviews along with other candidates from the public. In some case, some people have great qualifications but do not progress as there is no jobs available!

    Laura
    x
  • princess246princess246 Feels At Home Registered Posts: 49
    I have PEV PCR and DFS to complete before I'am finished and I earn £25k a year which is rubbish for the job i do else where im looking at between 30-35k and this is without the AAT qualification.

    Most AP Jobs in London start at about £20k
  • PigpenPigpen Trusted Regular Registered Posts: 331
    I live in North Hampshire and do a combined Office Manager/Payroll/Complete Accounts role for a small company - Been with them 8 years - They pay all my tuition (am at Technician stage) and pay 10% bonus at Christmas - I earn £32.5k - I am a bit more mature than some of you on here but I am trapped the opposite way - I would struggle to get the pay & benefits any where else - Nice position to be in I suppose.
  • PGMPGM Font Of All Knowledge Registered Posts: 1,954
    princess246 wrote: »
    I have PEV PCR and DFS to complete before I'am finished and I earn £25k a year which is rubbish for the job i do else where im looking at between 30-35k and this is without the AAT qualification.

    Most AP Jobs in London start at about £20k

    , , , ,

    Curious how someone doing a job which should earn 30-35k, would be doing AAT? Either none accounts, or borderig on chartered salary?
  • ELMO72ELMO72 Just Joined Registered Posts: 2
    Salary expectations

    Hello
    I live in the North West and I currently earn £18k as a credit controller. I fell into doing the AAT whilst being a credit controller/accounts assistant. Ideally it's not what I want to do but the money is good for what I do. I want to be able to do book-keeping and drafting accounts etc but my salary drop would drop if I gained a junior position. Money isn't everything and job satisfaction comes high on my list but you have to be realistic over salary too. My other problem is that I want to work park time and there just doesn't seem to be any decent paying part-time positions. The other drawback is the lack of experience! It's a viscious circle.
  • karenvkarenv Well-Known Registered Posts: 114
    Im in Yorkshire, work as a book keeper and earn £19000. Three more exams to complete technician.
  • HoudiniHoudini Just Joined Registered Posts: 1
    I'm in London, just completed the Intermediate NVQ stage and I'm on £22K, will go up to £27k upon completion of the AAT. I really think it depends on where you are in the country!
  • speegsspeegs Experienced Mentor Registered Posts: 854
    Assistant Accountant in Watford = £22500
  • lizrochfordlizrochford Feels At Home Registered Posts: 57
    Accounts Assistant in London, I was on £15000 when I started, got a £1500 rise after Foundation, and then another £400 in January whilst studying Intermediate this was raised another £1600 on completion of intermediate I'm now on £18,500. I am looking for a new job and have been told to expect around £20-£24, think it varies a lot though!
  • Natalie_24Natalie_24 New Member Registered Posts: 10
    I think it depends on what part of the coutry you are in. I'm in South Wales and work as an accounts assistant for my local council and i'm currently on 17000 and i've complete all my AAT !!!
  • aatfreeaatfree Feels At Home Registered Posts: 86
    It depends on who you are working for and where you are working. When I was in the East Midlands I worked in a university in a finance related role. They didn't pay me extra for studying for AAT but when I looked around at the AAT studier jobs - if they did give a salary it was a lot less that what I was earning - £15.5K. Now I've got another job which said it would suit someone studying for AAT but they didn't offer to pay or anything. I've almost finished and am on £10K more than my previous job but I have moved to London. When I look around at some of the ACCA/CIMA trainee positions they are on less than what I am on and a lot of them do not provide study support.

    Also your salary will increase with experience.

    There's some info on salaries here:
    http://www.payscale.com/research/UK/Degree=AAT/Salary
    http://salarysurvey.hays.com/salary-survey/18/3/3/127/
  • Sonny_LSonny_L Well-Known Registered Posts: 201
    Accounts technician, Southeast 21K full AAT qualified.

    ACA training thrown in.
  • SandiSandi New Member Registered Posts: 5
    Lincolnshire salary
    AdamR wrote: »
    I'm 19, I've just completed Technician and I've been rewarded with a £1k raise - I now earn just short of £13,000pa. I agree with the comments about area as I live in South Lincolnshire and it's the same all over.

    Hi

    I work in mid Lincs and have worked my way up from a measly salary to around 20K now fully qualified. I'm not saying who for as I prefer to keep it confidential. I have taken on any more and more responsibility where I can. Interestingly the county council have just adverstised for qualified AAT people with 3 years experience - a salary of up to 24K. I was quite pleased by this as not many posts come up that refer to AAT and if they do they want you to do further quals which having studied degree etc for 10 years I don't want to do at present. I am certianly very tempted by the CC posts but fear job security as its so great where I am. Just food for thought with a bit more experience for you and good negotiation material as in your locality!!!

    Tori
  • MattWMattW Feels At Home FMAAT Posts: 40
    London West End - Technician level - 29K

    ?? I've worked there for 18 months and didn't have intermediate/or any finance qualifications and started on 27K... but did have good finance experience.

    From what my boss said after I started I interviewed well and they liked my can do attitude. They were looking for a part qualified candidate, I was on a years contract but got made permenant 6 months ago with a 2K rise.

    I don't think it's all down to qualifications, but location, attitude and being at the right place and the right time!

    Although reading this thread there does seem to be quite a gap in earnings tho...
Sign In or Register to comment.