AAT at 40Yrs. Will there be anyone interested in me after I finish?

[Cluelessever]

I am a sahm. For 12yrs straight. I have been doing a part time admin job/organising of accounts in excel since 6yrs now.

I am a maths side student and I have tried IT but I feel I am not able to grasp it well. My very low confidence is not helping either. I cant just give 2yrs to something I am not able to understand ( I would have not minded if I was 20+ something)as I am already 40.
I have tried AAT level 2 books and thankfully I am
Able to undertsnd them and doing the test papers with good scores. I feel I have some hope in book keeping.

What I want to know is:

Will I be useless for apprentice/trainee positions because I am 40?

How do I convince people to give me an oppurtunity after so many years of not working?

I am not worked up about my pay but what is the minimum I could earn if I land in a trainee or entry level job?

Thankyou

I don’t know but it’s worth phoning the AAT and talking to them about it, they have a small but really excellent call centre. (I’m not a finance person but have worked for the AAT in the past.) Obviously they’ll encourage you to do their course, but they should be able to tell you about how others in your situation have got on in the workplace. I believe AAT is helpful for lots of returners to work, so it should be easy for them to do that.

I'd be more worried about your IT skills than your age to be honest. Book-keeping and accounts etc is all about IT skills these days, even moreso with the extension of "making tax digital" around the corner for sole traders, landlords and limited companies. Rather than hand written "books" or spreadsheets, it's going to be mostly online software with automatic links from bank feeds, imports from other online platforms (ie. Amazon/Ebay for online retailers etc). Book-keepers and accountants of the future are going to need really good IT skills to be able to cope with what's coming!

Which sector were you thinking of working in? Trainees/juniors in practice is mostly school/college/Uni leavers. You may have more hope for public sector or industry, but that will depend on your experience.

Thank you for your responses.
@Fullyhuman. I will call them then!

@user1497207191 I am ok in learning pre existing softwares I think. What I wanted to try was being a developer; like actually writing code,as I have a degree in Engineering which was done looooong ago. Since then, I havnt tried anything in that subject so its now obselete.

I could learn sage or xero after I have done my level 3. I am a bit confident on this IT side using pre-existing tools, rather than developing/testing one.

But I worry that I willbe brushed off as 'old' even after aquiring skills. Well, I dont have much choice as either I will be 50 with the skills or 50 without. Will I be in a job at 50 due to this is my worry.

I can assure you that apprenticeships are given to 40 year olds, 50 year olds and older for AAT. The more mature students often find that their life experience and commitment is a great help. You will actually have a module in which you learn how to use Sage (UACS, which I think is level 3).

I am considering exactly the same move to do accountancy qualifications but worried about the costs of training versus not being able to get a job.

@Hoghgyni .. Thank you for the assurance, you showed me some hope :). I am doing level 2 self-study. When I complete level 2 exam ,I hope to do level 3 as a part of an apprenticeship. Hopefully, learning some sort of tool on the way.

@Didicat .. all the best to you :). How old are you if I may ask.

I've sent you a PM.

@Cluelessever. Just to let you know that 18 months ago, I interviewed a lady who worked in a Supermarket. She was studying Level 2 AAT in her own time as she was interested in becoming a bookkeeper.
She had no experience whatsoever.
I offered her the job on a six month trial (usual trial for someone with experience would be 3 month). She is FAB, Learnt very quickly, loads of confidence and she has just been given a £2k pay rise as she is doing so well.
She was 52 when we took her on. So I say go for it.

@Hoghgyni.. I got it. Feel nice
@Iwantmychairback... Thankyou for the first hand experience!. I am glad that agesim is not as wide spread as my pessimistic brain told me!. We mature learners need more people like you who can give us a chance to prove ourselves

I was a sahm for 12 years, until my youngest started Y1. I did one day a week course in bookkeeping and payroll once I completed level 3 I was offered a job 12 hours a week around school hours. I was 41 when I started and still there 10 year’s later, I’m on a great salary for the hours I work and absolutely love the job still.

I'm a regular poster here but have names changed.

I was in HR for many years - CIPD qualified and got to middle manager level but really didn't enjoy it.

I started studying for the AAT level 2 when I was 45 and got my Level 4 and MAAT status at 49. I worked as an Accounts Assistant, a Management Accountant, a Revenue Accountant and I'm now a Startup Company Accountant aged 52 on £50K.

It's not been east getting work, I've had to apply for lots of jobs but perseverance has paid off and people like that I'm mature but recently qualified. I'm studying for my ACCA and would like to continue working well into my 60s.

Go for it!

You won't need an apprenticeship, once you have AAT level 2 you should be able to apply for accounts admin jobs - eg accounts payable roles, then do your level 3 and 4 whilst working there.
I'm AAT qualified (although I no longer use it as I got bored of accounts and retrained as a nurse). I did level 2 whilst working in a call centre, then got a job doing accounts payable and bit of credit control. Once I completed level 4 I moved to a different job in the same company doing management accounting reports and invoicing.
I don't think your age will be an issue - lots of women in their 40's and older working in this kind of role. Apprenticeship really not necessary - the AAT course is not hugely expensive and courses run in the evenings.

Ok, I am filling up my confidence! Thank you guys!.
@Rugbylife, how did you land in the job may I ask?, was it a college placement or you applied yourself?
@AATladyhere...that's some pure inspiration from you. Thank you :)
@hazelnutlatte, oh ok. I didn't know that you could by-pass being apprentice.

The majority of employers actually offer the training by an apprenticeship now, as it means they can access government funds. Typically around 75%.

A friend of mine did AAT after taking redundancy in her mid 50's
she has never looked back.
Be willing to start with menial clerical work
as that will give you the grounding
GO FOR IT

I studied AAT level 2, but wasn't working in a related role. I'd suggest once you have gotten to grips with it some volunteering may bolster your CV - at that stage I was able to get interviews for accounts assistant roles at major companies - though I didn't get the jobs and decided against the career change after all, I definitely think the practical experience got me in the door! By the way, I'd never dream of discounting someone in their 40's/50's for my team, I'm sure there are plenty of others who'd agree - best of luck

I work for the police as a Finance Officer, our team was new and there are four FO roles. When the job was advertised it required you to either be AAT qualified or training towards it. I was AAT qualified 20 years ago but haven't really used it in my more recent roles. Two of the others FOs were studying their final year and the fourth was taken on despite not even studying for AAT (moved from elsewhere in the organisation). The two FOs who are studying are in their 30s and I will be 48 this year. So if it is something that interests you why not do it and see where it leads?