Becoming an accountant

[Champagneforlunch]

Stuck in a rubbish job at the moment and wanting to know the best way of getting in to accountancy.
Searching online there seems to be so many providers and just as many courses that I really don't know where to start.
I have a degree form ten years ago in psychology, so not much help, but would prefer to study part time or evenings.
I currently work for HMRC (although not a tax professional so no chance of getting any help with courses from here) so would like to study towards a a tax related qualification if possible to try and maximize job opportunities.
Does anyone have any recommendations of the best way to proceed, just to sign up to a course or is it better to try and find a new employer who will offer on the job training(and how do I find out about these??).

What do you do for HMRC, what are your salary expectations? Just difficult to suggest way forward without a bit more background, feel free to PM me and I will try to suggest some options!

If you want to train as an accountant then the best place to start would probably be AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians) . If you want to specialise in tax then maybe ATT (Association of Taxation Technicians).

With either of these you will be able to go on to do chartered if you want.

Thanks for the replies, have PM'd you crazy.
Glad I was looking in the right place as the AAT courses were what I was looking at. Although the only course on offer locally is at level 6 so think I'll need to find something a bit more basic first.
Is is ok just to sign up as a student to do the earlier courses before I have a job in the sector then start applying for new jobs from there, or best to wait till I find a basic position and get so experience first then start the course.

Champagne - if you look at PwC website they hire client service administrators who are like para legals. Some of them do aat route . Also some dept do hire in experienced hires with view to training

Champagne - definitely a good idea to start with the basics, so AAT is an ideal starting point, and you can study it by distance learning, and some providers will offer evening courses too, rather than just day release.

If you do want to specialise in tax, then ATT (Association of Taxation Technicians) would be worth looking in to too.

In terms of jobs, in my view a prospective employer is more likely to take you on if you have already started your studies off your own back, as it shows that you are serious about it - if you are studying in your own time too, then it is again, more appealing to prospective employers. Having said that, the AAT is a practical course, so ideally you do need to be looking to start working in the sector at some point during the course in order to back up the learning, although for the earlier modules and levels, there are case studies that you can use if you aren't working or aren't gaining experience in a relevant area.

Good luck!

Thank you for this advice, love the fact that no one has come back negative saying this is a silly idea, making me all the more determined to do this.
So far have been looking at doing the aat level 5 (2) but struggling to find a local provider (or anyone is Scotland) that offers the course. Are online providers such a kaplan any good?

With a prior degree you could start directly with CIMA or ACCA (I'm ACMA). When I started I did home study with Kaplan and BPP... it was tough but manageable if you put the commitment in. The advantage to doing these over AAT is when you do look to move into the sector the fact that you're these rather than a technician qualification means you'll be more likely to get a better entry level position, probably with study support.

For the first level home study is fine, and after completing that it'd probably be a good time to look at moving roles.

Bear in mind that entry level roles aren't massively well paid... not when compared to most people's perceptions anyway. But, as long as you progress up through the qualifications and also gain the experience, the rewards are excellent.

Good luck

Kerry - proud to be an accountant :)

BTW ACCA is probably better if you want to specialise in tax.

Kx

I think the point is KEW that OP doesn't have any prior knowledge in accounts, and so AAT would be a more suitable starting point than launching straight into CIMA/ACCA. I am an ACMA and also an FMAAT, and I think AAT offers a really good foundation before starting a higher level qualification such as ACCA/CIMA - it is important to gain understanding of the basic principles, as this will help along the line.

Good luck OP!!