AAT accountancy level 2 - anyone done this online??

[fierydormouse]

Hello! Seeking advice and recommendations!

I am a SAHM but I would like to return to work now my son is at school, and after much thought, I believe an AAT level 2 qualification in accountancy would be a good next step for me.

I wanted to ask, has anyone studied for AAT with a distance/online provider and if so, which one? Would you recommend them? And how long did it take you to get the qualification? Did it work well to study online or do you think a classroom based course would be better?

(A little background...I'm 42 and I've had several years out of the workplace but in the (distant!) past had a few junior accounts/bookeeping roles, mostly in the public sector. I was pretty good at my job and I enjoyed the work, so it seems an obvious area to try and return to, and I think this qualification would really help).

I'd really appreciate any advice!
Many thanks. xx

Check out eBay or the AAT groups on Facebook for used books too!

For the people who have ordered the books online to study for level 2 with could you possibly post a link for the correct books you ordered ,sorry am being a dummy and had a look on Amazon but got a wee bit confused with what to order !and is level 2 the one to start with and not level 1?thanks

I studied level 2 with first intuition - there are different levels of support, the self study is £35 per module. I then took exams at nearby centres. I am now studying level 3 also with First Intuition, also self study. I liked FI because you can upgrade a module to tutor support if you need to, but you can do it one module at a time, so focus the money on things where you need support. And they get great feedback on the student groups on Facebook. I have found them really good, clear materials and good building up in each module from more basic to the more complex material in the exams. The practice exams on the AAT site are really good too. Hope it goes well!

Level 3 doesn't have any prerequisites, you can go straight into it. BUT you need a solid understanding of double entry so it forms a really good foundation. I suppose you could self-study level 2 without actually doing the exams and then start exams at level 3. Level 2 looks good on your CV in the meantime though if you don't have any accounts experience.

They've renamed the levels as Foundation Advanced, Professional but everyone still refers to the old names!

Example text book link: www.amazon.co.uk/Bookkeeping-Transactions-Study-Text-Kaplan/dp/1787405060?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

That’s what you want. There’s one that looks identical called ‘exam kit’ instead of ‘study kit’ which is very useful too for revision before exam. Definitely get both.

Order to do them in is Bookkeeping Transactions, Bookkeeping Controls, Elements of Costing, Synoptic then Using Accounting Software.

I totally forgot about the 'Using accounting software' module. If doing it independently, you have to use a free trial of Sage One. It's cloud/browser based. Make sure your exam centre is using the same thing. I've heard that some still use Sage 50, but my one didn't.

@chillichutneysarnie so how many books do you need for self study would you say? Thanks so much for this btw

You need 5 study textbooks for level 2. Double that if you want exam kit books too.
More info on the syllabus here:

www.aat.org.uk/prod/s3fs-public/assets/AAT-Foundation-Certificate-Accounting-Qualification-Specification.pdf

Thank you Chilli, you are being so helpful! Especially that syllabus guide. I have been looking for that on the site!

Can I just ask one more question about the Kaplan study guides- there doesn’t seem to be one about “working effectively in finance”. Is it included in the synoptic assessment guide as it is only assessed in that exam? Is that why attheend didn’t mention it above?

Sorry for hijacking your thread fiery and thank you for starting it!

I love this thread.
If it encourages more MN posters to think about a qualification that will give them a good living for the next 40 years
that can only be a good thing
(and trust me there are ALWAYS jobs for AATs)

@RandomlyChosenName yep Working Effectively is included in the Synoptic only. There's not much to it.
Glad to be of help

I'll shut up in a minute but one more top tip from me! For anyone trying to get job in accounting, make sure you become really good at Excel. If you can genuinely do pivot tables, vlookups, index match, data queries etc employers will love you. If you can't use Excel properly then you won't get very far no matter how much AAT you do!

Fantastic responses, thank you everyone. I am feeling hugely positive about this now and have ordered my first text book to try and go it alone (an idea which really appeals but to be honest would have never occurred to me!)
Many thanks xx

Keep us posted and good luck!!! Join the groups on Facebook too.

I’ve also been thinking about doing aat courses but couldn’t afford it. Thanks for the suggestion of self study.
To those who have qualified how easy/difficult was it to find a job with no experience other than the qualifications? I really want to start setting myself up for a career but when I look online at jobs so many want x amount of experience and it puts me off.

Ordered my books and super excited to get started. Huge thanks to @chillichutneysarnie and @attheendofeveryweekeachoneofus for your help!

Well done. Please don't forget about the exam fees though!

I think AAT is a great qualification, but it doesn't replace experience, so please don't think that this is all you need to do.

If you don't have any experience you will still need to start at entry level jobs, HOWEVER, the qualification will put you ahead of others at the same experience level

Good luck everyone

Luckily I already had experience as had previously done another qualification in Accounting but to get my first job I took an admin role which mentioned a small amount of bookkeeping type work and that allowed me to get another job (entry level) that was in an accountancy firm because I did have that experience. That’s a really good way to do it. Obviously a lot of people suggest volunteering but that’s easier said than done if you have a family.

I currently work in admin (not quite back to work, although the admin job was a back to work after being a SAHM) which includes some dealings with the finance side however I would like to move into a job which was all/more finance and less admin as that is what I enjoy. However I have found that lots of jobs want someone who is qualified/ part qualified AAT. I also did a numerical job before becoming a SAHM, so hopefully someone will want me!

And I love Excel and all elements of it. Nothing better than having data to manipulate... I do it for fun!

Actually not sure why it’s taken me 20 years to realise accounts would be a good area for me, I think that I was sadly put off from Maths at school. Even though I was really good at it, I couldn’t get over the widespread attitude that maths isn’t “enjoyable”.

I haven’t ordered the first book yet as I have been reading the AAT guide that was shared above and the book preview on the Kaplan website. I’m very excited though!

sparkle
Temping might be an option
or look for jobs that mention AAT and just go for it.

Having looked at that link further, I have realized that we have those books just sitting on a shelf at work! Excellent! I currently have a diploma in bookkeeping and also a certificate in payroll management and do both at work now, but I thought AAT would bolster my CV a bit so was looking to that too. :)

(As an explanation, I work at an accounting firm, that's why we have the books! I might check if they have to workbooks too actually.)

Sorry, I mean exam ones, we have the work books. doh!

Sorry, me again! Looking at this link: www.aat.org.uk/assessment-venues/search

It appears that there is 1 exam for level 1, two for level 2 to 4.

Is that right? So you have to do two exams to qualify for the level?

No idea how I will do the exams, but hey! worth a look!