Here’s what to expect in this article
Understanding where a course can take you after completion is something that could give you the motivation to give it a go in the first place. This article seeks to break down some critical information about the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting in a simple and direct way.
Let’s cuts through all the noise and get to the important bits, the bits that you’ve been looking for. If you’re interested in finding out which roles would be open to you after completing this course, stay tuned!
Firstly, we should get the basics covered.
What does the course look like?
You could say that the Level 2 course is a foundation for accounting skills, it’s a great way into accounting and will provide anyone who completes it with a solid grasp of all the basic bits needed to either secure a role or, progress onto to the next level.
The qualification will give you an understanding of finance admin, double-entry bookkeeping, some basic costing, as well as purchase, sales & general ledgers. There will be four themes you can expect within the course: ethics, technology, communications, and sustainability.
The AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting consists of four-unit assessments, here’s a breakdown:
- Introduction to Bookkeeping (ITBK)
- Principles of Bookkeeping Controls (POBC)
- Principles of Costing (PCTN)
- The Business Environment (BESY)
Are there entry requirements?
A lot of courses these days require you to meet certain criteria or would have a list of entry requirements to be face with before enrolling. The beauty about starting at Level 2 is that you don’t need any prior accounting qualifications, skills, knowledge, or experience to get started How cool is that!? Although, understanding basic numeracy and having some literacy skills is recommended for the best chances to progress.
Whichever job, course, or industry you are planning to jump over from – no problem. However, if you do feel like you’ve got some experience that could be useful or maybe you have some accounting experience, the AAT skillcheck service is a nifty way of finding out where is best for you to start: AAT Skillcheck | AAT
How long does it take?
This is a factor that a lot of people think about, and it could potentially be the thing that determines your interest. The Level 2 qualification would usually take around 1 year to finish, after enrolment – but this does depend on your chosen study method, your timetable and even just how busy your life gets around studying time.
It is possible to complete in as little as 6 months if you get a wiggle on, but really and truly, who’s counting? The road to completion is totally subjective, everyone leads different lives with different things going on. If you need to take a year or to even add an extension, that is okay and won’t impact your result. We also made a video about this topic: How long will my AAT course take? – YouTube
What are the potential career paths?
Now for what you may have been waiting for, the roles and careers you could embark on with an AAT Level 2 certificate in accounting.
The AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting course can lead to employment as:
Accounts administrator – This role includes reviewing accounts, processing payments, and updating records with an average salary of £22,700 (checkassalary.co.uk)
Accounts assistant – This role includes providing accounting and admin support to other accounting and finance staff, processing paperwork, managing cash transactions with an average salary of £24,000 (checkasalary.co.uk)
Accounts payable clerk or Purchase/sales ledger clerk – This role includes making sure a business is paying their bills both correctly and in good time, processing invoices, dealing with queries with an average salary of £25,600 (checkasalary.co.uk)
Trainee accounting technician – This role includes the handling of general money and finance tasks for various types of businesses with an average salary of £16k-£22k (planitplus.net)
Trainee finance assistant – This role includes providing support with finance issues for the rest of a team to ensure services for clients are completed efficiently and correctly with an average salary of £23,000 (totaljobs.com)
We really enjoyed reading this story, it’s about how studying an AAT course can develop your career, this could give you a bit more confidence with potential routes to take: Where AAT can take you: Becoming self-employed – AAT Comment
Where and how can I study?
Another thing to consider when choosing a course to study is how and where you will be studying. There are options; you can study in a classroom or online via distance learning, you could do it part-time, full-time, in the evening after work – whatever suits your circumstances. It’s important for you to find the right training provider and learning style that feels the most comfortable.
You might be starting your career journey, returning to work after a break, changing careers, wanting a qualification to reflect the skills you already have or just wanting to learn something new; whichever you fall into, there is an option that will suit you.
Get yourself going with us
If you prefer to have structure and extra guidance from a personal tutor, you may be interested in a tutor-supported package for your Level 2 studies. Or, if you’d rather some extra flexibility with access to learning materials on your own terms, without any support – you should consider our self-study package. Head over to our site for a more detailed breakdown of the packages we currently offer: AAT Level 2 Accounting – Accountancy Learning
Whether or not you choose to study with us, we hope you find this useful in getting started with your studies. There are some great roles open to you after completing the Level 2 course, I hope this article has been helpful in shedding some light onto those potential opportunities for you.
AAT is a wonderful qualification that can lead to a rewarding career within the world of accounting, whichever route you decide is best for you.
We have discussed the structure of the Level 2 course, the entry requirements needed, the time you need to give in order to complete, and also the doors open to you after completion. Now, over to you.
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Check out our TikTok video on this topic: (3)Accountancy Learning (@accountancylearning) | TikTok
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