Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) courses on manual and computerised Bookkeeping and the Diploma in Payroll Management

Gain Professional Qualifications with the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB). The Largest and Fastest growing Bookkeeping Institute with over 160,000 members worldwide. Our ICB courseware is up to date with the very latest syllabus and Government Legislation. We include unlimited pre exam testing ( EXAM-PREP ) ICB Membership, exam fees plus free postage and packaging in our prices. So you will have nothing further to pay.

At a recent ICB Members seminar it was established that self employed ICB Bookkeepers in certain regions are achieving £45 per hour. For a 25 hour week this is £54,000 per year.

Note that there are 3 levels of ICB Manual Bookkeeping, Level I Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping, Level II Certificate in Manual Bookkeeping and Level III Diploma in Manual Bookkeeping. Follow the link for more details.

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Gain your ICB Computerised Bookkeeping qualification with either Instant Accounts or Sage 50 Accounts.

Click for more details and prices for ICB Computerised Bookkeeping course and

Save money by combining ICB Manual and Computerised Bookkeeping and the ICB Payroll Diploma course.

Click for more details and prices for ICB Bookkeeping and Payroll course bundles and

The ICB Level 3 Diploma in Payroll Management course is designed for people wishing to gain a recognised qualification in Payroll.

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Bookkeeping is a growing profession - it is demanding, exciting, challenging and above all, rewarding. It is about understanding how a business works and then providing accurate figures that enable the business to know exactly how well it is doing.

People of all ages are becoming bookkeepers: Young people fresh from school or college can achieve a professional qualification that opens up a whole new world of business to them or may become the first step to becoming a qualified accountant. More mature people bring years' of experience to their role and are in great demand from businesses who want a safe pair of hands. Many are mothers wanting to find a well-paid career running a bookkeeping business from home whilst still bringing up their family.

In our current economical climate bookkeeping will grow as a profession. Redundancies always result in more and more people deciding to go it alone and start a business of their own. All businesses need bookkeepers. We have seen a massive growth in small business development over the last few years, mainly as a result of online trading. EBay is a prime example of this. Hardly any capital outlay and a part time or full time business up and running in no time at all.

Regardless of the size of the business the owner is required by law to keep accurate records of all transactions and submit a tax return. With the new money laundering regulations coming into force it now makes it imperative for a bookkeeper to be a member of a recognised institute or association. The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers are recognised by HMRC as being in line with these new regulations.

The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers was established to provide a series of professional qualifications that reflect the needs of business and the aspirations of people wanting to enter the profession. It exists to represent bookkeepers at all levels and to promote the professionalism of bookkeepers to business, government and the general public.
Becoming a member of the Institute is like joining a club. You will receive strong on-going support from a team of qualified professionals. You will have access to free legal and technical advice. You will have the opportunity to meet other bookkeepers and to update your skills through continuing professional development seminars.

The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers is the largest bookkeeping institute in the world. The Institute has more than 150,000 students and members spread across more than fifty countries, making it the largest bookkeeping institute in the world. It promotes and maintains the standards of bookkeeping as a profession, through the establishment of a series of relevant qualifications and the award of grades of membership that recognise academic attainment, working experience and competence.

The Institute's objectives are:

• to promote bookkeeping as a profession
• to enable bookkeeping to gain recognition as an integral part of the financial profession
• to promote training in the principles of bookkeeping
• to develop personal study skills and improve confidence of those persons who undertake a course in bookkeeping
• to enable the achievement of a qualification, which may be used to enhance prospects for progression into higher levels of study
• to improve the career prospects of its members

We take care of this for you. As soon as your tutor is satisfied that you are ready to take any given exam we will notify you and ask you to get in touch to confirm that you wish to take the exam. We will then organise this for you and pay the exam fee on your behalf.

Please note that candidates must take examinations in 'level order': this means that candidates cannot jump to a Level III Diploma in Manual Bookkeeping without completing the Level I Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping and then the Level II Certificate in Manual Bookkeeping examinations. Similarly with the computerised qualifications; candidates must pass the Level I Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping, followed by the Level II Certificate in Computerised Bookkeeping before they may apply for the Level III Diploma in Computerised Bookkeeping. The exception to this rule is for Payroll - there is only one payroll qualification, the Level III Diploma in Payroll Management, so students are not required to complete any preceding payroll levels to this qualification.

Membership at Associate level (AICB) requires successful completion of the Level I and II examinations. Membership at full Member level (MICB) requires subsequent successful completion of the Level III examination. The Payroll Diploma does not lead to an offer of membership but the additional designatory letters PM.Dip.

Level I Qualification

The Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping

All students wishing to complete the Institute’s examinations and achieve membership must first successfully complete the manual Level I Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping. Following completion of the Level I, students can then choose between manual or computerised bookkeeping, but are advised to complete both.

Level II Qualifications

The Certificate in Manual Bookkeeping

The Certificate in Computerised Bookkeeping

Level III Qualifications

The Diploma in Manual Bookkeeping

The Diploma in Computerised Bookkeeping

The Diploma in Payroll Management

Centre-Based Examinations

Examinations for the Certificate and Diploma in Manual Bookkeeping are held on the second Wednesday of February, June and October. Examinations will be taken at the closest available examination centre which will accept the candidate. As your centre is allocated according to the address details on file it is imperative that you ensure we hold the correct details on file. The examination sittings last three hours.

Home-Based Examinations

The Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping, the Certificate and Diploma in Computerised Bookkeeping, and the Diploma in Payroll Management are Final Assignments which are sent to the student for completion and return within two weeks. If any software or supporting materials are needed to complete the exams we will provide the materials for you. The Institute posts assignments to students every Friday and results are issued directly to the student within one calendar month of receipt of a completed answer paper.

Completing an Examination Abroad

Your home-based assignment can be emailed to you for completion and subsequent return by email. You will need to make a special request to have your paper emailed.

Your centre-based examination can be completed at a British Council Office in your country. You will need to make a special request for this in advance of the examination deadline date. We would suggest that you choose the most convenient centre from the British Council web site and then contact us with your decision. You will be required to pay the standard examination fee to the Institute in addition to paying the British Council Office directly for their examination fees.

Can I Do Two Examinations in One Day?

Sometimes a candidate may wish to complete their Level II and Level III manual examinations on the same day. Please note that this entails six hours of examination in one day and should be undertaken only by the most competent students. If this applies to you please note the following:

As the Institute books one session at each examination centre nationwide, you will be required to cover the hire and invigilation charges for your additional afternoon sitting. This is in addition to the standard examination application fee, if it is not paid by your course provider. Usually the centre will charge a minimum of £80.00 for a three-hour sitting for one candidate. Should other candidates in your area wish to book a double session, the fees will be divided between you. We shall contact you as soon as we have heard from your nearest available centre. Quite often the centre may not confirm a price until after the deadline date, rest assured, however, that you will be welcome to cancel your second sitting should the additional fees not be acceptable to you.

Deadline Dates

Home-based examinations are issued to candidates every Friday by 1st Class. Each week’s application deadline date is 17:00 on the Thursday. If you have booked in, but then wish to cancel your examination, you will also need to let us know by this time too.

Centre-based examinations take place on the second Wednesday of February, June and October. The application and cancellation date for each examination is the 1st of the exam’s preceding month. This is the date by which your application must be received. Please note the following upcoming dates:

Examination 9th June 2010 13th October 2010

Deadline 1st May 2010 1st September 2010

You must have passed your Level I Certificate in Basic Bookkeeping before you apply for your Level II. Please note that, unless you apply for your Level I at least ten weeks prior to the date of the Level II centre exam you wish to take, it is unlikely that your results will be issued in time. If wishing to take a Level II examination in February, you will need to apply even earlier as no marking will take place during Christmas holidays.

If you have a medical condition which requires a Special Consideration for your examination, i.e. wheelchair access, or large print examination paper, you must contact the Institute before the deadline date for the examination. The Institute is happy to make Reasonable Adjustments for candidates with Special Considerations, but it is imperative that you notify the Institute before the deadline date for your examination and at the point of application. We recommend you speak to us by telephone if possible. The Institute will then request that you complete a Special Consideration or Reasonable Adjustment Application Form and submit an up-to-date letter from your Doctor outlining, not only your condition, but the impact that may have on your examination.

Studying from home allows you to work in a way that suits you best with a limited change to your normal daily routine. It is a cost effective way of enhancing and developing your skills and thereby improving your career prospects. Home study has been proved to be a flexible and effective study method by literally thousands of successful students over the years. Our ICB home study courses have been continually developed over the years and proven to be both flexible and extremely effective by our students who consistently achieve examination marks of 96% and above.

• Each course consists of a series of lessons. At the end of each lesson or section there are tasks which must be completed. Where assignments are applicable they must be submitted to the tutor. The answers can be sent by post or E-Mail.
• Your answers are marked, commented on and valuable personalised individual feedback is given.
• Communications are always maintained throughout and your tutor is available to discuss individual needs.
• Once both you and your tutor are satisfied you can then request a mock exam paper. This is your final preparation prior to taking the exam proper. Again feedback will be provided and instructed to either work through a topic again or be advised that you should now be ready to take the full exam.
• On your instructions we will arrange this exam for you and pay the appropriate fee.

Each package will consist of the following:

• Workbooks
• Study notes and instructions.
• Software where applicable.
• 12 months ICB Student Membership fee where applicable.
• Mock exams (Unlimited) providing the student is following the instructions of the tutor.
• Full exam fees (Unlimited) providing the student is following the instructions of the tutor.
• Qualified and experienced tutor support unlimited until completion of exams.