AAT Level 2 Certificate & Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
Course Details
The new Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Intermediate Pathway course combines the AAT Level 2 Certificate AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting. The AAT Pathway course is an affordable way to get your Accountancy career moving quickly whilst gaining industry recognised qualifications.
AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
The aim of the AAT Level 2 Certificate is to provide you with a sound comprehension of essential accounting skills and ideologies to use in the work place.
This course differs to the more formal book-keeping courses in that it retains its focal point on practical relevance. It’s important that you are able to apply your skills in a real world setting. Therefore, the course will provide you with a fundamental understanding of both manual and computerised accounting.
AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
The AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting is the perfect course to build on the knowledge acquired on the AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting. The Level 3 Diploma course is the next step to gaining an AAT Accounting qualification via the Diploma route.
The AAT Level 3 Diploma focuses on two basic aspects, learning the subject and carrying out the work. This approach will lead to you being skilled to national standards that are recognised across the UK.
The Diploma will introduce you to the more complex accountancy duties. These will include maintaining cost accounting records, preparing reports and returns and the preparation of final accounts for sole traders and partnerships.
The Association of Accounting Technicians is the principal professional association for Accounting Technicians with over 100,000 members around the world. Being awarded a qualification by the AAT is guaranteed to open up doors to well paid and greatly valued accounting roles.
Qualifications
On completion of the course materials, skills tests and exams, you will be awarded the following qualifications:
- AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
- AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
The AAT is supported by the main UK chartered accountancy bodies, for whom AAT qualifications can provide exemptions on the route to becoming a chartered accountant.
- CIPFA
- ICAS
- ICAEW
- CIMA
- ACCA
*Please note that if you have a criminal record or have been made bankrupt the AAT may not accept you to sit the exam.
Study Plan
The AAT Level 2 Certificate and AAT Level 3 Diploma will cover a wide range of topics including the following:
AAT Level 2 Certificate in Accounting
- Introduction to Business Accounting
- Business Documents and Discounts
- The Banking System
- Double Entry System
- Day Books
- Input and Output VAT
- Payroll Accounting Procedures
- Trial Balance
- The Journal
- Credit Control
- The Cash Book
- Reconciliations
- Business Law
- Practical Accounting Work Skills
AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
- Turning data into information
- Producing reports
- Value Added Tax legislation relating to computers
- Accounting packages
- Working relationships
- Improving your own performance
- Identifying ethical issues
- Short-Term & Long-Term decision making
- Absorption costing and marginal costing
- Preparation of cash budgets
- Statistical analysis
- Liquidity - obtaining finance, surplus funds
- Granting credit - assessing a customers ratio analysis
- Communication with customers
- Intro to reporting and the users of financial information
- Presentation of financial information
- Data collection
Study Details
The AAT Level 2 and Level 3 course is spread over 5 units for Level 2 and 7 units for Level 3 and should take the average student approximately 700 hours to complete.
As you work your way through the course materials you will be required to complete assignments. You will have a personal tutor allocated to you who will assess your assignments and provide you with feedback and advice.
To complete the AAT Level 2 and Level 3 course you are required to complete 8 computer-based exams and 4 computer-based projects.
Note: The minimum computer hardware requirements for this course are:
- Your operating system must be at least WindowsXP, Windows 7 or Windows Vista.
- 1GHz or faster processor
- 512MB RAM or higher
- 400MB of available hard disk space for installation
- DVD-ROM drive
Careers
Completion of the AAT Intermediate Pathway will place you in a strong position to get jobs in specialist accounting roles.
Previous AAT students have gone into roles such as a Bookkeeper, Trainee Financial Accounts Assistant, Company Cashier, Accounts Clerk and Purchase Ledger Clerk.
With further experiences and training you could move into more senior roles earning as much as £40,000* per annum.
*source: Hays
Example roles:
Assistant Accountant Accounts Clerk
£29,456 £22,000
Source: Payscale.com - May 2011 Source: Payscale.com - May 2011
