Accounting Technician Online Course 2017

han2000

Hoping somebody might give some feedback on doing the Accounting Technician course online.
Is it very tough? I was going to do the course part-time in a college however it takes two years. I would hope that once I had qualified as an Accounting Technician I could pursue further accounting studies with one of the professional Accounting organisations.

I am currently working in an accounts / administration role having completed a FETAC level 5 Business course, so I have an understanding of the basics I'm just afraid it might be too hard.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

J1256

I started the course while working in a bar having dropped out of college more than once. It suited me very much to do it online in my own time. The content itself in first year is not very hard as long as you keep on top of your work, especially if you have a basic understanding it will be easier. I achieved a merit in first year so I was allowed skip second year and go straight into CAP 1 exams with the Chartered Accountants so in this regard it is great for progression.

While in first year the course allowed me to get a job as an accounts assistant in a small company, where I still am now. However I do have a position lined up in a large firm come autumn.

100% would recommend you to go for it, the online platform is great and the lecturers are very good themselves.

Go for it and best of luck!

han2000

Thanks so much. I wasn't sure and I couldn't find any recent feedback online

Rachelmh

J1256 wrote: »

I started the course while working in a bar having dropped out of college more than once. It suited me very much to do it online in my own time. The content itself in first year is not very hard as long as you keep on top of your work, especially if you have a basic understanding it will be easier. I achieved a merit in first year so I was allowed skip second year and go straight into CAP 1 exams with the Chartered Accountants so in this regard it is great for progression.


While in first year the course allowed me to get a job as an accounts assistant in a small company, where I still am now. However I do have a position lined up in a large firm come autumn.

100% would recommend you to go for it, the online platform is great and the lecturers are very good themselves.

Go for it and best of luck!

Hi I have just got my exam results from first year ATI and received a merit pass so I want to start CAI instead of completing second year with ATI. I'm a bit weary as not sure if I will be throwing myself in at the deep end. I'm currently working in pharmacy and want a career change. I completed the ATI first year through online studies as I work full time and found it easy enough. Is it still doable to do CAI this way? How difficult is it? Also what are the fees and are exam fees separate? Any help appreciated 😊

J1256

Rachelmh wrote: »

Hi I have just got my exam results from first year ATI and received a merit pass so I want to start CAI instead of completing second year with ATI. I'm a bit weary as not sure if I will be throwing myself in at the deep end. I'm currently working in pharmacy and want a career change. I completed the ATI first year through online studies as I work full time and found it easy enough. Is it still doable to do CAI this way? How difficult is it? Also what are the fees and are exam fees separate? Any help appreciated 😊

Hello

I was a bit weary myself but my boss pushed me to go for the CAP1 course and I don't regret it. I am not sure what is in year two of the ATI content wise but I did fine in CAP1 just learning the course content that comes on it. I know you learn accounting systems in year two by you can really just learn that in work its pretty easy. As for tax and law module's in CAP1 ,they are the same as the modules in year 1 of ATI. Management accounting and finance is new and a bit of work is needed here but its very doable.
I would really recommend going for the CAP1 over year 2 ATI, that being said I would also recommend that you worked in an accounting role while studying for CAP1. Just seeing it being done every day it really helps

Best of luck whatever you choose

Rachelmh

J1256 wrote: »

Hello

I was a bit weary myself but my boss pushed me to go for the CAP1 course and I don't regret it. I am not sure what is in year two of the ATI content wise but I did fine in CAP1 just learning the course content that comes on it. I know you learn accounting systems in year two by you can really just learn that in work its pretty easy. As for tax and law module's in CAP1 ,they are the same as the modules in year 1 of ATI. Management accounting and finance is new and a bit of work is needed here but its very doable.
I would really recommend going for the CAP1 over year 2 ATI, that being said I would also recommend that you worked in an accounting role while studying for CAP1. Just seeing it being done every day it really helps

Best of luck whatever you choose

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it, definitely going to go for it. Hopefully I will be able to change from my current job when I have the first year of chartered done.

J1256

Rachelmh wrote: »

Thanks for your reply I really appreciate it, definitely going to go for it. Hopefully I will be able to change from my current job when I have the first year of chartered done.

You would be well able to switch now if you wanted

Shay27

Hi,
I've applied for this course to start in September.

Has anyone any idea when they send the books out? I'm hoping they send them out early so I can do some reading in advance cos I'm out of touch with studying!

Thanks

Maz2016

Shay27 wrote: »

Hi,
I've applied for this course to start in September.

Has anyone any idea when they send the books out? I'm hoping they send them out early so I can do some reading in advance cos I'm out of touch with studying!

Thanks

Hi, just wondering if you are doing it online or in a college? I'm thinking of doing it online and she recommends going to a college to do it but I'm still thinking online

J1256

Shay27 wrote: »

Hi,
I've applied for this course to start in September.

Has anyone any idea when they send the books out? I'm hoping they send them out early so I can do some reading in advance cos I'm out of touch with studying!

Thanks

I think they send you a letter saying when the books are out, they usually send them a week or two before the start. However I think you can collect them if you want.

Shay27

Hi Maz,
I'm doing it online. It suits me better cos I'm currently a stay at home parent so I plan on studying in the evening when they're in bed!

I'm hoping that I'll be motivated enough to do it online and don't feel that I need to be in a college.

Shay27

J1256 wrote: »

I think they send you a letter saying when the books are out, they usually send them a week or two before the start. However I think you can collect them if you want.

Thanks J1256!

extra gravy

Just looking into doing this course after stumbling into an accounts related role in my current work place. My only issue is that I never really considered myself very good at numbers and I'm afraid as it gets more difficult I might not be able for it. I do have a law degree but have never really been interested in going the solicitor/barrister route so I'm looking at this as a way of gaining a proper qualification. Good to see the positive feedback here, I'm going to go and read the prospectus now

ja1986

Where do I apply for this .I really want to start an evening course for 2 years which will give me an honours degree, but I have 2 toddlers so this might suit me more. Thanks for the info

Shay27

ja1986 wrote: »

Where do I apply for this .I really want to start an evening course for 2 years which will give me an honours degree, but I have 2 toddlers so this might suit me more. Thanks for the info

You can read the info and apply on the Accounting Technician Ireland website.

Pippa620

Hi, also looking for a bit of feedback on this course. Like most of you, i'm also working full time, and helping the hubby at the weekend with his company, so not a huge amount of spare time. I dont work in the accounting industry,or even in an accounts role, but have sat a few courses over the last couple of years, mainly in the banking and compliance fields. When i spoke with ATI today in relation to the online course, they recommended 4 hours per week per module. I couldnt commit to 16 hours per week,but was wondering if the guy I spoke with was erring on the side of caution. What is the realistic amount of time to spend each week based on four modules? An alternative would be to sit the course through my local community college two nights per week, it will just require a slight rescheduling of my hours in work. Would really love some feedback. Thanks.

Madio Sane

Pippa620 wrote: »

Hi, also looking for a bit of feedback on this course. Like most of you, i'm also working full time, and helping the hubby at the weekend with his company, so not a huge amount of spare time. I dont work in the accounting industry,or even in an accounts role, but have sat a few courses over the last couple of years, mainly in the banking and compliance fields. When i spoke with ATI today in relation to the online course, they recommended 4 hours per week per module. I couldnt commit to 16 hours per week,but was wondering if the guy I spoke with was erring on the side of caution. What is the realistic amount of time to spend each week based on four modules? An alternative would be to sit the course through my local community college two nights per week, it will just require a slight rescheduling of my hours in work. Would really love some feedback. Thanks.

Hi Pippa620,

I completed the first year and am about to begin second year which I'm doing part-time while working. I do 2 nights per week in a nearby college. For me I would need the structure of attending twice weekly thereby forcing me to cover chapters and attempt questions. Plus sometimes the lecturer gives a different slant on something or simplifies a problem. On the other hand your lecturer may not be hectic which is always a risk and can be slow to cover the book which I experienced with one of my lecturers.

A few years ago I toyed with the idea of doing the online course but I knew I wouldn't have the self-discipline at the time so decided against it. Perhaps I'd be better suited now when I'm more mature. I'd imagine to keep on top of the work and forcing oneself to cover topics/subjects you didn't enjoy may be challenging.

I had completed two level 5 courses in bookkeeping and payroll before beginning which helped and I was comfortable doing areas I'd covered with these courses. I found the Financial Accounting and Taxation modules easier to grasp as a result. Law & Ethics and Business Management were new to me and have quite a bit of information in them (especially Law). I personally would have found those quite difficult to cover by myself but I am weaker at those modules than the more numeric ones.

Hope this somewhat helps you. If you've any other queries don't hesitate to ask.

Pippa620

Hi Mario.
Thanks for all the info. Seeing as I don't have any experience in book keeping maybe a level 5 course would be more suitable.
In relation to the 1st year account technician course you've completed, how many hours per week on average do you think you spent studying outside the classroom?
Thanks again
Pippa

Maz2016

Hi Pippa, I have completed first year. I did it 2 nights a week in a local college. One thing I didn’t realise before I started is the amount of theory you need to learn. There is 4 subjects. Financial accounting alone has 448 pages in the first year book! The college nights were 6:15-9:30. Before Christmas I did maybe 2 hours a week study outside of this. That is a regret. I needed more. Since Christmas I was doing 10 hours a week study. Found it fairly intensive. It is a good course but you need to work for it. Also be aware there is a work experience part as well. A few people have been caught out. Research it. Good luck

Madio Sane

I don't think a level 5 is essential really but it just made things a bit easier for me when doing Financial Accounting. Maybe you will also be familiar with some areas from your job or personal experience.

The biggest thing for me was adjusting to studying again after a long gap and using my time efficiently. Much like Maz I wasn't doing enough before Christmas or busy weeks at work or areas I knew beforehand, etc. However by the second semester I had got to a better level for study 8 hours or so per week too. After first year, studying more efficiently was the big takeaway for me. Doing the questions at the end of the chapters and exam/sample paper questions is vital. Exam questions tend to be re-worded chapter questions or sample paper questions I surmise. This coming year I will put a bigger focus on this.

To my mind Taxation is mostly about practicing the personal tax computations, VAT, payroll and add back questions. Maz is right about FA in that the book is really long and my lecturer failed to cover it adequately (we were rushing to finish the book near the end). If you grasp key concepts early on re debits and credits, accruals this will be a big advantage. Law is very interesting but theory-heavy like Maz said. This is where I fell down by focusing too much on making notes rather than chapter questions. It is roughly split into
I. Courts, employment law, tort, consumer law, etc.
II. Company law, company formation (Ltd, partnership, DAC, sole trader), liquidation, receivership, etc.
III. Compulsory question (data protection or governance or ethics)
Business Management to my mind was the hardest to get my head around. It's a lot of waffle and management speak (I detest both!!). Areas include leadership, IT, HR planning & recruitment, product development, marketing, motivation, ethics, governance. A lot of the book is case studies or superfluous information which is irrelevant to the exam and is only padding out the book IMO.

If you go to the ATI website and click on Students>>Study Materials>>Syllabus you'll get a rundown on all the areas covered in the respective modules. Hope this will be of help.