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AAT Level 3 Diploma in Accounting with Work Experience
Want to study for a new career, but fear not having any work experience. Fear no more. Career Head Start delivers both the AAT qualification and the work experience plus a lot more. As a training provider we are renowned for our exceptionally high pass rate across the UK year-on-year. Now we go the extra mile and changing the face of education for ever. We not only deliver the accounting knowledge for to pass your exams, we fully prepare you for employment including 4 months remote work experience with a UK Company.
The Career Head Start is ideal for career changers and people starting out to fulfil their career ambitions of a new accounting career. There is no better option than to study your AAT course and then follow up with work experience. The work experience catapults you ahead of the newly qualified in accounting to join the qualified with experience.
In addition, to the work experience we'll train you to have high-level employability skills. We do everything to help you stand out from the crowd.
We'll arrange for your CV to be professionally written with a year of unlimited updates. We will also arrange for an accompanying cover letter to be written for you to send out to all job applications. We leave no stone unturned for you to be noticed. Your CV will be ATS compliant meaning that it will be prominent in all recruitment agency and employer applicant searches.
In addition, we will give you training in interview skills, building your professional brand and LinkedIn account plus learning the skill of professional networking.
Optional Additional Studies
In addition to your AAT Level 3 studies, you can add the following additional qualifications to your Career head Start studies.
Sage Computerised Accounting Software Level 2 - £250 including exam fee and access to the software.
Sage Payroll Level 1 & Level 2 - £300 including exam fee and access to the software
Level 3 Diploma in Accounting
This qualification is the second of the accounting technicians levels. It starts from where level 2 finished and will grow your knowledge of the previous qualifications. You will have a solid understanding of principles of accounting, including advanced double-entry bookkeeping, management accounting costing, completing VAT returns and business awareness. Taking you up to and including the preparation of information for financial statements. When you study AAT at level 3 you'll cover the month end and year-end procedures in financial accounting for the preparation of final accounts. Level 3 will give you the skills to gain a deeper knowledge of business awareness and the external and internal environment of the finance function. Much of your work in your AAT course level 3, is preparing financial data for the chartered accountant. You may own your own bookkeeping business and be preparing clients accounts. When you study AAT accounting level 3 you will move away from the data-entry of daily accounts activities and step more into the early management side of accounting. You will prepare financial accounting information for sole traders, partnerships and small limited companies plus often take on the role of a management accountant monitoring internal expenditure. You will be expected to be self-motivated and adept at time management in your busy schedule. You will be expected to have problem solving skills and work generally to an advanced level.
Gold Edge Completion Rates*
Completion Rates*
98.0%
95.0%
92.0%
Worldwide pass rates
CBA Pass rate*
75.1%
58.9%
63.7%
Course Details
AAT - Association of Accounting Technicians
A globally-recognised organisation, AAT works across the world with around 130,000 members in more than 100 countries. AAT members are represented at every level of the finance and accounting world, including students, people already working in accountancy, and self-employed business owners.
Studying an accounting qualification with Gold Edge means you are studying using our multiple pathway learning resources. This ensures, regardless of your preferred natural learning style, you will have an equal opportunity to achieve success because you are naturally learning how you learn best. We offer you 5 different areas of expert support as opposed to other colleges who offer one. This ensures that every aspect of your Career Head Start helps you to gain experience from the experts. Your AAT finance qualifications are supported by relevant experts who are accountants with many years of industry and teaching experience.
Our students achieve the highest of pass rates across the UK because success is designed into every element when studying AAT through our programmes. We don't only beat the AAT national and international pass rate averages, we smash them out of the park.
Benefits of Our courses
Flexibility - Our courses are designed to be studied 24/7. We offer live classroom and recorded classroom so everyone benefits equally. Your tutor support is available 7-days a week live meaning recorded lectures are tutor supported in the same way live lectures are.
Variety of Resources - Our resources meet all learning styles equally to ensure your learning is stress-free we offer, live classroom, recorded classroom, videos, animations, interactive e-learning, hardcopy Kaplan study textbooks, 4-stage revision programme including hard copy Kaplan Exam Kit question books. We offer personalised timetables based around the hours you have available to study. Plus a full set of coaching tutorials to help you to become the best learner you can be.
Start Your Career Our Career Head Start programmes are designed to deliver the AAT qualifications that are sought after by employers plus the employability skills gained through your work experience and our employability skills training. Anyone can ace an interview when know how.
Delivery Method Online courses studied through your personal learning portal.
Live classroom and recorded classroom. Hardcopy Kaplan study text books
& exam kits extensive interactive e-learning.
Sage Accounting Training including software access, exam fee & certification - Optional if not studied at level 2.
Sage Payroll Training optional - including software access, exam fee & certification - Optional if not studied at level 2
Exams can be sat at your local assessment centre or remotely from home - additional cost
AAT Membership available at an additional cost
Average completion time based on 6-8 hours of study a week 34 weeks. We support you for 15 months for your AAT studies + 6 months for your Sage payroll studies and 3 months for Sage accounting course (optional)
Expert Support You will have 5 areas of expert support - 7-days a week tutor support - 5 days a week personal learning growth coach - work experience mentor - Professional CV writer -Your CV is added to our 13,000 strong employer database.
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You are required to have studied the AAT level 2 or equivalent accounting qualification.
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Alternatively you have at 2-3 years previous experience and a very good working knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping.
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Have access to to a PC or laptop - This course is both MAC and Windows compliant).
The AAT consists of 3-levels. All have the study method of distance learning. Each level is standalone qualifications meaning on successful completion of each level, you are AAT qualified at that AAT level. As a training provider, we provide students with own pace learning so they achieve the skills needed to start or progress their careers. You can study from 3 hours a week through to full-time, which is determined by you. The courses can be financed through interest free instalments.
The three levels are: The Level 2 Certificate in Accountancy qualifications - The Level 3 Diploma in accounting qualifications and The Level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting qualifications. The roles possible vary per level.
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Level 2 - Is the perfect starting point if you haver no prior accountancy experience. You start studying with the basic and progress from there. You can choose to study our fast-track option at level 2. Roles are at this AAT level: payable and expenses supervisor, finance assistant, sales ledger finance assistant, accounts administrator, finance officer, accounts payable clerk, accounts assistant, payroll administrator. On completion of level 2, you are ready for work experience in the jobs market. On completion of the unpaid work experience, your salary earning potential is high for an entry level role in the accounting jobs market. Whilst the AAT salary survey gives a salary range, it is best to internet search for a salary in your area. Then you will best gauge the local average salary range. You will already have bookkeeper skills to begin achieving your career goals
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Level 3 - roles are when studying AAT courses: senior bookkeeper, senior accounts assistant, tax assistant, assistant accountant, audit trainee, trainee in financial management, management accounting officer, assistant credit controller and other assistant accountant and financial management roles. As you come close to completing level 3 you will find the accountant will pass on more responsibility and more complex accountancy tasks.
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Level 4 - roles when you're studying AAT courses online move into the management side of the accounting profession. Your financial career in accountancy career will encompass the management of the finance function and its wider aspects of the business environment. You will have learnt the bookkeeper and accounting knowledge for preparing financial statements for large corporate companies. On completion of level 4 Diploma in Professional Accounting you will become an AAT Accountant opening career jobs with many opportunities. You may then go on to study to become a chartered accountant. As level 4 qualified, you will already be able to take on a lot of accountants work due to the skills set and knowledge learnt at each level
There are 4 modules to complete at level 3. At the end of each module you will sit an exam as follows:
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Financial Accounting: Preparing Financial Statements - 1 exam
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Management Accounting Techniques - 1 exam
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Tax Processes for Businesses - 1 exam
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Business Awareness - 1 exam
Booking Exams
When to book your exams - It is time to think about booking your exam when you begin the revision stages of your studies. Revision on average takes 3 weeks to complete. Booking an exam at this stage gives you a focused end date for exam readiness.
You can sit your exams close to where you live. With the AAT qualification, there are no set exam dates for AAT, you sit them when you are ready. We will advise you on how to book closer to when you are ready for the first exam.
I have a degree but no accounting experience. Can I start at AAT level 3 or level 4?
No. Accounting is a subject that builds knowledge from level 2 upwards. There are no shortcuts. You need the knowledge gained at each level in order to understand and pass the next level.
Am I a professional Bookkeeper after studying the Accounting route level 3?
Yes you are a professional bookkeeper after passing the first two exams at level 3.