Stuck in my job even though im a qualified bookkeeper? Can anyone help?

[grayhel]

Hi

I am stuck in an industry that has nothing to do with accountancy.

I am a qualified bookkeeper but i am either looking for part time which there are no jobs near me or wanting to work from home which i have tried advertising ith no success can anyone help?

Many Thanks

[elainec100@cheapaccounting]

What experience do you have related to bookkeeping?

If none - how about offering your services FOA to local accountants to get some experience e.g. take a weeks holiday and do a weeks work experience.

Yes it sounds like hard work - but you never know what might pop up then. :)

Good luck with it

[KidsBeeHappy]

tbh, for now, i'd sit it out. Stay in the job with the salary for as long as possible. Put some money aside and use this for proper marketing when the economy is a little healthier. Also put together a proper business plan, and use this period to do your business research properly. If you can find no work locally, it either means that your marketing etc isn't very good, or that simply, there isn't the demand there for it at present. Research now will mean a far more higher chance of business sucess later.

[grayhel]

Many Thanks for all your replys

[Alison Jones]

You may not like your job but it is a regular income. I set up my bookkeeping business in August 2006, the income from bookkeeping can be very irratic with really really good months but then you have really really bad months. If you have a partner or you are living with parents or someone else who are happy to support you financially in the bad months then if it is what you want to do then give it a try but it is a lot of hard work setting up a bookkeeping business and building up a client base. It took me 2 years 3 months to build up my bookkeeping business to a point my customer base was at the right level to get commercial premises but that was only because it was combined with a new business opened with my husband.

Alison

[Fernhurst Solutions Ltd]

I agree with Alison, unless you can offer extra services other than bookkeeping then I would think it is going to be very up and down in terms of both work and income ... to leave a full-time job with a steady wage to start out on your own at the moment might not be the best idea. There are far more people out there offering bookkeeping services than you might imagine - a quick look at Yell will confirm this.

Lots of experience and planning are esstential ... you might just want to start doing it in the evening after work and at weekends, that way you will be able to gauge how easy (or difficult) it is to pick up regular bookkeeping work, while having the stability of your fixed income from your job.

Whatever you decide, good luck :)

[gouldie0]

Hi,

I'm in sort of a similar situation, all i can say is try and continue in your present job. This will give you an opportunity to earn a steady income whilst building up your experience.

Have you contacted the local accountancy practices or bookkeepers in your area? I am in the process of contacting my local accountants to see if i can gain any work experience.

There are many benefits by taking this route, try searching some of the other threads about starting up your own bookkeeping business as they're helpful.

All the best and remember to stay positive :)

[weebly_one]

I am in a similar position too, having been a Sage trainer for about 13 years, I am finding it hard to find new business, so I have extended my services to be a book-keeper too.

I have 4 regular clients now, built up over the last couple of years, varying from needing an hour a month to about 5 hours a month. It is slow and steady slog building up a client base and I started by having another part time job while building up the book-keeping side.

I would say get your name out there and try and make contacts - either online or in real life, as you won't get any opportunity to change if people don't know you are there.