Accountancy Student Stories:
AAT Student Stories: James McParlan | AAT Level 2 Review

After starting a new accounting position James realised that he had to take an industry qualification to catch up with new industry technologies and systems. He enrolled on a AAT Level 2 qualification with ICS and is excited for his further studies in the future.

I started studying towards my AAT Foundation Certificate in Accounting - Level 2 because I started a role as a graduate Sage support consultant after finishing university. My role means I am using Sage cloud accounting systems every day.

After finishing a degree in IT management for business I wanted to improve my knowledge of both bookkeeping and financial processes in the workplace whilst using Sage accounting systems. This was information I wasn’t exposed to at university.

I chose ICS due to their fantastic reviews and the flexibility it offers me to work a 40 hour per week job and conduct my studies from home.

ICS have a vast array of materials such as PowerPoint walk throughs, worked examples, live tutorials, recordings, tests, and past papers that equip you for your exam so you can feel confident before committing to the test.

The only reservation I had about undertaking my ICS work from home was that I could miss out on support if or when I get stuck on questions or learning material.

However, thanks to my supportive tutor Joanne any questions I had about the material or the structure of my learning she offered plenty of help and advice. This was similar if I had to go through ICS’s support team who offered me help when booking my exams.

I particularly enjoyed learning about the units for Bookkeeping Transactions and Bookkeeping Controls to better my knowledge of books of prime entry, ledgers, control accounts, and performing bank reconciliations for example.

Unit 6 Using Accounting Software lets you build a live environment where you can process sales and purchases transactions, process bank and cash transactions and create financial reports. All of which are applicable to my current job role.

I am looking forward to continuing my studies alongside ICS to complete both my Level 3 Advanced certification and Level 4 professional certification over the next couple of years.

I highly recommend ICS Learn to anyone considering a career in finance or accounting as it is a very user-friendly platform that offers superb help and guidance.

Inspired by James' career journey? Advance your own accountancy career with a 100% online AAT accountancy qualification.