The ICB’s new membership structure will mean that all members will be competent in both manual and computerised
bookkeeping at each level following the introductory Level I. All existing members and new applicants are expected to be able to satisfy these requirements by the end of September 2011.
The changes have been made as a matter of necessity to ensure we comply with the new Ofqual qualification structure, which sets out the competences needed in bookkeeping, payroll and accountancy at Levels I to IV. The new ICB will mirror the Ofqual structure, streamlining the membership grades and meaning that all members are more qualified.
The ICB is proud to support the exemplars in the field and believes that this is a complete no-brainer. It is well within the superior abilities of each of the ICB members to qualify at a higher level throughout the course of the next year without any significant disruption to their lives. For many of you this means gaining the recognition you deserve for work you are already doing but do not have a qualification certificate for. The ICB examinations have always been the toughest in the profession so you can already be proud that you are amongst the best. Here are some answers to the most common questions:
I am currently an MICB CB.Dip Certified Bookkeeper: What do I need to do?
Nothing. You will not need to complete any further qualifications as you have already attained the required competence at Level III.
I am currently an AICB CB.Cert: What do I need to do?
Nothing. You will not need to do anything else to achieve the new grade of membership at Level II. However, we would always encourage you to take your Level III examinations so that you can achieve MICB Certified Bookkeeper status.
I’ve achieved membership by the computerised route: What do I need to do now?
If you are currently an AICB(Comp) or MICB(Comp) you will have completed the computerised Level II and/or Level III and will need to now complete the manual equivalent. Because we understand how busy you are we have made significant changes to our examination procedure to make gaining your new qualification as hassle-free and time-consuming as getting your hair done.
From June this year all manual examinations will be available on-demand. This means that, choosing from any of our 150 centres in the UK or 5,200 centres globally, you will be able to book yourself in at time and on a date that suits you and in the location that is closest to where you live or work – you might even decide to do it in one of our overseas centres whilst you are on holiday. No longer will you need to wait for our traditional examination dates in February, June and October.
Under our new system you will be able to book as little as 24 hours in advance. Some test centres will be able to give you an evening or weekend test if you prefer. The examination itself will be 120 minutes long*. The examinations will be run just like the driving theory tests. The paper will assess you on the principals of manual bookkeeping, very similar to the current manual level II and III examination papers, but you will complete the work on a computer.
(* at time of going to print we stated that the examination was 90 minutes long. This has now been corrected to 120 minutes long.)
If you do not feel that you have the necessary experience and knowledge of manual bookkeeping and ‘T Accounts’, just give us a call so that we can help you find the most convenient way to hone your skills. You could attend a training day, take on another course or perhaps simply use one of the ICB’s textbooks.
Once you have completed the appropriate examination you will feel confident that you are a more rounded bookkeeper and can better understand what it is that your computer is doing for you.
I’ve achieved membership just by the manual route: What do I need to do now?
If you are currently an AICB or MICB and have not yet taken either of the ICB’s computerised examinations, you will need to prove that you are competent with a computer software package. This means something like Iris or Sage but does not include Excel, which is spreadsheet-based and is not classed as accounting software. We feel sure that since passing your examinations you have probably already begun using a computer to complete your accounts, so gaining recognition of your abilities should be a positive step.
The ICB’s computerised examinations are available on-demand and because we know that you have already proved competence in manual bookkeeping in an examination centre, you will be able to complete the examination on your own computer at home or at work.
We understand you are very busy but are confident that you should be able to fit this home-based assessment around your other commitments. You will need your own software package on which to complete the paper, which will be issued to you on any Friday that you choose and must be completed and returned to the ICB within two weeks. The paper will assess your ability to use the software package to complete all the tasks you were tested on in your manual examination. If you do not have an accounting software package, or do not complete computerised work, just give us a call so that we can help you.
I don’t have time to do more exams, leave me alone!
The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers is an institute for the best bookkeepers in the world. The ICB qualification framework means nothing if it does not accurately reflect the needs of bookkeepers and the businesses they work for. We will not allow the significance of ICB membership to reduce because we failed to adapt to changes in qualifications made on a national level. The membership structure must change if we are to be able to stand up and champion you to small businesses in this country and beyond, to HM Treasury and to government. We believe that there are some huge changes coming up that will have very positive consequences for bookkeepers. To resist these changes would be to renege on the very principals on which the ICB is founded.
If you have time to get your hair done at least once this year, you have time to become better at what you do professionally.
Since achieving my ICB qualifications I have taken some accounting examinations. Do they count?
They may well do, if they were taken recently. But because there are so many different qualifications out there, and some of them not meeting our standards, we will need to assess what you have achieved on an individual basis. Please send to the ICB copies of any certificates or results slips that you have. We shall make a quick decision and get back to you.
The ICB is here to help, so please get in touch if you are confused or at all concerned!
Sign me up! When can I show you how good I am?
Great. You can book in for a computerised examination right away by telephone on 0845 060 2345 or online in the website shop at www.bookkeepers.org.uk. You will need to nominate which Friday you want your paper sending out to you and your two week deadline starts from the Monday after we send it to you.
You cannot book in for a manual examination until May as we are still piloting the new system. As soon as we have fully tested it we shall let you know.
Meanwhile, if you want to swot up on your trial balances and ‘T accounts’, for only £50.00 you could attend one of our regional training days.
The following locations still have places left, and bookings can be made in the online shop or by telephone:
Preston Monday 12th April
Manchester Tuesday 13th April
Wrexham Wednesday 14th April
Nottingham Monday 26th April
Birmingham Tuesday 27th April
Oxford Wednesday 28th April
Ashford Saturday 8th May
Chelmsford Monday 10th May
Norwich Tuesday 11th May
Milton Keynes Saturday 22nd May
Exeter Monday 24th May
Cardiff Tuesday 25th May
Bristol Wednesday 26th May
Worcester Monday 7th June
Peterborough Tuesday 8th June
Brighton Monday 14th June
Southampton Tuesday 15th June
Belfast Wednesday 16th June