Margaret Janicka |Student with Ideal Schools – courses in bookkeeping & accounting

Margaret’s Story:

With regard to background, I did well in the ICB Level 1 and 2 courses (classroom based) with my previous training provider which prompted me to continue on to Level 3. As they did not provide the courses for this level, I decided to do these with Ideal Schools as your organisation has a very good reputation among ICB students. I liked the idea of home study with another provider as you can study at your own pace in the knowledge that if you get stuck on something, help is always just an e-mail or telephone call away. I felt more comfortable with this option rather than going it completely alone by simply purchasing the relevant text books.

Furthermore, I have had a lot of disruption in my life during the last eighteen months or so due to the process of trying to sell our family home with the first sale falling through and then relocating to the other side of England. Again, it was a comfort to know that if this had caused me any difficulties in getting back into the swing of studying, help would have been at hand.

Since the very start of my ICB studies, my motivation and focus has been to achieve as higher grades as possible. This is because until recently, I had been unemployed since June 2011 and wanted to demonstrate to potential employers that I had been making good use of my time and was still capable of learning to a high standard. High grades were therefore important and a priority for me in order to help my CV stand out from others. I also felt that they, and home study, would reflect hard work, discipline, motivation and initiative – qualities that all employers value.

In a way, studying bookkeeping has also allowed me to challenge myself to face up to my fears from the past. My first degree was actually in Accountancy but at that time I had no knowledge of bookkeeping whatsoever. Although I still managed to get a respectable degree, I did find the core subjects difficult as the course material did not cover book-keeping. I therefore did not do as well as I had hoped and was put off bookkeeping and accounts preparation work. Having now studied the basics, I know that had I had this knowledge before, I would have achieved a much better degree and I also feel that I now have the confidence to work in this field today.