Going back to education.

barrywhittakerbmw

rossi789 wrote: »

I am 21 years old and left the education system when I was 17, half way through my AS Levels. After spending 4 years as a Chef I am realizing what a mistake that was. I left school with 10 GCSE's including A's in Maths and English so I'm beginning to feel I am wasting my talents in my current job.
For the past 6 months or so I have been trying to get into various financial jobs. With a combination of few opportunities and not enough qualifications/experience, I have been unsuccessful.

With this in mind I have been researching further education with learn direct and OU. As I work flexible hours, it's unlikely that I can attend face to face education so online courses seem the best option.
I am wondering if anyone has any advice when looking at this route? Any experience with it? Other companies you know of? The cost of it all?

Thanks.

My advice would be to start with basic accounting first. You can do your accountancy course and also work full time. What I would like to know is if you have quit your job or if you are still working as a chef? Either way, distance or online learning is the best option for you. If you are considering online learning, then it is good to check if the college conducts classes at a specific time of the week and if they also have recorded sessions. If you are considering distance learning, then check if they are charging you extra for books, postage or extra exam fess over and above the total course fees. I am doing my course with Home Learning College and they are pretty good at it. Before enrolling for a course, make sure you check the credentials of the college and go only with the best. It really helps if you have completed your education or certification from a well-known college.

Kynthia

If you are looking to get a financial job then I highly recommend studying the AAT. I think it's considered more practical and useful than a finance degree when going for entry levels roles. I studied it at evening classes at my local college, however I do know there are online and distance learning options. Both Kaplan and BPP are training providers that provide both of these options but look closely at what they offer for the money.

Distance learning is where they send you books and course notes and homework to do. They mark it and give you support and feedback, contact phone number and email for assistance. There are two types of online courses, both you get the same as the distance learning but one has pre-recorded lectures that you can watch at your convenience and others where they are live online lectures where you can participate and ask questions.

There are other slightly smaller and cheaper training providers too like Acorn and First Intuition. Also you can do it without a training provider, just buy the books, study at home and then register for exams but this is very difficult if you don't have experience or others who can explain stuff to you.