Hi Athena,

Not sure I would bother with the C&G - I took that to lv2 and it gives no exam exemptions from the other three that I am aware of. Useful as a pipe-opener and for small enterprises who want to understand the numbers in the reports they read but lv2 doesn't completely cover the ICB lv1 exam and we are considered a moderately easy bunch to join :)

If you want class based rather than home (distance) learning that probably rules out ICB, as a group we ICB members tend to go the home learning route and I don't know of any regular class based tuition in the South East though it might be available elsewhere. Your local collage will probably have an AAT course and as Shaun says they are not cheap! The IAB I think tends towards the home learning route though the odd class does exist I believe.

If I might ask is there a reason why you can't do home/distance learning - it tends to be the cheapest option even allowing for the cost of exams and if you use a course provider you have access to a tutor via email and possibly phone to help you through any thing you find hard.

As to which qualification is most valued - depends on the employer! AAT does come up frequently in adverts but seems of less importance to having experience with the software package used. Businesses will often site a preference for a qualification as much to get only qualified applicants as because they want that specific training and also, if the adverts are via a recruitment agency, it could be that the agency don't understand the different qualifications and pick only the one they have some knowledge of. Some bookkeeping and accountancy practices will only take you on if you have followed their exam system and that might not be by choice - some practice licences can be quite restrictive in that sense.

Which qualification takes longest. Well that will depend on the individual to some extent. I have heard of people who go from never looked at a bank statement to lv3 qualified MICB members in 4 to 5 months, which says reams for their ability to learn and churn facts but as Shaun has commented in the past does not necessarily mean they have the experience needed to go it alone. Equally some of the people who go though exams like greased lightning will do so because they have half a lifetime of experience and are formalising their working life. The same can probably be said for most of the qualifications you listed but where the ICB may allow a practice licence on exams alone the others require mentored experience, usually with a more qualified member of the same outfit. I would think that AAT take the longest in terms of the initial exams as they require class based learning (or did when I last looked) which restricts you to working at their pace.

How many levels are there - ICB and AAT have 4 levels - I don't know about IAB.

Bit of a ramble so I hope it all makes sense.

Thanks Nick :)