Spotlight on: Vijayendar Johal
Vijayendar Johal - AAT Accounting
I was finding it difficult to get back into work, so I decided to retrain. I looked into different options and settled on finance. A friend of mine was studying with the Waltham Forest adult learning centre and gave me a prospectus. I enquired about the AAT Bookkeeping level 1 which I started in April 2022. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the teacher eased any worries I might have had as she was very thorough with each topic and provided all the resources that we needed. After completing this course, I also completed the level 1 software course prior to enrolling for the level 2 AAT Accounting Course.
The level 2 course was longer, there were more modules thus more exams. I was ready to get stuck in and enjoyed learning about accounting procedures in more depth. As it was a whole new syllabus there weren’t any second handbooks available, this meant that I couldn’t afford to buy the recommended book for every module. I faced a challenging time when one of my children was admitted to hospital, I attended about 2 classes during that period, one of them online and I wasn’t able to do a lot of reading either, I still attended the exam and somehow passed.
Studying at home was a mixture of reading the books and doing the exercises in them, reading over my class notes/completing homework sheets and using the AAT learning portal (online) to complete mock exams and greenlight tests.
I found the staff at the centre very friendly and helpful. My colleagues in class were all very supportive of each other, we would help each other out when someone was not understanding a topic. One of my colleagues lent me her book as she knew I couldn’t buy that one and it really helped.
I had been applying for jobs in finance related areas since I started my level 2, but I wasn’t getting anywhere. One day I saw an ad for an AAT Apprenticeship with Waltham Forest Council, I initially enquired about the job over the phone and was told that it was fulltime. At first, I thought that it was pointless in applying as having young children and a full-time job didn’t seem like it could work for me but then I was told that it was hybrid remote and very flexible so I decided to apply. I was shortlisted for an interview and then about a week later I got a call to say that I got the job, it was the best news ever as not only did I have a job after so long, but I was embarking on a new career, something with longevity and progression.
I have now been working at the council since September 2023 and am due to start my level 3 course soon. I plan to go on to do level 4 to become a qualified accountant followed by a chartered accountancy qualification.
Vijayendar Johal
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