What is a Senior Bookkeeper?

A Senior Bookkeeper is primarily responsible for, amongst other functions:

• The completion of the monthly and annual bookkeeping function,
• Junior and Assistant Accountant functions,
• Skills for depreciable asset disposal,
• Year-end adjustments,
• Preparation and analysis of financial statements for sole proprietorships, partnerships, close corporations, companies,
• Cash-flow statements,
• Completion of basic management accounts,
• Cost accounting, including breakeven analysis, cost-volume-profit analysis, advanced costing, budgeting and standard costing.
• Financial management, and business ethics

Why should I study Senior Bookkeeping?

This course is ideal if you would like to work in the following types of jobs:

• Senior Bookkeeper
• Junior Accountant
• Assistant Accountant

FET Certificate: Bookkeeping (Certified Senior Bookkeeper)is also the perfect course for you even if you wish to improve your current skills and knowledge even if you are already employed in one of these types of jobs:

• Junior Accountant
• Assistant Accountant

With the Certified Senior Bookkeeper qualification, you will be able to:

• Perform all monthly and annual bookkeeping;
• Asset disposal;
• Year-end adjustments;
• Analysis of financial statements;
• Understand cash flow;
• Complete basic management accounts;
• Have a working knowledge of cost accounting, financial management and business ethics.

FET Certificate: Senior Bookkeeping – Course Structure

These are the relevant modules and subjects:

• Tactics for Winning
• Business Literacy
• Bookkeeping to Trial Balance
• Payroll and Monthly SARS Returns
• Computerised Bookkeeping
• Financial Statements
• Cost and Management Accounting

Course Duration:

This course should take you between 14 and 24 months to complete.


Did You Know?

FET Certificate: Bookkeeping (Certified Senior Bookkeeper) is the second (and compulsory) step towards obtaining the following qualifications:

• National Diploma: Technical Financial Accounting
• National Diploma: Financial Accounting.

Entrance Requirements:

• Grade 11

AND

• Basic Literacy

AND

• Basic Maths

AND

• Read & write in English

AND

• Access to a computer and to the Internet.

The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) – More about Them:

The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) is a Professional Institute and a Quality Assurance Partner (QAP) of the Finance and Accounting Sector Education and Training Authoring (Fasset).

The ICB was established in 1931 with the objective of promoting quality training and qualifications for Bookkeeping, Accounting, Office Administration and Financial Management in South Africa.

All the ICB qualifications are South African-based and are registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework (NQF) and the outcomes are relevant to the South African market.

Did you know that you can check out the ICB website for job opportunities?  The jobs are all listed by Career Junction.  You can click here: http://www.icb.org.za/careers.html to see the jobs that are available.

Registration with the ICB and Assessment Entry

As soon as learners have registered with College SA to study one of the ICB courses, learners need to immediately submit various Forms and fees to the ICB.

Learners must ensure that they are registered with the ICB. Membership Forms for the ICB are available on our website - http://www.collegesa.co.za/downloads.  You can choose to pay for your Membership Fee on your own, or this fee will be included with your College SA fees if you choose the All-Inclusive Fee option. In addition to your Membership Fee, you will also have to pay a small Assessment Fee to write the examinations with the ICB. Learners intending to be assessed by the ICB are required to submit an Assessment Entry Form (all the ICB Forms are available on our website, click here to go to them:  http://www.collegesa.co.za/downloads) to the ICB. This Assessment Entry Form must be accompanied by the payment of your fees.


Assessments take place in February, May, August and November.

Assessment and Award:

The ICB have prescribed compulsory assessments for this course. The assessment is based on the submission of a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) to the ICB which will comprise of 3 formative activities, 2 formative evaluations and one summative assessment.

What is a Portfolio of Evidence (PoE)?

PoE assessment comprises formative / interim assessment of activities (assignments) and evaluations (tests) that count 30% towards the total mark. A Summative Assessment (final exam) contributes to the remaining 70% of your marks. The PoE is basically a file containing all the evidence necessary for a learner to be declared competent against the relevant outcomes.

Important Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) Information:

To successfully complete the PoE, you must first work through all the study material and assignments. So if you register for the exam, without allowing enough time to work through all the course material, you will not be able to successfully complete the PoE. (And for that matter, you will also not be well prepared to pass the exam).

The point being that a well-prepared student will be able to complete and pass both the PoE and exam in time. But if you do not prepare, then you will struggle with both the PoE and the exam.

Is this the right course for you – QUESTIONNAIRE:

Do this questionnaire to find out if this is the right qualification for you. Answer Yes or No.

• Do you wish to register for a course that is endorsed by a Professional Institute?
• Do you wish to register for a course that will give you skills in Bookkeeping?
• Are you thinking about becoming one of the following: a Senior Bookkeeper, Junior Accountant or Assistant Accountant
• Would you like to increase your knowledge and skills of Bookkeeping without having to attend any classes or seminars?
• Would you like to be awarded with a FET Certificate?
• Are you hoping to achieve the end-point qualification of: National Diploma – Certified Financial Accounting?

If you answered YES to more than three of these questions, then this the right programme of study for you. We recommend that you register for this course right away!

If you did not answer YES to more than five of the questions, perhaps you should consider registering for one of our other career skills courses.

Other Career Skills Courses You May Be Interested In:

• College SA National Diploma: ICB Technical Financial Accounting
• College SA National Diploma: ICB Certified Financial Accounting
• Computerised Bookkeeping – Pastel.

If you are interested in one of these courses, please contact one of our Student Registrars and ask them for more information. They will be happy to help you.

Interested? Want to find out more?

If you would like to find out more about FET Certificate: Bookkeeping (Senior Bookkeeper), please fill in the short form below and one of our friendly Student Registrars will respond to your questions and provide you with all the information you need.

Frequently Asked Questions