
Bookkeepers, also referred to as accounting specialists, settle accounts with accounting offices and deal with the financial matters of companies. Their professional tasks include: monitoring cash flows, managing incomes and expenses, compiling accounting records, preparing the budget, tax liability and social insurance contributions.
The position of a bookkeeper is one of the most popular ones in enterprises. Bookkeepers are indispensable to run any kind of business. Bookkeepers can find employment in service companies which offer the outsourcing of accounting services, and in consulting companies offering financial analyses and tax consultancy.
As corporate structures evolve, both in manufacturing and in service companies, bookkeepers can work both in companies and outside companies, as external support.
As a result of the popularity of the profession of a bookkeeper, there are a lot of job offers for bookkeepers in the labor market, and the competition is huge. The earnings of a bookkeeper depend, among others on the experience of the employee and on the size of the company.
Bookkeepers are expected to be experts in corporate finances, bookkeeping and accountancy. They should also possess knowledge of the tax law, and the regulations governing the activity of enterprises and their financial reporting. Basic knowledge of how enterprises function is also beneficial. Additionally, the tax system and financial law undergo constant changes, which results in the need to constantly and independently broaden one’s knowledge, and to be up-to-date with the situation in the tax system and financial law.
In order to perceive the profession of a bookkeeper with regards to the reality of the contemporary national and European labor market, it is worth familiarizing oneself with the national Integrated Qualifications System and the European Qualifications Framework.
The national Integrated Qualifications System, created under the supervision of the Minister of National Education as a response to the recommendation of the European Parliament and the European Council, answers the changes in the European labor market and economy. Its goal is to increase the number of people interested in official competences and raising their qualifications. This in turn has an influence on one’s professional situation and sense of security in the labor market. The Integrated Qualifications System is to help employees with a credible presentation of their qualifications not only to employers inside the country, but also to European employers.
The point of reference for the national Integrated Qualifications System is the European Qualifications Framework. It facilitates communication and the credible comparison of qualification systems in European Union countries. As a result, students, graduates and employers have the opportunity to better understand and compare the qualifications given in different membership countries and in different educational systems.
You can find more information about the European Qualifications Framework at:
www.cedefop.europa.eu
You can find more information about the national Integrated Qualifications System at:
1.
www.eacea.ec.europa.eu (England)
2.
www.eacea.ec.europa.eu (Northern Ireland)
3.
www.scqf.org.uk (Scotland)
4.
www.eacea.ec.europa.eu (Wales)
5.
www.ncchomelearning.co.uk