When I decided to embark on a career as a book-keeper several years ago, the pull of being able to work from home, whilst the little ones grew up, was a big factor in my decision to retrain and become a self-employed book-keeper. The fact that I could choose the hours that I worked and when I went on holiday really made sense.
Now I’m a few years in, I’m finding that some clients want me to work from their premise and not from my home and that my regular weekly & monthly client work means that I cannot always select my own holiday dates, as I need to meet my pre-agreed commitments prior to going away. More and more, it feels like my clients are the equivalent of my old boss, as at certain times they certainly dictate how my time is spent, are we ever truly self-employed?
It’s coming up to that time of year when my professional body requests that I pay them to renew my practice licence / membership and provide evidence of my Continuous Professional Development (CPD) that I have undertaken in the past year.
I dread completing my CPD record each year, not because I do not think that I have completed enough additional reading or training, but because the terminology of structured and unstructured training - still confuses me to this day.
Throughout the year I am constantly bombarded with invitations from my professional body and various other training companies to attend a variety of CPD events. They are designed to ensure that I keep up-to-date with this or that change, in a certain area of book-keeping, accounting or tax.
The reality is that book-keeping and accounting rules do not change drastically from year to year, as the double entry system does not appear to have been improved upon as yet. Of course certain rules on whether a particular item(s) is deemed allowable by HMRC may change slightly, but this is more of a tax issue.
That’s my moan for the week out of the way; I’m off to complete my CPD form to ensure that I retain my Practice Licence for another year.
