Looking for a professional, nationally recognised qualification? The Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) offers accredited accounting, bookkeeping and business study programmes. Each programme contains individual courses that build on each other.

These include ICB courses in Financial Accounting, Office Administration, Business Management, and Business Entrepreneurship.

Four reasons why you should study ICB

Starting a career in Accounting will never be a bad choice. It is one of the most lucrative and growing industries providing you with the opportunity to work within almost any sector of business. However, Accounting is a broad industry and choosing the best career path for you is key.

Here are four reasons why you should study ICB.

You will grow your career to new heights

Bookkeeping is a career that is constantly evolving with new jobs and skills being added in the field. This means there is a great number of jobs in the market and studying ICB will afford you the opportunity to grow in your skills and land your dream job! According to ICB '' The bookkeeping field is constantly growing…The noble bookkeeper does everything from maintaining financial records, problem solving to taking on the role of trusted financial advisor. And it can be lucrative!"  However, to tap into this field you need the right skills and a recognised qualification.

Stay ahead of your peers - study and work at the same time
The ICB course is done part-time through IBTC. This allows you to build a career and stay ahead of your peers while you study. It important to understand the business from all sides and working and studying gives you the knowledge you need to do just that. It exposes you to different scenarios where you can apply what you’re learning.

"You may have built up plenty of experience in one side of business, only to realise that you are notably lacking in another side. A course that is designed to give a broad, encompassing overview of ALL sides of business will allow you to gain the understanding you need to get where you want to go." says ICB.

You get a certificate for each level you complete

Each of the ICB programmes is broken up into 3 - 4 levels and you receive a certificate for each level. This means you do not need to finish the whole qualification to have a recognised certificate, which you can use as proof of your skills. With ICB no studying is ever wasted.

It is recognised by global qualifications like ACCA and CIMA

ICB opens the door to other qualifications like ACCA and CIMA. Your ICB qualification will count towards both CIMA and ACCA, thus allowing you to obtain certain exemptions and, as a result, qualify quicker.

Enrol with IBTC

Our ICB students are regularly the top performing students in the country. To study ICB with us go to www.ibtc.co.za and click on the book now button. Alternatively, you can call Robert on 0861 111 411 and he will gladly offer advice on how to get started.

ICB stands for the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers. It’s the world’s leading bookkeeping organisation, and has over 150,000 students and members across the globe.

It is a not for profit organisation, with their primary aim being to promote and maintain the standards of bookkeeping as a profession, and increase recognition for bookkeepers as an integral part of the financial sector.

ICB’s objectives are:

• to promote bookkeeping as a profession
• to increase recognition for bookkeeping as an integral part of the financial profession
• to promote education and learning
• to enable the achievement of a recognised bookkeeping qualification
• to provide a trusted benchmark for the profession
• to improve the career prospects of ICB members

What is an ICB qualification?

ICB qualifications are developed in consultation with employers, government, small business owners and experienced bookkeepers. Renowned as providing the principal and toughest qualifications in bookkeeping, ICB ensures that its syllabus is rigorously practical and relevant to the work you will be doing as a bookkeeper.

What are ICB courses?

ICB courses are fully accredited business qualifications, with everything from Financial Accounting to Entrepreneurship courses.

There are four main levels of ICB qualification. These range from the introductory ICB Level 1 course, through to the more advanced Level 4 certificate.

There are also a number of add-on qualifications, which run alongside the core four certifications. These range from specialist offerings for Payroll Management and Self-Assessment Tax, through to qualifications specifically catering for Financial Managers.

These courses will give you the skills needed to become a qualified accountant, or even start and run your own business.

Why do I need ICB?

ICB qualifications have earned a reputation as the industry-standard, and toughest, bookkeeping qualifications available. As a result, they are always in high-demand when it comes to employers looking to hire the very best Bookkeepers available in the field.

ICB qualifications are also globally recognised, with members in over 100 countries around the world. They have established offices in Australia, South East Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe, which are responsible for setting standards of bookkeeping on a worldwide scale.

Where can I study ICB courses?

Study globally recognised bookkeeping courses at home or in the classroom. IBTC offers flexible studying options, which you can fit around your busy schedule. You can either choose to take them full-time or part-time, and online from your own home or within a classroom.

Advantages of becoming ICB qualified

Some advantages of becoming ICB qualified include:

• A practical qualification which validate your skills in bookkeeping
• Global recognition
• The ability to start any time, with qualifications being taken every week of the year
• The opportunity to become self-employed
• Being in-demand for some of the world’s leading employers
• The chance to become a member of the world’s largest professional bookkeeping organisation

At IBTC we are so confident that you’ll pass first time that you can come back for free if you don’t. Contact us today, we’d love to hear from you! For more information email Robert at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call him on 0861 111 411 or visit our website at www.ibtc.co.za

Over the last year we've been focusing a lot on growing the company and growing as leaders. One of the things I've learnt in the process is that the founder's story matters. The story of our past informs our future. Where we come from, says a lot about who we are and where we're going. So here is my story. The story of the origin of IBTC.

For this story, I must go right back to the start.

Leaders make more leaders

My first real job was at a private distance learning college. I stayed there for 12 years and had no plans to leave. It was a great place to learn and grow. One of my managers changed the course of my life. He was generous with his time and knowledge and gave me an opportunity to learn about business, strategy, finance, product management and people management. From him I learnt the value of reading business books and studying other companies. Under him, three of the four senior managers who reported to him went on to start their own businesses. In retrospect, he was a 'king maker' of sorts. Today I know that great leaders make more leaders. 

The truth is that I didn't set out to become the CEO of my own college - it wasn't even in my frame of reference. But someone came along who believed in me and wanted the best for me - and in the process enabled me to achieve what I didn't even have the courage to dream.

Values matter

In 2008 my manager and I independently decided to leave the college after it changed hands. We felt the new owners didn't put the students first and blindly pursued money. We were more interested in adding value to people's lives and wanted to leave people richer because they bought from us, not poorer. Then an opportunity came along to buy a small tuition provider operating from Hout Bay and we felt it could be a place where we can live out our values. We raised some capital (which was an extremely stressful time) and bought this small college. There were only 2 permanent staff members (the owners) and a temp. We inherited the temp. Six months after we took ownership, Rob passed away. It was a huge shock to lose someone so unexpectedly and a daunting task that lay ahead of me. I felt I still had so much to learn, but also knew that I had learnt enough. So, I picked up the reigns, moved the company to Cape Town and started applying everything I knew.

Now it's 11 years later and we've grown tenfold. We have campuses in Cape Town Sandton and Pretoria and we've expanded our product range to include exclusive online classes. I really feel we've grown into a remarkable company with remarkable people and that the best is yet to come.

Pay it forward

The moral of the story is that someone believed in me and changed the course of my life. IBTC is my chance to pay it forward. It's a company where we pursue meaning over money - that means putting the student and their success first. It's a place where we recognise that people buy a promise from us and we must deliver on that promise. This holds true for members of our staff and our students. Everybody buys into the promise of IBTC - a promise of learning and growth, a promise of being taken care of and a promise of people believing in you and being generous with their time and knowledge. 

IBTC aims to fulfil its promise to all stakeholders (staff first), of being a place where we build relationships, we grow, we deliver results and we give people remarkable moments.