If you want to apply for jobs directly, you may find some employers ask for up to 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including maths and English. An A level in business studies, maths, economics or equivalent qualifications could also be useful.

There's a difference in the size of company where these professionals work; bookkeepers tend to work in smaller companies and take on a larger role than accounting clerks who often perform a more specialized role.

Bookkeepers help businesses keep their finances on track by keeping tabs on different accounts, transactions, and reports. They collect, organize, and store the business's financial records, including cash flow statements, reconciliation statements, and profit and loss statements.

In the simplest of terms, bookkeeping is responsible for the recording of financial transactions whereas accounting is responsible for interpreting, classifying, analyzing, reporting, and summarizing the financial data. Bookkeeping and accounting may appear to be the same profession to an untrained eye.