Bookkeepers to some extent work closely with accountants, but the two have different roles.
The job
Some of the job descriptions for a Bookkeeper include compiling financial statements (Balance Sheets, P/L Statements, Cash Flow Statements, and Statements of Owner’s Equity) for review by a company accountant, calculating, preparing and sending out invoices. Others include posting accounts receivable, processing accounts payable and processing payments ensuring discounts are leveraged.
A Bookkeeper is also known as an Accounting Clerk or Accounting Technician and hence has to have a knowledge in accounting.
In Malawi many Bookkeepers eventually become Accountants, which is a better-paying job.
Qualifications
For one to become a Bookkeeper you have to possess such qualifications as a certificate and diploma in Bookkeeping; however, some institutions employ those with qualifications in accounting.
In Malawi Bookkeeping is mostly offered in private institutions under various boards and the requirement is that you have a good Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) with strong credits in Mathematics.
According to Joshua Karim, a Bookkeeper at an institution in the commercial city of Blantyre, Bookkeeping can offer exciting challenges.
Salaries
Karim says the salary also varies according to institutions, saying accounting firms pay better.
With the right qualifications, Bookkeepers can receive about K100,000 a month, but in some institutions it’s less than K50,000.
This is one of those jobs where you sometimes may work odd hours, but normal working times are from 7:30pm to 5pm.
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