A Career in Bookkeeping, Keeping the Books, Accounting and Money Matters and more Career News on Mywage Zimbabwe
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By Wongai Zhangazha
Dressed smartly and always holding lots of paperwork is Sandra Pamberi, the woman who controls the financial record-keeping that make Zuva Restaurant and Mini Bar, located in the Avenues area of Harare, tick. Busy as the shop is she has to keep records of every little thing that is bought and sold, how the money gets in, how it is used and where it is going. Playing around with figures is her job - challenging but interesting.
Daily duties
Being a bookkeeper for Zuva means Sandra keeps records of expenditures, receipts, accounts payable and receivable, profits and losses. On a daily basis her main duties are to add, subtract, multiply, and divide many numbers in order to post debits and credits and produce financial statements. She has to prepare reports for her manager as well as bank deposits. Verifying balance receipts and sending cash and checks to the bank is part of her duties.
She is also in charge of making a payroll for 15 of the restaurant workers and making purchases of equipment that is needed. In addition, she prepares invoices and keeps track of overdue accounts.
All this she does during regular business hours, from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4.30pm. However, Sandra might work longer hours at certain times to meet deadlines - for instance, during tax and auditing time. Moreover, during holidays she has to work more hours due to the high demand for their service.
Requirements
Sandra holds a diploma in Accounting and is working on attaining a degree in Financial Accounting with a local state university. She also intends to get a Masters in Business Administration when she completes her first degree.
With some companies, customer service work is required. This is because bookkeepers might write letters, make phone calls to clients, and interact with other workers. Most employers prefer workers with good speaking and writing skills and it is always good to know how to use a computer. Key programmes to know are word-processing and spreadsheet software. Computers have enabled bookkeepers to take on more duties and many bookkeeping clerks use special software.
Salaries
Sandra gets paid close to US$400 per month. However, other people in her profession who work in big companies can get a net salary of close to $1000. She is on medical aid and gets benefits such as free lunch from the restaurant.
Lots of opportunities
According to experts the number of bookkeeping clerks is expected to grow more slowly than average through 2010 due to the slow moving economy. Improvements in the country’s economy will mean more financial records that must be handled by clerical workers. The more educated you are the more the chances of rising to being an auditor or finance executive. The sky is the limit!
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