Good morning everyone

I'm looking for a little bit of help please.  Sorry it's a bit long-winded but I want to lay everything on the table.

I work for a small but thriving management firm based in Central Scotland.  We run membership database, PA and secretariat, advertising and events for medical associations and charities; we take care of the day-to-day stuff to allow the directors (all professionals in their fields) to get on with the focus of the associations in question.  I am one of the bookkeepers, and in the 4 years I've been with the company I've went from working on the clients' accounts to helping train up newbies, dealing with auditors and HMRC VAT inspections, to taking over the company books a couple of years ago and installing a new structure on the accounts so we can more accurately see how the company is doing over the year.  Previously the bookkeeper had just logged invoices as/when they came in/were issued and let the accountants sort it at year end.  That isn't a criticism, it's just the company was small and the accounts weren't analysed that much back then.  Just after I took over the reins, I advised we should be changing things and I've had outside help to sort things out, and it's all going much better.

Over the past year or so, the directors have been talking about installing a Financial Controller (possibly Director) and although I was skittish about it at first - alright, I near crapped myself! - I'm now of a mindset where I feel the job should be mine, given the work I put into the new format of the accounts, forecasting, etc. as well as assisting in interviews for the new bookkeepers coming in.  The bookkeeping currently comes under the Admin department but there are 3 bookkeepers and a credit controller here just now (and a bookkeeper in an office in Southampton) and there's been talk of spinning us off to our own department, as the current manager is being stretched thin.  I'm kind of the defacto head of accounts as it stands, everyone comes to me for queries, etc.

Now, at my last 1-2-1 with my manager, she has said that the current directors are looking at the option of bringing in an outsider to take the position of Financial Controller, probably for a fixed term, to mentor me with the view to me taking the position permanently eventually.  The only thing is my qualifications.  I only have an HNC in Accounting, although I have been doing accounts for years now.  I did try to do ACCA in 2015, but that turned out to be a helluva year and I had to drop out - we moved house, have 2 autistic kids, my sister passed away from breast cancer, and I had to re-do the accounts for a new client then took over the company books.  I did pass my legal exam (F6?) for ACCA and was studying F4 taxation, but I never got the time to study at home or work, and I got the sense from that unit and talking to other students that ACCA is geared more towards the accounting industry, and wouldn't help me in my current position, which is were I want to stay.  Given the recent chat, I've been looking further into what qualifications I could gain has led me to CIMA.

Given the kind of things I would be doing, ACCA or anything close to it wouldn't work for me, but I wanted to do my research first and see if there's anything else out there, or if I'm barking up the wrong tree completely!  Given what I've read so far, I think this could help me, providing I can get the time to study without major distractions.  I was looking to chat to those who have done/are doing the course so I can gain a greater knowledge of what's involved.  I'm looking to start next year, providing the new bookkeeper we have just now passes probation and the potential new client in last week doesn't drop accounts on me that will take ages to decode!

Thanks for reading, and in advance, I appreciate any help/advice/comments!

Bob