Becoming an accountant for small businesses with Cert IV / dipoma as qualification
I'm very interested in changing careers in mid-life to accounting (payroll, book-keeping, maybe eventually tax returns after further traning) for small businesses. My goal is to become a decent candidate for part-time accounting jobs or positions for small to medium businesses only, I've no intention of working for corporate or large firms.
I'm looking at taking a cert IV or diploma in accounting at a Melbourne uni like RMIT. Also considering something like a BAS agent course or similar thereafter so that I can eventually do more than book-keeping. Bachelor seems overkill.
As far as experience to leverage, I've run my own sole prop design business for many years and done all the accounting for that, and similarly for my wife's sole prop business. Is work like that in any way relevant? I also have a friend with their own small accountancy firm, who would hire me for basic bookkeeping to help get me started once I'm trained. But what if that offer fell through - would I have any chance of breaking into the industry without it?
Overall, how feasible does this seem?
If I can't break in, I figured the training would be useful to my wife's growing home business at least.
edit: yes i understand that i can only be hired as an employee with a cert iv, not as a freelance contractor, and that you need a bas license to offer gst services.
edit: mystery downvoters, please take a second to explain why you want to downvote my comments. you'd be helping out others with similar questions