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TransactionRecruitment

Positions we recruit

Bookkeeper

Day to day

What a bookkeeper
actually does.

The one-person finance function for a growing SME — full autonomy, full ledger, and no hand-holding needed. Here's what the role covers day to day across the businesses we recruit for.

  • Managing accounts up to trial balance
  • Purchase ledger management
  • Sales ledger management
  • Processing expenses
  • Bank reconciliations
  • Double entry bookkeeping
  • Payroll for a small team
  • Credit control
  • Cash flow statements
  • Accurate filing of financial data

What it pays

£27.5k – £38k

Real market rates, not a national average.

Minimum wage rises keep pushing this bracket up — most entry-level finance roles now start around £27.5k. Study support toward AAT makes a real difference to the calibre of candidate you attract, with experienced bookkeepers reaching £38k.

Salary calculator

See bookkeeper pay by location and experience.

Medior Bookkeeper · Coventry

Typical: £35,000 per year

Medium-high confidence — strong regional evidence

Where this leads

From bookkeeper to
assistant management accountant.

Assistant Management Accountant

Explore Assistant Management Accountant

Hiring or looking?

Either way, we can help.

Hiring

Need a bookkeeper?

Permanent or temporary requirements? You've come to the right place.

Submit a vacancy

Job seeking

Ready to be one?

Send us your CV or browse live Bookkeeperpositions

Common questions

Bookkeeper FAQs.

What does a Bookkeeper do?

The one-person finance function for a growing SME — full autonomy, full ledger, and no hand-holding needed.

How much does a Bookkeeper earn in the West Midlands?

Salaries for Bookkeeper roles across Coventry, Birmingham and Warwickshire typically sit at £27.5k – £38k. Minimum wage rises keep pushing this bracket up — most entry-level finance roles now start around £27.5k. Study support toward AAT makes a real difference to the calibre of candidate you attract, with experienced bookkeepers reaching £38k.

Is a Bookkeeper role permanent or temporary?

We recruit Bookkeeper positions on both a permanent and temporary basis, depending on what the business and the candidate need.

What qualifications do I need to become a Bookkeeper?

Most Bookkeeper roles don't demand a specific formal qualification, though AAT study or relevant hands-on experience makes a real difference to the offers you'll see. We can talk you through what a specific vacancy is really looking for.

What's the career progression after Bookkeeper?

A common next step from Bookkeeper is assistant management accountant — Many of the candidates we place build exactly this kind of progression over several moves, not just one.

Do you place candidates studying towards a qualification into Bookkeeper roles?

Yes — candidates studying are very much part of the talent pool for Bookkeeper roles, alongside those with purely hands-on experience.

How does the process work if I want to become a Bookkeeper?

Submit your CV and a market expert will be in touch to talk through your experience, what you're looking for, and any live Bookkeeper opportunities that genuinely fit — free, confidential, and no obligation.

Do you charge candidates anything to apply for Bookkeeper roles?

No — there's never a cost to candidates, for this role or any other. Our fee is paid by the employer, and only once a placement is successfully made.

Will my CV be shared with employers without my permission?

No — nothing about your CV or your situation is shared with any employer without your explicit permission first.

Do you help with interview preparation and salary negotiation for Bookkeeper roles?

Yes — briefing you properly on the role, the employer and realistic salary expectations before an interview is a standard part of how we support every Bookkeeper candidate, not an optional extra.

Can I see live Bookkeeper vacancies before speaking to someone?

Yes — you can search live jobs on our careers portal, but we'd always recommend a conversation with a market expert too, since not every Bookkeeper vacancy we're working on is advertised publicly.

What does it cost an employer to recruit a Bookkeeper through you?

There's no retainer and no ongoing contract — our fee is only payable on a successful placement, whether that's a one-off hire or an ongoing relationship.

How quickly can you fill a Bookkeeper vacancy?

Temporary cover can often be arranged within days. Permanent Bookkeeper roles vary with seniority, but our shortlists are built from people we already know rather than a fresh keyword search, so we are able to move faster than a generalist agency's.

Can you provide temporary Bookkeeper cover at short notice?

Yes — covering absence, leave or an unexpected gap in a Bookkeeper position is one of the most common reasons employers come to us, and we aim for a same-day response.

What happens if a Bookkeeper hire doesn't work out?

Our rebate periods and money-back guarantees mean you're covered if a placement doesn't work out as expected — ask your market expert for the specifics for your vacancy.

Do you offer working interviews for Bookkeeper vacancies?

Yes — a working interview means the candidate spends a real day in the Bookkeeper role, on your systems, with your actual workload, before either side commits. It's one of the ways we can take the risk out of a new hire.

Do you recruit Bookkeeper roles for SMEs as well as large employers?

Yes — we work with everyone from internationally recognised brands and shared service centres through to owner-managed SMEs needing a single, sole-charge Bookkeeper hire.

Will I get a shortlist of CVs, or do you actually vet candidates for Bookkeeper roles?

Every candidate we put forward has been spoken to and assessed against your specific requirement — not just keyword-matched from a database. That's the difference our specialist business model makes.

What makes Transaction Recruitment different from a generalist agency for Bookkeeper roles?

We are transactional finance and payroll specialists. We know this market deeply: the Bookkeeper space, the going rates, who's actively looking. Real expertise beats generic database searches.We recruit transactional finance and payroll specifically, not as one line among fifty sectors — that focus means genuinely knowing the Bookkeeper market, the going rate, and who's actually looking, rather than running a keyword search against a generic database.

No waffle. Just the right person.

Let's find your
bookkeeper.