Rebecca Duckworth

Ribble Valley Borough Council

I have been working within Revenues for around 20 years and I have always been interested in completing the IRRV qualification to further advance the knowledge of Revenues. When I moved to Ribble Valley Borough Council 5 years ago as a Recovery Officer, I was offered the opportunity to complete it. 

With having a busy home life with 3 children and being very sociable, I didn’t know if I would have time, however, the fact that it was distance learning made it more appealing and manageable, so I could study in my own time and at my own pace. 

I found the online resources to be brilliant and easy to read. The exercises and tasks at the end of each Module allows you to bring all the information together and really understand the Legislation and aspects of certain areas of Council Tax and Business Rates. I have had 3 tutors over the period of qualifying and I cannot speak highly enough of them for all the help and support they have given me over the past couple of years. 

The main area which I found the most helpful was the pre-exam webinars. This is where you can really focus on certain aspects of the exam you are about to take and touch up on areas you felt you knew, but maybe didn’t. 

I have managed to gain 3 distinctions and 1 pass overall. These results have made me feel more positive going back to my role and given me more clarity on the Legislation and Case Law. 

I would highly recommend the IRRV course to anyone who would want to further their career and understanding of it.