Seven years, zero fails: Sara’s AAT journey with Eagle

When Sara Grieve first signed up with Eagle back in 2018, becoming an accountant wasn’t even on her radar.

She had been working as a secretary since leaving school, most recently in a college admin role, and was raising three young children. Life was already busy — but Sara is someone who thrives on keeping her mind active.

“I just needed something extra for me — not as a mum, wife, or housekeeper. I like to keep my brain busy, and I thought maybe a change of career would be good.”

AAT Level 2 began as a self-funded side project, something she studied in the evenings alongside full-time work. But the results spoke for themselves — so much so that the finance team at her workplace took notice and offered her a finance assistant role.

From there, Sara’s career began to change course. Her employer funded Level 3, and she started building real-world finance skills while continuing to study. Eventually, she progressed to an assistant accountant role.

The long road — and the long break

By the time Sara reached Level 4, she had been with Eagle for several years on and off, juggling work, study, and family. Then Covid hit.

Like many students, she found herself home-schooling her children, adjusting to remote work, and simply unable to carve out study time.

“I literally stopped studying. Three years went by, didn’t do any exams. I thought, I can’t be doing this — maybe I’ll pick it up later on.”

Coming back stronger

That “later on” came when her manager asked about her career goals. Sara’s answer was clear: she wanted to be the department’s accountant.

Encouraged by her employer — and with their financial backing — she re-joined Eagle on a monthly subscription so she could work at her own pace. She knew she needed to revisit her earlier learning before tackling the final stage.

“I had to recap Level 2 and 3 fully, because I’d forgotten loads. Even though I was working in finance, it’s often different to what you’re studying for the exams.”

She took her time, studied thoroughly, and made herself a promise: she wouldn’t sit an exam unless she was fully confident of passing.

Fifteen exams. Fifteen first-time passes.

That disciplined approach paid off. Over the course of her AAT journey, Sara sat 15 exams — and passed every single one first time.

Even the two exams she walked out of convinced she had failed turned into successes.

“Nothing will pass me until I fully understand it, and I’ll only apply for an exam date if I’m passing the mocks and practice tests.”

When she received the results of her final Level 4 exam in July 2025, she cried with relief. She had done it — and done it without a single failure.

Why Eagle has been part of her journey for seven years

Having studied with Eagle for Level 2, Level 3, and Level 4 — with a break in between — Sara knows exactly why she kept coming back. Her top three most valuable things about studying with Eagle are:

1. Learning at her own pace – “The only way I could have done this is by doing it with Eagle distance learning and at my own pace.”
2. Excellent learning resources – especially the study buddy, which breaks the course into a clear, exam-focused structure.
3. Affordability – “When I started, I was paying for it myself. The price made it possible.

Sara’s tip for exam success

“Only book an exam when you’re totally ready… You have to understand everything before you go for your exam, and then you’ll pass.”

A smooth, supported journey

Although Sara rarely needed to contact her mentors, she knew help was there when needed.

“When I have needed the support, they’ve emailed straight away… the mentors have been great.”

Reflecting on the past seven years, she sums it up simply:

“My experience with Eagle has been a smooth process. The learning resources have been what has driven me to pass and continue.”

Ready to start your own success story?

Join Eagle today and get the flexibility, resources, and support you need to achieve your goals — just like Sara did. Try our courses free for seven days and see how far you can go.