Sorry, should have made that clear. I did the training in the expectation of teaching and flying freelance for anyone who will pay me, ie genuinely self employed. I registered for VAT on this basis, and was able to claim back VAT paid on CPL and FI training services in the previous six months and goods over the previous three years.
Things have gone roughly as planned and I am now self employed but, as I suspect is many people's experience, I have only worked for one company (as a freelance, not PAYE). The purpose of my post was to make the point (see mini above) that working for a single company (as a freelance) initially does not rule you out of self employed status, although HMRC would soon be on your tail if it went on for too long like that. They take the view that if it looks like a duck, and it goes on quacking like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
The bottom line is that you need to have the intention to be self employed (technically I think it's the intention to make VATable supplies) to claim the VAT back, and if that doesn't happen (as others have posted), or if HMRC think you are taking the piss you will be liable to pay back what you have reclaimed. Now obviously there's a bit of a grey area in your intentions, and sometimes the dream PAYE job turns up the day after you qualify.
However, I would have though that anyone who does an FI course is almost by definition planning to work freelance, because I don't know anyone who will employ an FI(R) on a PAYE basis. PMs with attached contracts please from all those employers around London who want to prove me wrong !
Hope that clarifies matters. This all happened last year BTW.
Last edited by puntosaurus; 9th February 2006 at 16:46.