“Has anyone else had to pay for a QuickBooks subscription just to teach it? I’m footing my own training billת any tips or workarounds? #QBFrustration #EdTech”

You don't need to be a practicing accountant to have a free QBO Accountant account.

I agree that your students should have free access to explore QuickBooks Online (QBO) as you continue discussing your courses with them, Avraham. 
 
You can let your students use our QBO demo company (test drive) for this matter. It's cost-free, allowing users to learn and explore the platform's features without paying for an actual account.

Please share this link with your students to start using the sample account: QuickBooks Online Test Drive. It's also essential to note that you can't link an actual bank to it for security purposes.

Aside from that, any activities that your students initiate in the sample company will not be saved permanently. It reverts to its default state once closed and reopened again on the next session. For more information about the demo account, check out this article:: Test drive QuickBooks Online.
 

QuickBooks also offers a free and interactive curriculum that users of your profession could consider using.

I would also like to inform you that there is a QBO version specifically designed for nonprofit organizations and is managed by TechSoup. I recommend contacting the TechSoup support team directly to gather more insights about this.
 

I'm also attaching a resource that your students can review while exploring QBO features and menus: Understand the navigation menu in QuickBooks Online.

We appreciate you for proactively looking for an alternative way for your learners. If you have more questions, you can always get back to this thread.

Hello @Ivan_G,

Thank you for your prompt and thoughtful response, and for sharing the resources on the QBO demo account and non-profit program via TechSoup. I appreciate your willingness to engage and especially your agreement that our students should have free access to explore QuickBooks Online throughout their course.

As I mentioned, our centre in London, UK, delivers an accounting curriculum, not merely a software overview, which requires students to practice continuously over several months. The demo account’s reset after each session is therefore impractical for meaningful skill development.

Over the past months, I’ve reached out multiple times to various QuickBooks teams without receiving a substantive response until this public forum message, which highlights a communication gap I hope we can improve. I’m aware that in the US, educators have access to free QBO licenses for teaching, so clearly there’s a model for educational support.

Could you please escalate this concern within Intuit and explore options such as an extended trial, an educational license, or a persistent demo environment tailored for UK-based non-profit training providers? I’m happy to supply any documentation or course outlines required.

We’re also evaluating alternative accounting training software, so a realistic timeline for any potential QBO solution would be invaluable for our planning.

I look forward to your follow-up and hope we can collaborate on a solution that benefits both Intuit and the next generation of accounting professionals.

Best regards,
Avraham

@Avraham-Stern 

I'm just curious. Why don't you take advantage of QBO Accountant for free?

Thank you for your patience and dedication to providing quality accounting education to your students, Avraham. Your commitment to nurturing the next generation of accounting professionals is admirable.

I recognise the unique challenges you face in delivering a comprehensive accounting curriculum over several months, and I see that our current demo account solution doesn't fully meet your needs.

While we don't currently offer an equivalent to the US educational license program in the UK, I strongly encourage you to submit a detailed product feedback suggestion through our official channel. This step ensures your specific needs are documented and considered for future product developments.

Here's how:

1. Log in to your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account.
2. Click the Gear icon at the top.
3. Under the Profile column, select Feedback.  
4. Provide details about your need for a persistent demo environment for UK-based non-profit training providers.
5. Click Next to send your input.         

QuickBooks is actively exploring options to better support customers and educators like yourself in the UK region. In the meantime, you may consider exploring QBO for Accountants. Although not designed for educational purposes, it could potentially serve as a valuable tool to support your teaching needs.

Finally, you may want to explore the QuickBooks UK Blog to support your students learning about business and accounting. It covers a wide range of topics to help them develop essential skills in the industry.

We greatly appreciate your interest in QBO and your dedication to your students, Avraham. If you have any further questions or additional information, please don't hesitate to post here in the Community space again. Have a great day ahead!