Trainee Tax Advisor Review

On a day-to-day basis I do many things in a single day and work on many different clients. I work in private client tax, so it means I can be working on many different clients simultaneously which means I get exposure to lots of different work streams and experiences, including clients meeting, technical notes and reports, as well as assisting with business development events which host external guests.

Yes definitely - my communication skills have improved greatly, particularly my ability to communicate clearly over emails. I would also note that although I was confident to begin with, having been in work for over a year now and seeing the new grads join after me, I can see how much I have progressed in my technical knowledge as well as my general work know-how.

I really enjoy it! I love being in work, getting paid and gaining experience. I feel I am gaining so much more from being in work than if I'd have gone to university. As I progress further it also becomes more enjoyable, as I am being given more responsibilities, and am even delegating work around to the more junior members of my team.

Yes - we are always able to give and receive feedback, and my team are always very positive and communicate what they feel I have done well, and also any constructive points which I can work on. We also receive recognition awards (which you exchange for rewards/vouchers) from managers and above which are always a bonus!

It is well organised, in that you know you are in training for 5 years, and you know that over that period you complete the ICAEW ACA qualification. We receive draft exams dates before the exams (ideally I'd like to receive a draft timetable for exams further in advance, but I appreciate this isn't always possible to sort these too far in advance). Recently we have also been given the opportunity to do the CTA qualification as well which I'm very pleased about.

Our training provider is Kaplan, and they provide us with all our exam resources. They also have online resources and an app which can be helpful for summarising information and revising on the go. we can also contact our tutors via email if needed.

I would say we receive the ideal amount of support, as we have allocated college time and time to sit the exams, meaning we don't take any annual leave to learn/sit exams. At work, everyone has a counsellor as well so if I have any concerns I simply raise these with them and we work to get them resolved.

Very well. I am able to comfortably rent a room in London with other house mates, to go on holidays, to socialise outside of work, as well as saving some money each month. I also received a bonus in my first year, and expect I will again this year.

Yes lots, for example in March I participated in an experience of a life time, by completing a 7 day trek with 49 other EY employees across the Sahara desert in aid of The EY Foundation where we raised over £80k for the charity to help young people who aren't in employment, education or training.

Yes

Well for all the reasons above really, you get a good work experience, meet lots of new people including all the other school leavers who you join together with. I really liked this aspect of joining, as you all become really good friends as well as help each other out with exams and other work queries.

When applying I would recommend for applicants to practice the numerical and verbal reasoning tests online. There are lots of free ones available on the internet, and the more you do the more familiar you become - increasing your pass mark.