Tax Apprentice Review

I am a tax trainee in the private client tax department. My daily tasks as a trainee largely revolves around tax return preparation between August and January. In other months work is very much varies - the work may not be as exciting but it is also still important.

I have learnt how to prepare a tax return as well as continuing to develop my writing style when emailing and writing to clients.

The programme is well structured and has a clear career path. The people in the department are very friendly, patient and understand that everything is a learning process, especially coming into a field where everything is so completely new.

Managers are always willing to give credit to the staff at hand for the work especially if it has been done well. Feedback is provided on tax return preparation so the staff is always able to see a clear path to improvement. General managers and partners do occasionally organise social events and lunches to show appreciation of hard work.

From the induction to starting training support from the firm is emphasised. The firm want trainees to pass exams and are willing to provide support for anyone who asks for it. There are bi-weekly meeting with your general manager to check on your progress and you are assigned to a buddy/mentor to help you as you start. Your mentor is there to help you with any questions you have and really helps smooth out the learning process. The career path is clear with exams being the major contributor in measuring your value and success for the programme.

Support is provided constantly and is available to anyone whenever they require it. Kaplan is the training provider used by the company and you are expected to attend all college days, revision materials are provided and there is a website to attain additional learning resources.

The firm is willing to provide all the support that is required for you to pass your exams. Whether it's having your mentor or a manager help you understand or explain to you a topic you don't quite understand or providing guidance on how to cope with the exams.

The salary is competitive and is reviewed every year. The firm allows you to take a train season ticket loan which then comes out of your salary ever month. This helps with travel cost coming in and out of London for work.

Not as many as I would have liked. Other departments such as Audit and Business Tax have more socials, but this is now slowly changing.

Yes

The firm offers a competitive salary working in central London and provides clear career progression. After passing your exams you will be fully chartered in tax advisory.

Read the website and understand the philosophy and the ethos of the firm. Spend time on the application process and take care with how you answer questions. Use the website to guide you in answering the questions asked in the online application. Be confident, prepare well and do your research!