Tax Specialist Review

I currently work as a Tax Specialist in the Global Tax Operations department at JP Morgan in Bournemouth. I cover a variety of different responsibilities in my role and work internationally with a number of teams internally across the globe. Due to my experience I spend a lot of time training new starters to the department. I also have external interactions when working with different tax agents on the acceptance of documentation. My BAU is to oversee the escalated tax documentation submitted to our team and to ensure it is processed same day. I also have a monthly project where I process the Capital Gains Tax payments for the market of Pakistan. I work in a large department where there is lots of interaction between sub teams. My days go by very quickly as I am always busy.

I have done the Introduction to Securities and Investments exam and passed. It covered the majority of services that JP Morgan offers and therefore was a great introduction into the job. I have been on countless internal online courses to do with a variety of topics such as privacy awareness, social media awareness and KYC (know your client). I have developed all interpersonal skills such as confidence, public speaking, and resilience e.t.c.

The company is amazing to work for, I have been given lots of opportunities both inside and outside of work. My team is very supportive of my ambitions and want to see me succeed. The culture is dynamic and industry leading. My expectations have been exceeded. I thoroughly enjoyed the Apprenticeship and am now looking forwards to my future career here at JP Morgan.

I have regular one to ones with senior members of the department and feel very valued by them in that aspect. I am provided with funding through the sports teams and do not have to pay for my kits. I received the Going the Extra Mile employee of the month award last month and that was a great sense of appreciation for me. I do feel that occasionally you can feel a bit overlooked but I think that is more down to the scale of the company.

When you first start you are put on a two week boot camp course run by the early careers team. You get to meet all the other apprentices and have talks from guest speakers. The early careers team were extremely organised and communicated with us really well. I have two mentors within tax and a buddy from the cohort of apprentices above. They have been very helpful in supporting me, giving advice and keeping me on the right track.

There was a portal provided that kept a recording of all our lectures, this meant that we could watch any of them back for revision which was very useful. We had a specific email address that we could send queries too any time of the day which made communication good. Any problems were solved very quickly. Our lectures were done on adobe which meant we didn't have to travel to attend lectures and could do them wherever we had wifi.

My manager has been amazing over the programme. The HR team have been spot on with pay and tax every month and have granted me onsite parking every time that I have requested it. I have had a great level of support from the early careers team, no matter what I always knew you they were there if I needed to talk to them, and just knowing that support was there when you need it is invaluable.

I found that after paying rent, bills, car insurance, work bus pass and food, I didn't really have any money left over to be going out at the weekends. Since I have rolled of the Apprenticeship the new salary is far better. The bus pass was 45 pounds a month and the food at work is very expensive. Bournemouth isn't that expensive as a place to live and going out and doing activities is affordable.

With the Apprenticeship you are invited to lots of company careers events to promote the course and give extra information to potential applicants. JP Morgan has a scheme called Good Works where we are offered to attend charity events, for instance I attended one where we dug up an old path and relayed a wider and sturdier path so that there was better access for wheelchair users. I also am part of the JP Morgan Netball and Badminton teams. I train and play four evenings a week. It's a great way to meet new people at work and let of some steam. Outside of work Bournemouth is a lovely place to be, there's the beach, shops, restaurants and bars as well as the closeness to the motorway and the New Forest.

Yes

JP Morgan has been the better path for me than University. I have had a crash course in the corporate world; wording emails, unsaid expectations, running meetings, excel skills, using the phone, working with people across the globe - I never thought you could experience all of this before nineteen! This programme has been the perfect fit for me and should be seen as a flagship in Apprenticeships. I have been able to mature on the programme into a professional individual.

Always be confident in your own abilities and never try to come across as something that you are not - it is your personality, experience and abilities that will get you the job. Arrive early, dress formally and be prepared for every step of the application process. Do your research on JP Morgan thoroughly and make sure you can talk confidently about the business and its clients/processes. The most important part in my opinion is your CV - ensure it is updated with all your experience and achievements. If successful keep in mind that appearance is everything at somewhere like JP Morgan, be mindful about what you say and the impression that you give.