Corporate Tax Assistant Review

My role is a Corporation Tax Assistant. This involves preparing tax computations, corresponding with clients on queries and working alongside accounting and audit colleagues to resolve issues. Within my role I am required to drill down and analyse a wide variety of items within the accounts before deciding on the correct treatment. With that in mind, I am often deciding and determining treatment of items in relation to tax legislation

I am currently undertaking the ATT qualification, which will give me relevant and transferrable skills within the Tax industry. I have learnt a great deal about how to effectively and efficiently complete a tax computation. Furthermore, my interpersonal and business skills have increased, allowing me to better interact with colleagues and clients.

I enjoy my program to a good extent. The company has a strong, respectable vision and invest heavily into their staff, helping them to develop and feel appreciated. This is done through a strong internal training offering (including professional training courses and soft skills) and a variety of social events throughout the year.

I feel valued by RSM due to the aforementioned social events, training programs and more. The remuneration package offered is generally good, although any improvement would be there. Several other firms offer more in terms of salary, but RSM have one of the best training offerings available in the industry.

RSM as an organisation is well structured, with a clear hierarchy of staff and a well-defined career path. Despite this, the structure is flexible to changes, with options to relocate across the UK or even abroad to suit an individual’s needs. There are several regions in the UK, all of which have dedicated leaders and specialists to assist and move the business forward.

My training provider is currently BPP, who provide us with a large amount of support during the studying and preparation periods. There is a huge amount of learning resources available to allow students to practice further questions and take their studies further, with dedicated tutors on hand to answer any bespoke questions and resolve any issues that may arise.

I receive a large amount of support from my training provider. As part of my contract, all training fees are covered and there is a wide variety of training courses run by RSM alongside my professional courses. Each employee is allocated a training manager who will personally help and guide employees in relation to their professional training, and even once qualified RSM constantly run additional training courses to further their staff.

My salary package does meet my expenses as these don’t amount to much (being 19 I am lucky enough to still live at home so rental payments are lower than market price). Despite this, I am certain that I would not be able to move out from home and considering the current state of the market, won’t be able to for a few more years. Whilst under an apprenticeship, salary packages are reviewed in September, which for the majority of people is very soon after they join from school, meaning their package doesn’t change by much. An improvement of this would be to move this to March with the rest of the employees, so salary can better represent skills acquired over the year. With this in mind, I feel that I have increased my efficiency, skills and knowledge tenfold over the past year and my current salary is currently well under market average. I expect this to increase within September, with a large increase the following year when I am qualified for ATT.

At RSM we encourage a culture of inclusion and there are often social events taking place for staff members, such as sports days, company sponsored Pride attendance and many more. There is also a good chance to network with the local community, building a professional network and improving personal skills in the process.

Yes

I would recommend RSM to a friend as it is a company that prides itself on its inclusion and staff investment. There is a culture of friendliness, teamwork and determination to be the best it can be, which provides a great amount of motivation within the firm. Whilst the salary package might not be anything to write home about at first, through discussion with colleagues this improves significantly in later years.

The greatest piece of advice for applying to any job is to try and attend as many open evenings or events at that company as possible. Many financial businesses, including RSM spend a significant amount of time hosting events for students/potential hires and often a current apprentice is present at those events. These are a great way to begin networking with the people in that business and being known by the people in that business can increase chances of being hired greatly. RSM also do have a flexible structure, so if you don’t see the position advertised you’d like it may be worth contacting someone at RSM as there may be similar positions close by in an alternative office.