Analyst Review

Initially there is a heavy focus on helping to complete tax returns for clients. This can involve preparing the returns, communicating with teams internationally or contacting clients directly in order to gather information. We also hold calls with clients to determine tax residency position. this will initially be taking notes only but depending on the colleague you are working with often involves you taking a more active role.

You get frequent training sessions in the office which help you learn different aspects of your job. these include diving into technical areas in sessions run by senior colleague to training to use the software which we use to prepare returns. There is also out of office training to help you prepare for your exams.

I enjoy the job quite a lot. All the colleagues that I have are willing to help should you have a questions, including the most senior team members. You will have to do some data entry and analysis but this is often offset by getting involved in larger projects and client meetings.

The program is well organised. All out of office training seasons are scheduled well in advance stopping surprises. The internal training sessions take place during the work day and count towards the amount of work that is done during the day. There are online resources but personally I had issues accessing them, though I will admit that I am the only person who I know this occurred for.

I have received a lot of support from the business. Starting from initial 2 week residential which helps you get a grasp of the basics and the internal and external training sessions. The rest of the team is willing to help should you have a question or be unable to complete a task allowing you to learn your job more affectively.

There is a contact and online tools however I have had issues accessing them and it took a while for the training provider to grant me access. The tutors when you are out of the office are competent and keep the source material interesting despite the long hours. However there is only so much that can be done.

The qualification is require for promotion and some of the things you learn will directly affect your work. However a lot doesn't and we must also study modules that have no relevance to the work we do. This gives us a broader understanding of the tax environment but wont affect your day to day work.

There are socialising things every so often but the are relatively infrequent and if you don't drink you will probably get less out of them. There are quite a lot of opportunities to volunteer and you will be paid for this time. There will be the occasional conference in the building you can take part in but they are also infrequent.

Yes

I enjoy the corporate culture and enjoy my job. Being able to talk to the most senior colleague makes you feel more engrained in the team than you otherwise would do. There are also a lot of opportunities to travel to other offices or to take a secondment to a client site.

Apply early. As most people applying will have some for of exams it will be better to apply when the two don't clash. Also don't be afraid of failing. If you have a bad day one year and fail there is still a good chance that you will pass the tests the next time you apply.