Assistant Tax Adviser Review

I work in the Global Compliance and Reporting team, assisting with the preparation and delivery of UK corporation tax provisions and returns. I also assist with tax audit work and tax reporting. This involves a lot of tax technical work, such as when preparing tax returns and doing tax accounting, as well as a lot of admin work (managing clients etc.).

I have developed lots of existing skills, such as time management, prioritising tasks, delegating tasks, collaboration and presentation skills. I have also developed lots of new skills as I had not studied accountancy before, such as tax technical and audit skills.

Whilst the work can sometimes be a bit repetitive, I really enjoy working with the people in my team and so overall enjoy the programme. There are lots of opportunities to learn new things and work with different clients.

I think the programme is very well structured. The accountancy exams are frontloaded, which means you quickly gain the knowledge you need to perform the job. The exams are well spaced out so you have time to experience both college and working life.

There is lots of support available within my team. I have a buddy who I can go to for informal support and guidance, as well as a counsellor who provides more formal wellbeing and career guidance. There are further teams and individuals available to speak to if I need them, including my apprenticeship coach and the apprenticeship wellbeing team.

BPP provide a fair amount of support, though they are often disorganised and can take a while to respond. It's unclear to students what the relationship is between BPP and ICAS (the qualification board), and so it can be difficult to know who to go to if support is needed.

The qualification is essential for me to perform well in the role - it provides the fundamental basics needed to understand accounting and finance generally, and then tax specifically.

I take part in the EY netball club, the running club, and am part of the team who do the accounting for Comic Relief. There are lots of other sporting and non-sporting opportunities to get involved with!

Yes

It's generally a very good employer, and the graduate scheme they offer provides a respectable and stable route into a finance career.

If considering financial services, think about whether EY (and Big Four generally) provides the culture you are after. It can be easy to feel like a small cog in a big machine, and it may be that a smaller mid-tier provider would suit your personality better. For me, EY is perfect because it provides me with the large community and global reach that I wanted.