Trainee Tax Advisor Review

I work within EY's Indirect Tax department, which has so far been a fantastic experience. Day-to-day I am involved with VAT Compliance and Advisory work which involves tasks ranging from company research, invoice / schedule reviews, completing VAT return reviews and also working to assist with advisory work. As a result of the variety of projects and pieces of work, tasks range and change every day; from being involved on a team phone call to drafting an advisory letter. It is the ever changing workload and daily interactions which make the role so interesting.

As part of the role, I am studying for the relevant ACA Qualification (currently at the certificate stage). In addition to this I have been attending internal VAT training. This has allowed me to develop technically and gain a lot of new Financial / Indirect Tax knowledge. Day-to-day I am also developing business and working skills, such as communication, team-work, learning how to balance a work load and learning how different business environments operate.

I have really enjoyed the programme so far, in my first year I have been supported both by the Indirect Tax Team, the School Leaver / Training team and also by the wider EY Network. The culture at EY has made me feel welcome and as a result of this, encouraged my development.

The Mid-Year and End of Year feedback process works very well and it's really good that EY put such an emphasis on the review / development process. Being able to discuss progress with all the members of your team, having award systems such as the Impact Awards and the encouraging feedback from projects / pieces of work all help to make staff feel valued.

The programme has a clear qualification structure - which provides technical training with Kaplan, exam team support and a clear pathway to qualification. In addition to this we had an excellent Induction with other School Leavers who were joined EY Offices across the UK. Each School Leaver is assigned both a buddy and a counsellor who are both able to help a great deal with mentoring and guidance.

The college tuition is of a very high standard, in addition to this the training includes access to a lot of online resources and contact information for the relevant tutors (per the subject taught). Although it can be difficult absorbing a lot of new information, I found the level of guidance very helpful and it was clear the tutors had a high level understanding of the topics taught.

EY have a dedicated School Leaver and Exam Training Team. They arrange various support events (such as ICAEW Talks, Induction events etc). As well as answering any queries as they arise.

I would say that the salary more than meets my travel, social and general living costs. In addition to this EY Offers a Season Ticket Loan as part of the package - which is very useful.

EY has a wide network of different societies as well as various programmes on offer. I find that a lot of teams have various social / company events, in addition to this EY also have different sports teams which peers have been involved in.

Yes

Due to the culture at EY, the opportunities available and the values which EY promote. I feel it is a place I can be proud to work for.

I think it is very important to look at EY's website - as you can find out a lot about the application process which is a good starting point. In addition to this - research the relevant service line you want to apply for, the current issues in the business world and also think about your CV / experiences so far and how they can become answers to interview questions. If you research well, think about your key strengths and find out about the programme - that will all help make the process seem less daunting.