Phil C.
About me
| Phil C. | |
| Management | |
| Accounting, Business Finance and Management | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2014 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Private Client Tax Advisor | |
| PKF Littlejohn LLP | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Finance and consultancy | |
| Large business (250+ employees) | |
| 2014 |
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A day in the life of a Private Client Tax Advisor in the United Kingdom
Originally wanted to head towards Audit, but Tax is a much more interesting and client focused industry
Courses taken since graduation
Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT), Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA)
How my studies have helped my career
At York I studied Accounting, Business Finance and Management, and chose the Taxation module. So when I started I already had a pretty broad understanding of how tax worked and what was required of me. This meant I picked it up much quicker, but it is by no means essential, as the other graduates had no prior knowledge and have picked it up well.
I have also been studying towards the ATT, and then moving onto the CTA. This has greatly increased my knowledge of the industry, as well as the salary increases which are always helpful.
What surprised me about my career so far
My progression has been incredibly fast. When I started at the beginning of August, by the following November I was already helping to train and mentor the secondees we get from Audit.
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I will be fully CTA qualified which is one of the most prestigious Tax qualifications world wide, as well as at a manager level in the firm, bringing in my own new clients.
My advice to students considering work
You are not expected to enter a firm understanding the whole industry and how it works. As long as you come across enthusiastic to learn, and positive towards the industry, they can teach you the rest during the job. Even if you don't have relevant work experience, if you can explain how it is relevant, it may be incredibly useful. My previous jobs in pubs and restaurants have been incredibly helpful with my client relationships I have to build and uphold.
Contacting me
If you want to ask about the tax industry, or even audit, I have had exposure to both and can give an inside view into the differences and potentials from both.
What I do
I work in the Personal Tax department as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of more than 200 clients. I work with a variety of clients, from high net worth individuals, like sports men and women, to partnerships and trustees.
My job revolves around advising clients of the tax position of certain transactions, like purchasing and selling properties, as well as ensuing they meet their statutory compliance obligations.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Good communications skills are key, with many clients having very complex tax affairs, you need to be able to explain in easy terminology how and why the tax is being charged. Time management is also quite essential, with most of our deadlines being the end of January, need to be prepared to push through a rather challenging busy period.
What I like most
The opportunity to meet and speak to some interesting and respectable clients, as well as explain complicated areas of the field. We also have a great team environment, that keeps us all going during the busy season.
What surprised me most
That tax isn't actually as boring as I expected. Originally I wanted to head into audit, but now having worked here for over a year, I'm very glad I chose tax. Its a much more interesting and changing industry, with an opportunity to meet and speak to some great clients. Each year we have people from audit come for our busy season, and all of them say how much better the work is here than in their departments.
Next steps...
If you like the look of Phil’s profile, the next steps are down to you! You can send Phil a message to find out more about their career journey. If you feel you would benefit from more in-depth conversations, ask Phil to be your mentor.