Alexander S.
About me
| Alexander S. | |
| History | |
| History with Economics | |
| Undergraduate | |
| James | |
| 2011 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Tax Associate | |
| KPMG | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Finance and consultancy | |
| 2011 | |
| £29000 | |
| £32500 |
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A day in the life of a Tax Associate in the United Kingdom
Courses taken since graduation
Chartered Accountant with ICAS, ICAS Tax Professional
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I aim to complete the CA course with ICAS and qualify as a Chartered Accountant in September 2014.
I also aim to qualify as an ICAS Tax Professional at this date.
In the medium to long-term, I want to stay in the tax profession to gain further experience. My options at this point include moving between Big 4 firms, moving to a Top 20 firm, or seeking a job in industry.
My advice to students considering work
Research the role you are applying for and the firm you are applying to - knowing what you are talking about in an interview shows both an interest and competence. I would recommend completing as many work experience placements as you can, in a variety of areas – this gives you credible references in job applications and at interviews, it also helps you to gain a greater understanding of where you would like to work.
Also, being involved in positions of responsibility in clubs and societies while at School and University helps you to display an ability to take on responsibility, and again gives you experiences to call upon during applications, interviews, and in your day-to-day work.
Finally, I would recommend anyone considering applying for any position to know when the deadlines for applications opens and closes, and aim to submit your application promptly! Even if you are not successful the experience of going through the application and interview process will prepare you well for your next opportunity.
My advice about working in my industry
As on the previous page,
I would recommend completing as many work experience placements as you can, in a variety of areas – this gives you credible references in job applications and at interviews, it also helps you to gain a greater understanding of where you would like to work. Also, being involved in positions of responsibility in clubs and societies while at School and University helps you to display an ability to take on responsibility, and again gives you experiences to call upon during applications, interviews, and in your day-to-day work. Finally, I would recommend anyone considering applying for any position to know when the deadlines for applications opens and closes, and aim to submit your application promptly! Even if you are not successful the experience of going through the application and interview process will prepare you well for your next opportunity.
What I do
My work involves being part of a client facing team on tax advisory and tax compliance projects. I work in Corporate Tax and specifically, the Financial Services Real Estate team. Day-to-day I correspond with clients and team members on the various projects we work on. My tasks will typically include preparing our 'deliverables' (tax structuring reports, tax due diligence reports, tax computations and tax returns) and drafting correspondence (emails to clients) as well as some administrative tasks such as billing, costs analysis and client acceptance procedures.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Extracurricular skills:
I use a broad range of skills from technical knowledge in preparing tax-technical reports and emails, to 'soft' skills managing client's expectations and demands on the phone.
I feel the Graduate Scheme has given me plenty of opportunities to develop a wide range of skills.
What I like most
Working for a ‘Big 4’ firm has meant that I am working with some of the largest UK and global firms, this keeps my day-to-day work interesting and also pretty varied.
On the Graduate Scheme, I am also completing 2 valued qualifications, and I like the flexibility that this gives me in the early stages of my career. Should I decide that I would like to move from the area I am currently working in, I will have a variety of options available because of the qualifications I will have obtained on the Graduate Scheme.
Working with a large number of colleagues who are a similar age to me and who have been through a similar Graduate Scheme experience to me, makes work a pretty approachable place, and at times fun, even!
What I like least
As with many graduate schemes, I think the number of hours that are required of you in the office can represent a challenge. The hours worked can seem long, but often being part of a project which takes a lot of dedicated time can be very rewarding (and impressive) once the project is completed.
In all, I wouldn’t say there are many negative aspects to my job. I think that most graduates would say nearly every experience on a Graduate Scheme can be made to be constructive if you can take learning points from it.
Next steps...
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