Corporate tax intern Review

I worked in the corporate tax team which is a relatively small team on a range of tasks which varied on a day to day basis depending on which team members I was working with and how much work there was available at my skill level. In general the work I did included: fee proposals and engagement letter writing, learning BDO tax systems (tax computations etc), invoices, client meetings etc and as well as this there was a mandatory training week at the beginning with further learning modules to complete.

I have learnt some new skills such as the specific computer systems the BDO tax team uses, microsoft apps, office and email etiquette etc. We also had to do a presentation at the end of the 6 weeks so I developed my presentation and teamwork skills. I also developed some more soft skills such as communication with clients, note taking and email construction. As well as this I have more tax knowledge than I did before the internship.

I was given a decent amount of responsibility, for example, I worked on real client projects and did work that was submitted to clients. I was trusted to do things like call HMRC and construct fee proposals for clients . However, at the same time almost everything I did was checked by a manager etc so this responsibility did not turn into pressure. And also most of what I did was smaller tasks as I wasn't trained to do much more yet obviously so the responsibility given was limited by this.

Everyone was willing to help and I was never given a task without a good explanation on how to do it beforehand. There were usually enough people in the office that I could ask for help if needed and if not people were always available on teams. I was assigned a buddy and a line manager to answer any questions I had but most other colleagues offered help also. We also had a wellbeing check up.

The company culture was excellent as everyone was kind and supportive and the atmosphere was more relaxed than I imagine other accounting firms may be. There was a range of individuals in the office e.g. a range of ages so I didn't feel left out. However, I was the only corporate tax intern in my office as I worked in one of the smaller offices which wasn't an issue but it would have been nice to have had someone else there.

I enjoyed the internship a lot, it was good to experience the range available in tax as I worked with various different people and absorbed the workings of the office. It was definitely a beneficial experience and I have learned many useful skills. My only critique would be that sometimes there would not be much for me to do and that would leave my a little bored. However, this is understandable as I am not yet qualified to do too much and this hasn't undermined my overall experience.

Yes

Don't worry about not having an accounting background as most people do not and you learn everything you need to know on the job. When applying, think about why you want to work at BDO and how your skills would be suited towards the tasks you would be doing. Make sure you demonstrate you have good numeracy/ literacy, can work effectively in a team and can develop your ideas to contribute to your team.