Tax assistant Review

I worked in private client tax and corporation tax (6 months each) in both I was primarily doing tax compliance and tax advisory work for a range of clients (individuals, trusts, estates, individual companies, large multinational groups of companies and more). I worked with a range of people not just in Southampton but across the whole of the uk.

I have improved my technical knowledge of tax and other financial theories. I have also drastically developed soft skills involving written and verbal communication including presentations, excel, emails, being involved and contributing to meetings and much more.

I was given lots of responsibility from the start as almost all of the work is reviewed before going out to any client, it gave the opportunity to learn from feedback and advice from associates/ managers/ directors and even partners which was great.

I received a lot of support. The company have a ‘buddy’ system where you are essentially assigned a mentor usually one tier above (for me being an assistant it meant I had an associate as my buddy) and they can give you guidance and you can ask them questions so you can learn from their experiences. I also had regular catch ups with line managers and sometimes other managers/ associates/ directors to make sure we are supported and if there is any training we feel we are missing they will arrange it.

The company has a great inclusive culture. Everyone is very friendly even just simply saying ‘good morning’ while your in the kitchen getting a drink. There’s also plenty to get involved in that isn’t just work for example I was part of the football 5 a side that would play every other week.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and have made some great connections that I intend on keeping in touch with in the future. I learnt a lot from my placement. There truly is no replacing genuine experience.

Yes

I would advise that going into the placement and throughout the experience you need to put yourself forwards and make sure you make the most of it. Don’t leave yourself wishing you had got involved in something by the end that you shied away from. Be positive and show that you want to learn and you can’t go wrong.