Business Tax Analyst Review

My role involves working across the financial services tax team to help with take on process, as well as other more technical pieces. I have worked on reports and memos on topics such as pension schemes and UK reporting funds. I also write weekly articles for the FS newsletter which is distributed company wide.

Yes, I have been developing my communication skills. As an analyst, I work across the Funds, Banking and Insurance and Transfer Pricing teams, therefore it has been crucial to communicate around especially current workload and capacity. I am also developing my technical tax skills and knowledge with all the work I undertake.

I enjoy the programme, although it is definitely hard work! It has been a great environment to learn and develop, as well as gain some client exposure, although this could have been slightly more at this stage of the programme. It must be said though, if you chase up and push for opportunities here, they can be found, and this is something I am learning to do more of.

The programme is well organised, and structured, as long as you keep to your own deadlines. The work that has to be completed for the programme, such as the analyst pathway, is a lot of work, but it is up to you to keep on top of. This could have been introduced earlier, so that you don't have to back date 6 months or so of timesheets etc.

The support network is fantastic here. There is an open atmosphere and I have a buddy, coach and people leader whom I can all go to if I have any questions/issues. In saying that, the team is great, so more often than not, a less formal approach can be taken by just asking them.

The support is there if you need it, although you need to speak up and ask for help if needed. We also have an online portal where we can keep in touch/ask questions to our point of contact at out service provider. The tutors are also fantastic there if you need extra help.

It certainly helps in some of the technical side of things, although some of the exams so far have not really been relevant for the work that I am currently undertaking within my team. I would say that generally most of my learning has been done while on the job and gaining experience.

There are, but they are quiet hard to find. I have been looking/asking around for a sports team to take part in, but can't seem to find one, despite that being a selling point when applying. In saying that, there are lots of socials and that has been a great way of meeting/getting to know people.

Yes

It is a supportive yet professional environment and the high profile clients are exciting to work on. You are also given a good level of responsibility at an early stage. The best thing is that you can really forge your own path, and seek out the work/things you are interested in.

Be confident, the emphasis really seems to be on hiring the people and how they would fit into the team. Applying is a daunting process when it is such a big company, but they just want to see what you're about - when it gets to video/partner interviews, just try to be natural but well prepared.