Tax Associate Review

My role is to help with the corporation tax compliance of our clients. This can range between completing the tax return and tax computations, helping with the onboarding process and answering client questions. Sometimes I assist with advisory pieces, where clients need specialist advice for specific problems they are encountering

Yes, I have learned how to work in a big team and how to manage answering to and working for numerous managers at one time. I also have improved my communication skills, as a large part of the role is offering advice and liaising with our clients on various matters

I do enjoy the programme, and believe the skills and experience I have obtained from this role are priceless. I find the juggling of the work with the study to be somewhat difficult, especially considering the working hours can be quite intense anyway, however I think it is worth it

I would say the programme is very well structured, and it is clear exactly what needs to be done and by which date. We are provided with timetables in advance which includes the dates of our study periods along with the dates of exams, which makes the process easy to follow

My employer supports me in a lot of ways, for example, the majority of the staff within the team have passed the exams before and this allows for knowledge and exam tips to be shared. They also understand the difficulty of the exams and reduce the working burden in these times

The training provider provides good notes and quality study resources which helps to learn the material. They also break up the material into various steps which ramp up in difficulty over time, helping to get up to speed and peak at the correct time which improves the chance of passing

Very well, the accounting papers really provide a great foundational knowledge for my work in tax. The audit papers provide us with a good skillset for looking at potential errors and maintaining a high level of professional scepticism. The tax papers provide knowledge fundamental to my every day work here

Yes, there are many. We started to play football on a Thursday after work and now we play in a corporate league against other teams from other companies. There are numerous networking events which are implemented on a quarterly basis, as well as organised work socials to make sure everyone gets involved

Yes

BDO has created an environment where you can shape your career in to what you want it to be. The company provides great support, and has a culture which emphasises both hard work and high quality along with a strong work life balance, which makes it both enjoyable and rewarding

Make sure that you learn a lot about BDO's business as a whole, as there are so many different revenue streams which are all important. Be clear about the qualification you will be studying as this will likely be difficult and if you don't come prepared, you will struggle