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 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.

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.

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