Tax intern Review

I have very much enjoyed my time here and its been great to see what is involved in the business tax processes. One thing I empathised during my interview is that I wanted to be given real work that will aid my learning process and make sure I get the most out of my internship, which I felt I have been able to achieve during my 6 weeks. The one thing I really liked about the company was the social atmosphere the office has - Everyone is friendly and happy to help you with giving you work or questions you may have

Everyone is very grateful for the work that you do for them, especially as they give you work they would otherwise do themselves.

When we first started we were given training on how to use the main software, Alphatax, and were invited to separate training sessions throughout the 6 weeks. On a day to day basis, everyone is more than happy to help you with any queries, big or small. Aside form the professional support, everyone from trainees to partners are approachable and friendly to talk to.

At the beginning there wasn't a lot of work but as the days progressed and we were given more training, I noticed more colleagues approaching us for work they wanted our help on. sometimes there would be a lull in the amount of work you had but usually, I would be very busy with work or meetings.

The work you are given at Smith & Williamson varies day to day which is great as you can get more of an insight into the department as a whole. I have often been invited to client meetings, been responsible in stages of a tax computation and VAT returns. Other things I have been exposed to is contacting HMRC on behalf of clients and research projects.

I think the routine of working will definitely help me during my final year to be more focused during the 9-5 hours I would've been working otherwise. Outside of that, I think this internship has opened up my understanding of finance and made me interested in a career in finance that I didn't previously think about before. Having valuable work experience here will definitely help me during interviews as well, as I can give solid examples to interview questions based on actual experience.

The atmosphere in the office is very friendly but focused. The actual employees are all quite young so as an intern it is more relatable to talk to people and any of them have the same interests. Often I would have conversations with people on my pod while working. It is a nice atmosphere to work in.

I think this internship programme has been running officially for 2 or 3 years so there are still a few gaps in the process. For example, there was little work for the Business Tax interns when we first arrived whereas the ABS interns seemed to have a lot of work to do. Perhaps it was to do with the time of year, that people were going away. Other than that, the assessment centres, training and communication of the process has been great.

Like I said earlier, we are given various training sessions when we first start and then during the internship so I feel like the company does invest time into you understanding what you are doing so that you can help you colleagues when you begin on your department. As the internship was only 6 weeks, Its hard to see elsewhere how they could've invested more into us

I am much more interested in a career in Business Tax than I was before I joined. This is partly because I don't come from a finance background so this insight was great to actually understand what they do. Aside from that I think the company is a great on to work for as they look after their employees and the working atmosphere is nice to work in.

Yes, most weeks there were social events going on in the department. There were also specific socials organised for the interns which is great because then you are mixing with people you work and it makes it much more enjoyable.