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Jon Williams
In-house team
Nationwide
FAQs
1. When should I talk to a recruitment consultant?
2. Why should I look at other career options when I qualify?
3. How do I go about finding a new position?
4. For what type of firm or company should I consider working?
5. What should I specialise in?
6. When can I go overseas and will it affect my long-term career prospects back in the UK?
7. What about working in-house?
1. When should I talk to a recruitment consultant?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as it will largely depend upon market conditions when you qualify. The better the market, the earlier you should consider your situation. Normally, we would suggest that you contact us once you have taken your exams, as it is good to a) plan your approach, and b) make sure you do not miss out on the perfect position that might arise early in the process.
helpful hint
If in doubt about timing, simply call us and we will advise you.
2. Why should I look at other career options when I qualify?
Unless you are really happy with your current position you should consider what else is available in the market. Many people review the market to ascertain if there are any better roles around in their chosen field. Ultimately, we want to build a long-term relationship with you based on good advice and trust. If we think it is better for you to stay at your current firm, we will tell you so.
helpful hint
It is always good to be well informed. Many people go onto the open market, get various offers, but ultimately decide to stay where they are.
3. How do I go about finding a new position?
The simplest way of finding a new position is to contact a specialist tax recruitment consultant who will co-ordinate and manage the whole recruitment exercise. There are many recruiters in the market, and the quality of service that they deliver differs dramatically.
In many situations, you only need one effective recruitment firm to be working on your behalf.
helpful hint
Always insist that your chosen recruitment firm asks you first before sending out your CV. Keep an accurate list of which recruiter has sent you where and when. This avoids duplication, which may be detrimental to your chances of an interview.
4. For what type of firm or company should I consider working?
This will be totally dependent on the area in which you wish to specialise. You need to consider where the training and exposure will best suit the type of work you wish to do. Ideally, you should seek a position with an organisation that is respected in your chosen practice area.
helpful hint
Carry out as much research as possible to find out which organisations have the best reputation in your chosen field. Take advantage of your recruiters’ specialist knowledge of the market.
5. What should I specialise in?
This is a crucial issue.
The decision that you make upon qualification will immediately open up future options but at the same time close various others. We are often approached by tax professionals who are two-to-four years qualified, who wish to make a specific type of career move into a different area of tax. In a number of instances these moves are made much more difficult because wrong decisions have been made at an earlier stage in their career. The response quite often is, ‘I wish I’d known that four years ago!’
helpful hint
Be cautious about staying where you are just because it is easy to do nothing, or you like the people in the group. Always consider the longer-term prospect. Never take a role on the assumption you can switch into a different area later – it needs to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. Try to get it right the first time.
6. When can I go overseas and will it affect my long-term career prospects back in the UK?
Opportunities exist in a variety of overseas locations for UK-trained tax professionals, primarily within the Big Four firms. Most require between one-to-five years’ tax experience, so you need to start equipping yourself with the right type of tax experience in order to make yourself as attractive a candidate as possible.
Financial Services Tax/M&A
The most common locations are Australia, Hong Kong and continental Europe. However, it is possible to look at Tokyo, New York, Singapore, Boston and other cities. It is preferable – but not essential - to have financial services tax experience.
International Corporate Tax
This is possibly the most transportable of all areas of tax expertise, offering the opportunity to move to most major global cities. You should be working within a heavyweight international corporate tax team within a Big Four or Top Ten firm.
Indirect Taxes
Most of the Big Four have extensive international Indirect Tax networks and opportunities can arise within Australia, continental and Eastern Europe, China, Japan and Asia.
Transfer Pricing
This is one of the fastest growing areas of tax and encompasses a wide range of inter-company transactions globally. Opportunities therefore generally exist on a global basis. Example locations include Australia, continental Europe, the USA & Canada, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Eastern Europe and South America.
Helpful hint
Talk to a Brewer Morris consultant to find out where and when you can move and check out what might happen on your return. Again, plan ahead so that you have the right experience to make the move.
7. What about working in-house?
The in-house option is an appealing one for many. The chance to get closer to the business and act in a commercial manner without having to record billable hours is becoming more and more popular. In terms of timing, it will largely depend upon the size of the in-house team concerned. There is nothing wrong with moving into a substantial team at NQ level as long as there are people on-hand to train you. If the team is smaller it would be best to leave such a move until you have developed enough experience to be able to stand on your own two feet – probably at the two-to-four year level.
helpful hint
Talk to friends who have made the move in-house and get a better understanding of what will be expected of you. This will help with planning your timing.
