Job Title: Assistant Manager – Tax
University: University of Oxford
Degree: Mathematics
Job Location: Manchester
Why did you choose a career in accountancy?
When coming to the end of my degree I wasn’t sure at first what I wanted to do. However, I knew I wanted a role that would use the numerate and analytical skills I’d gained from my degree, and the more research I did, accountancy seemed a good fit. I was also attracted by the chance to obtain a professional qualification, which I thought would ease the transition from life as a student to the world of work.
Current role
I was given the opportunity to train across both the tax and audit departments. I really enjoyed this variety during my training.
Since becoming an Assistant Manager I have transitioned full time to the tax team, with a focus on corporation tax. A big part of my role is coaching and reviewing the work of the tax trainees. I am also increasingly being given the opportunity to work on advisory pieces such as tax due diligence projects and the implementation of tax advantaged share schemes.
The tax team is relatively small and it’s nice to be part of a closely knit core team, but I also get the opportunity to work with lots of people whether that’s clients, other teams in Manchester or members of tax teams in other offices.
Even though I’ve now become more specialised, I still find there is a lot of variety in my role, both due to the advisory element but also because of the wide variety of clients at Saffery.
Qualifications
I have completed both my ACA and CTA qualifications via the joint programme offered by the institutes. Some exemptions are offered when completing the joint programme, so this involved a total of 16 professional exams, as well as meeting the practical work experience and ethics requirements of the ICAEW and CIOT.
Throughout your training contract you are given study leave for attending college and self-study days.
The CTA qualification in particular is challenging but throughout my years studying, managers were always very supportive of the study time I needed, with study taking priority over work in the run up to exams. Everyone in your team has been through the same process.
How would you describe the culture of Saffery?
Saffery is a very friendly place to work. We have regular social events in the Manchester office, and you get the chance to get to know people outside of your own team.
At Saffery, the partners want everyone to enjoy their roles and reach their full potential, so if there’s a specific area you’d like to get more experience of this can be raised with them and they will try to make it happen.