Graduate Taxation Jobs

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Helping you find a career in the taxation industry

People employ tax experts to ensure that they operate within the law when it comes to finance and paying the correct amount of tax. They also help a business save money, where possible, and do all the necessary calculations and admin work associated with tax.

You could work towards a Chartered Tax Advisor (CTA) qualification, which opens up a huge range of roles within taxation as it is the highest level of tax qualification available in the UK. If you are interested in law or finance and are excited by the prospect of fast-paced work then this role will suit you perfectly.

Tax can have particularly busy periods, particularly towards the end of the financial year (April) or when tax returns are due. It will also require a strong aptitude for numbers and maths, as the work is quite intellectually challenging.

Typically you will work in-house and be dedicated to a single company or work in a tax advice firm that will have clients that could be companies or individuals.

A career in tax is also perfect if you'd like the opportunity to work abroad, particularly if you specialise in corporate tax.

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Skills & interests required for a career in Taxation

Taxation is best suited to those with a logical and analytical mind, as a lot of your day will involve doing calculations and working with numbers.

Whilst good numerical skills are incredibly important to work within tax, they need to be accompanied with strong communication skills so that you can explain to clients and other members of the business what is going on with their finances!

Tax experts need to be highly organised and able to multitask, particularly if working in an agency that requires balancing of multiple clients at once.

You will be required to work quickly, and accurately, as mistakes in this department can be quite costly! But in your training you will have the support of other senior members of staff in the department.

Other skills that will benefit you within taxation include discretion and high levels of responsibility, amongst others:

Graduate schemes & other typical career progression routes in Taxation

As a graduate in tax you will initially have to balance working with studying for professional qualifications.

After two years of experience you are able to take the ATT (Association of Taxation Technicians) exam, after which you will qualify as a tax technician.

Following this, you will be able to train and take the CTA exam to become a Chartered Tax Adviser. The CTA is the highest level of tax qualification in the UK and typically takes around two years. You will also need three years of relevant professional experience.

A career in tax can be lucrative, but it also gives you an insight into business that could allow you to move into business consultancy.

There is also the option to set up your own tax firm or work freelance, which will give you much more control over your time and enable you to work from home if you wish.

Tips for getting into the field

Try to get a placement at an accountancy firm in your holidays. Any one of the ‘Big Four' (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC) will look particularly impressive on your CV to other employers.

How much can graduates earn in Taxation?

As a graduate in tax you will likely start off at around £20,000-£25,000. Once you qualify as a tax technician you can expect a pay rise of about £10,000.

After you become a chartered tax accountant, your salary could be anywhere between £30,000 and £50,000.

A manager with 6-8 years of experience can earn roughly £50,000-£60,000. A director can earn anything from £90,000-£140,000, according to the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

What qualifications do I need for a career in Taxation?

You can work in tax with a degree in any discipline, although you may find it significantly easier to find work if your degree is numerical or based on business/economics.

If your degree is in something completely unrelated, like psychology, you can still join a company as a tax trainee but you may struggle to land a job in one of the large, international firms.

As a trainee or apprentice you would have to gain two years of experience in tax and then you would be able to complete the ATT exam to become a qualified tax technician. After this you can begin to work towards the next qualification that will give you chartered status.