The Programme takes four years to complete and includes:
During the four years of the programme you will study a broad curriculum of material, including Income Tax, VAT, Capital Gains Tax, Corporation Tax and employment related tax issues. This broad knowledge base will equip you to take up a variety of Grade 7 roles - whether as a generalist tax professional or a specialist in technical or investigative work.
During your first few weeks in post, you will spend a lot of your time studying and familiarising yourself with the work of HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). There will be a formal induction event and you will start to learn some of the core topics such as legal matters and tax awareness and you will have to pass online assessments in these topics.
During the remainder of years one and two, you will study modules such as bookkeeping, VAT, Company Taxation, Sole Traders and Partnerships and investigative work. The modules are assessed through exams at the end of each module that you are required to pass to progress on the Programme. You will also have to pass assessments of your practical skills in communications, team working and project working.
During years three and four, you will be building the broader professional skills, knowledge and other competences that HMRC needs from its future tax professional leaders. You will study modules looking at Company Taxation and Income Tax in greater depth including international tax as well as Capital Gains Tax. You will have to pass exams at the end of each module.
You will spend time in placements working in other parts of HMRC on specific areas of tax work and/or tax projects. The placements allow you to gain wider tax experience and develop wider competencies.
Every six months throughout the programme your manager will assess the standards of your practical work and your progress in developing the competences HMRC are looking for in a Grade 7 tax professional.
Your manager is your first and most important source of support. Your manager will be an experienced senior tax professional who will have first hand experience of the demands of a development programme. He or she will help you to identify learning needs, find suitable learning opportunities and monitor your progress and development. Your manager will also help you to find suitable practical work.
Experienced colleagues in your team and your assigned tutor will offer guidance on specific work in the office and there is further support available from a development coach.
You will be able to re-sit each exam, online test or skills assessment once. You will not be given any additional study time to prepare for re-sit exams.
If you fail a second time, you will not be allowed to continue on the development programme. If you fail one of the six-monthly practical work assessments you will be given support to help you reach the required standard by the end of a further six months. If you still have not reached the required standard you will be removed from the programme.
If you are removed from the programme in the first two years and:
If you are removed from the programme after the first two years, HMRC will try to redeploy you within the department. If they are unable to redeploy you, you may be declared surplus and could be made redundant.
Initially the programme is very study orientated with two days of tutorials, two days of self study and one day in the office per week. Later on there is a more equal balance between study and practical tax work. Despite the time allowed for study you may still need to study in your own time.
You may have to travel to a regional training centre and that could mean having to stay away from home on a regular basis.
There are a wide variety of activities involved in being a tax professional, you may work on:
The qualifications and skills of HMRC Tax Professionals have always been valued by the tax and accountancy profession. The 2013 Tax Professional Development Programme graduates will receive a Professional Studies in Taxation honours degree. This recognises the quality of your study and the rigorous assessments you will take.
Your initial posting will be within Local Compliance or Large Business Service.
Local Compliance is responsible for work across a range of business taxes and duties including Corporation Tax, Employer Compliance, PAYE, VAT, Excise and International Trade. This includes some of the largest UK businesses whose tax compliance is handled by the 'Large & Complex Team' where you will be based.
The Large Business Service is responsible for the very largest businesses that pay a significant proportion of the total business taxes and duties that HMRC collects.
The location will take into account business needs but in general your posting will be to a location where they consider you will be best able to develop your career.
HMRC will try to take your preferences about location into account but they will not be able to help with the cost of moving to a new location to take up your post or help with the cost of travel (although they can provide a season ticket loan).
Trainee Tax Professionals may be located in these office locations: |
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West Midlands |
Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Coventry, |
North West |
Liverpool, Manchester, Warrington, Bootle, Bolton, Preston, Stoke on Trent |
Yorkshire |
Leeds, Sheffield, Hull |
Scotland |
Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen |
Northern Ireland |
Belfast |
Wales |
Cardiff, Wrexham |
London |
Euston, Tolworth, Croydon |
South West |
Bristol, Exeter |
South East |
Southend on Sea |
East |
Cambridge, Ipswich, Norwich, Peterborough |
East Midlands |
Nottingham, Leicester |
South |
Oxford, Portsmouth, Brighton, Maidstone, Reading, Milton Keynes |
North East |
Newcastle |
