For Tax Professional Development Programme you must have a 2:2 degree (or equivalent) at application stage or the expectation of a 2:2 degree at September 2013.
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) selection process (see link below) has three stages and at each stage HMRC will measure you against the following competencies:
The first part is an online application form followed by a series of short tests. Once you have completed your application form you will be invited to complete online tests assessing your logical reasoning, verbal and numerical skills and a questionnaire looking at your style of working. You can complete stage 1 of the process between 17 September 2012 and 30 November 2012.
The application form asks for personal information such as National Insurance number and contact details. HMRC also requires a full employment history for the past three years (including dates) as well as referee contact details. You don't need to complete the application all at once as you are able to save any information you have entered and log in at a later stage to complete it. However, HMRC strongly recommends completing them as soon as possible to allow them to provide IT support if necessary.
There are four tests:
Each of these tests is timed as well as scored. You will be given a few example questions before being asked to start the test. As soon as you launch the test the system will start counting down the time. HMRC recommends that you try and complete all of the tests as soon as possible. If you leave them to the last minute they may not be able to assist you with any technical problems.
After completing the fourth of the online tests your application will be placed on hold whilst HMRC decide if you are eligible to move onto the next stages. They will issue your results by email.
Examples of the tests (Opens new window)
You will be asked to take an online analytical skills test. You can complete stage 2 between mid-December 2012 to mid-January 2013 further details will be given nearer the time.
A one day assessment centre in February/March 2013.
To be eligible for the Guaranteed Interview Scheme you must have a disability or long term health condition that is expected to last for at least 12 months and which puts you at a significant disadvantage in either obtaining or keeping jobs. You do not have to be registered as a disabled person to apply under this scheme.
In the absence of interviews for this selection process, as a symbol user, HMRC guarantees progression to stage 2 of the process for anyone with a disability whose application form and performance on the online tests meets the minimum criteria.
The Tax Professional Development Programme is open to applicants who are European Economic Area (EEA) nationals (including British citizens), Commonwealth citizens, Swiss nationals or, in some circumstances, Turkish nationals. The Tax Professional Development Programme nationality requirements are determined by the Civil Service nationality requirements.
Please note that as well as meeting the Civil Service nationality requirements, you must also meet any requirements applicable to you under the UK's immigration system. It is possible to meet HMRC's nationality requirements but still not be legally entitled to work in the UK. If this applies to you, it may not be possible to offer you employment in the Civil Service.
The UK Government's immigration policies are carried out by the UK Border Agency (UKBA), which operates a points-based immigration system. If you are a candidate holding a nationality from outside the EEA or Switzerland (and eligible Turkish applicants), you will probably be subject to immigration control and should find out more about your position before applying. It is your responsibility to check whether you are affected by immigration regulations.
Applications for the Tax Professional Development Programme will be accepted from any candidate who meets the nationality requirements, but please be aware that if you are a successful applicant from outside the EEA or Switzerland (or an eligible Turkish applicant), your employment as a trainee on the Tax Professional Development Programme will be subject to the Resident Labour Market Test required by the points-based system.
Employment will be offered first to those candidates who have an existing legal right to work in the UK. Such applicants will include EEA nationals, eligible Swiss and Turkish citizens, and any Commonwealth applicant with an existing right to live and work in the UK.
All other applicants will be subject to the Resident Labour Market Test. It is therefore impossible to guarantee that HMRC will offer employment to such candidates, even if successful in the recruitment process.
Please also bear in mind that the application process can involve travel to the UK on more than one occasion. In these circumstances, the decision to apply is yours alone.
Any employment will be contingent on the candidate's continued right to live and work in the UK. Applicants should be aware that their employment may be terminated should that right expire.
In light of ongoing changes to the UK immigration system, candidates should ensure they are aware of adjustments to the system which may affect them. The policy may change to reflect the changing legal framework in which employment in the Civil Service exists. Changes in the policy will be publicly posted on this website.
The UK immigration system is currently under review. Changes are being made over a period of some months and may affect the rights of some non-EEA nationals to live and work in the UK. Applicants who might be affected by these changes should check the UKBA website for the latest information available.
Any candidate affected by the changes to the UK's immigration system during their application to the 2013 Tax Professional Development Programme will be contacted if successful to discuss their status. All cases will be assessed on an individual basis. In such circumstances, any offer of employment will be subject to the legal requirements of the immigration framework adopted.
UK national is as defined in the UK declaration on nationality for EC purposes made with effect from 1 January 1983. These are British citizens, British subjects under Part IV of the British Nationality Act 1981 having the right of abode in the UK, and British Dependent Territories citizens acquiring their citizenship from connection with Gibraltar. The Declaration also notes the reference in connection with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, that 'any citizen of the UK and Colonies' is to be understood as referring to any British citizen.
People became British citizens on 1 January 1983 if they were citizens of the UK and Colonies on 31 December 1982 and had the right of abode in the UK on that date. The most common ways for a person to become a citizen of the UK and Colonies before 1 January 1983 are:
EEA national means a national of a European Community Member State or European Free Trade Area Member State. EC Member States (besides the UK) are the Member States of the European Community, ie Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. EFTA Member States are, for the purposes of recruitment to the UK Civil Service, Iceland and Norway from 1 January 1994 and Liechtenstein from 1 May 1995.
Although Switzerland is not part of the EEA, and Swiss nationals are not EEA nationals, the EU-Swiss Agreement (1 June 2002) confers upon Swiss nationals many of the same rights as are enjoyed by EEA nationals and their family members, including employment in the central departments of the Civil Service in non-reserved posts.
Turkish nationals may be eligible for employment in the Civil Service if they have a legal right to work in the UK, and if they have triggered their free movement rights, which are obtained when the individual has been lawfully employed in the UK for four years in any job, or if they have been lawfully employed for three years in a job within the same 'occupation' as the post which they wish to take up within the Civil Service.
Commonwealth citizen means any person who has the status of a Commonwealth citizen under the British Nationality Act 1981. The eligibility criteria under the Act are:
HMRC has an exemption under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions order 1975). Applicants who are successful in reaching the interview stage of the recruitment process will be asked to declare details of any criminal convictions, including spent convictions and cautions, to allow basic security checks to be completed.
Declaring a criminal conviction will not necessarily prevent you from being successful in your application for this particular programme, but it may exclude you from applying for other posts within the department.
