Because I investigate suspected fraud involving any tax HMRC are responsible for, which could involve any types of entity such as individuals, companies, even charities, it means variety is a huge part of the job. One day I'm preparing an application to the Tax Tribunal to obtain approval to request statements from a bank, the next I'm sat across the table from somebody I've accused of fraud seeking to gain as much information from them as possible. It is fascinating to understand, unravel and then prove to the required evidential standard, how someone has committed fraud, how much they benefitted by, where the money was hidden, what it was spent on etc. In addition to that, the part of FIS I work in allows a great deal of freedom and flexibility in how I work. My standard working week is 37 hours but I can choose to work more or less than that depending on the balance of my flexible working hours scheme. Depending on whether I have any meetings planned I can also work those hours as I like. I could work 7am to 10am and take a break for a couple of hours to run some errands and then return at 12 and carry on with my day. Because of my experience I also have the freedom to decide how I will carry out an investigation and develop my own strategy for each case (all with my manager's awareness of course!). The most rewarding part of the job is bringing money into the public purse to fund the UK's vital public services. When I've managed to obtain that money from somebody who has been committing fraud it feels extra rewarding; knowing that money isn't funding someone's lavish lifestyle anymore but goes to our hospitals, police, schools and every other area which needs it to allow society to properly function.

Over two years I had been working on an investigation which involved around 30 entities suspected of a large, complex fraud. My work started from the very bottom; understanding who was involved, what businesses they were involved in, the assets they owned, the lifestyles they were living and most importantly, how much income they were receiving that I could charge tax on. I spent the best part of 12 months carrying out wide ranging research on these issues using HMRC and open-source systems. I then brought three Tax Specialist Programme colleagues into the investigation to convert that very jumbled research into something coherent which I could present to a judge to obtain their approval to obtain statements for dozens of bank accounts which the entities controlled. The exposure my colleagues had on this work led to one of them streaming into the Fraud Investigation Service to continue their future career as a Civil Investigator. After almost two years I presented my application to the judge and answered their questions for four hours before they approved everything I was applying for. The evidence I obtained from the banks was crucial in proving my case and I identified around £1million of tax at risk. Whilst that was incredibly satisfying, my proudest moment was receiving a commendation from the judge for the quality of the application. I also used examples of the work I'd done on this investigation as part of my job application for my current role as a G7 Civil Investigator, showing those on the panel I was capable of leading some of the most serious and complex investigations anywhere in HMRC.