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Top Insider Advice
It is important to keep trying. Not everybody will make it first time, I did not when applying for Tax Professional Training, but I was put on a reserve list and called up later. Many do not make it first time but they do make it second time round. The process for recruitment can be long, but do not get disheartened, this is to give everybody the best chance of being accepted. If you can, get feedback and consider it for future applications. Feedback will often point our your weak area that can easily be improved with a bit of practice. If you do get on a training programme, be aware that though tough, they want you to succeed and will do everything they can to support you in achieving the end goal. Do say if you need extra support, they cannot provide it unless you tell them you need it. I am dyslexic and they took this into account for exams providing computer rather than writing and also extra time for reading.
Career path
Customer Compliance Manager
HM Revenue & Customs
Started 10/2021 to PresentPetroleum Tax Inspector
HM Revenue & Customs
From 07/2017 to 10/2021Customer Compliance Manager
HM Revenue & Customs
From 09/2013 to 07/2017Company
What do you like about your job and the company?
Within HMRC I am lucky to work with a very diverse group of colleagues. This provides a constant opportunity to learn about the best way I can engage and support my colleagues which also feeds into the great relationships that can be built with colleagues. As a disabled member of staff I have always been impressed with the support I get from both my manager and colleagues so that I can do my job without worrying about problems. Though I deal mainly with groups in Finance, this still leaves a lot of variety as there are so many different fields and and approaches across my customers. From international branches to household named groups. I am constantly learning from my customers and no meeting is ever the same and always brings up new challenges. I get a great feeling of accomplishment form building honest relationships with my customers, especially when I can influence their approach to tax. I am constantly learning different approaches to achieving this, learning both from customers and colleagues. which enables me to constantly learn and improve.
Greatest achievements
Petroleum Revenue tax is a very specific tax applying only to oil & gas extraction from oil fields approved before March 1993. This had very high tax rates (75%) with the intent it would be repaid to help cover the costs of decommissioning the fields. Owners of the fields changed a lot over the intervening years and this makes for very complex calculation for tax repayment that need to follow strict rules. I created simple flow charts for the ownership changes, providing a much simpler method for identifying how repayments would flow back and ensuring much simpler calculations that could be easily completed in the flowchart to ensure correct allocations. I checked an existing calculation prepared the old way and managed to spot a minor error in the calculation that would have resulted in HMRC repaying £100m tax which was not correctly due. It also meant that future tax repayments would be calculated correctly and it was easier to check and follow the calculation to spot any similar errors.
Louise
Benefit lead
Top Insider Advice
I think we can all feel a sense of imposter syndrome, and that inner voice saying you are not capable. You are ! I think we all need to recognise that work can be challenging and not always as straightforward as you want it to be, which is where the doubt can set it. Its all about building that resilience for me, don't give up. If you want something just keep working towards it, even if that means taking it slowly.
Kris
Estates Strategic Planning & Data Modelling lead
Top Insider Advice
If there is one thing in my 20+ years in the civil service I have figured out it is you will never know if you don't try. Early on in my career I would never volunteer for opportunities, I wouldn't offer up answers or contribute to group meetings or working groups and missed the opportunity to apply for roles I would have loved to try my hand at. This was all through the fear of looking stupid or failing and how other people would view me. Not to say I have never failed as I have, be that in job applications or the approach I have taken to work tasks. The biggest thing I will share here is I have learned so much more from failing than I ever have from getting something right first time. The support from my colleagues during these times was surprising, there are so many great people who work across our government departments which fosters a great environment to be part of. Don't forget if you learn or take something way from an experience how can that be seen as a failure. Don't stop trying.
Mads B
Compliance Caseworker
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