Tax Professional Graduate Programme 2022

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plays a vital part in our society and economy.

We are the UK’s tax and customs authority. Our purpose is to collect the money that pays for the country’s public services and helps families and individuals with targeted financial support.

Our work funds schools and hospitals, builds roads and infrastructure and supports communities and the economy – so we need everyone to pay the tax that is legally due, no matter who they are.

With around 60,000 employees serving 45 million customers, HMRC is a major government department which offers a broad range of career paths and possibilities for tax professionals. Our Tax Specialist Programme (TSP) typically leads to work as a generalist tax professional or specialist in technical or investigative work.

In the 2021 TARGET jobs awards we were shortlisted for the most popular graduate recruiter in the banking, insurance and financial services sector and the public sector. HMRC is 41st in the list of the UK’s 300 top graduate employers.

Our Tax Specialist Programme: a gateway to the tax profession

High-potential graduates who join our Tax Specialist Programme will get the chance to become part of a highly-trained group of tax professionals who tackle the most challenging aspects of tax work in HMRC.

The tax profession offers a varied and stimulating range of career pathways and opportunities to specialise, for example, in international and corporation tax, investigation, fraud, tax policy or as a manager, technical specialist or consultant.

Eventually you’ll find your own niche, but along the way you will learn how to:

• resolve tax disputes
• lead teams
• deal with senior business figures and allied professionals (such as lawyers and accountants)
• tackle complex tax work

TSP is particularly suitable for people who are enthusiastic about:

• dealing with people
• tackling complex issues
• using their intellect and solving problems
• investigating and finding out how businesses function
• analysing and interpreting information
• persuasive communication: influencing, negotiating and challenging

Roles are as diverse as HMRC’s work - you could find yourself:

• making site visits and interviewing directors, their lawyers and accountants
• negotiating settlements and resolving tax disputes
• representing HMRC at Appeal Tribunals
• investigating fraud
• working as a consultant, offering specialist advice to teams across the business
• leading your own teams of tax professionals
• considering and agreeing the application of tax statute and case law
• taking responsibility for managing the relationship between HMRC and key businesses and their advisers

The programme is designed to give you a broad insight into the range of the tax work HMRC undertakes. It’s the perfect foundation for a wide-ranging career, and offers the opportunity to find your way as you develop. HMRC will encourage and support you in exploring and developing your own particular skills and knowledge.

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for people who demonstrate enthusiasm, and are:

• independent thinkers who can confidently express their views and make decisions
• strong analytical thinkers and problem solvers who can work out what needs to be done and take pride in doing it to completion
• committed, with determination and resilience, to complete an intensive 3.5 to 4-year training programme
• team players who can also exercise their initiative
• adaptable to shifts in business focus and the needs of HMRC’s customers, so people they deal with have no doubt about their integrity and professionalism, because everything HMRC does must be above suspicion and comply with the Civil Service Code

Training - what to expect

This is an intensive programme lasting around 3.5 to 4 years. It’s designed to give you technical knowledge and professional skills you will need when dealing with customers.

Hear Michael’s story on how he’s developed his skills since starting the Tax Specialist Programme.

What will successful trainees be doing?

Stage 1 provides you with a broad foundation of knowledge and skills across different areas of tax. You will be able to put this learning into practice with your own portfolio of compliance casework. This will involve checking and challenging the tax liabilities of a range of businesses, helping customers get their tax right, and negotiating with those who dispute their legal obligations.

Stage 2 deepens your tax knowledge and builds broader professional skills that HMRC needs from its tax professional leaders.

You will be supported throughout the programme and given real responsibility early on which may include leading a team.

Your programme will include:

• number of self-study modules supported by tutor-led training sessions at one of our training centres. These tutorials may involve some travel and there will be a formal exam at the end of each module. Study time is built into the programme although most trainees find they need to supplement this with further study in their own time, especially near exams
• practical work, including interviewing customers and challenging their tax returns
• working within teams and building on that experience to develop and demonstrate leaderships skills
• regular reviews and appraisals by your manager to ensure you are applying your tax learning in your practical work and that your performance is on line with the course requirements

On successful completion of the programme, you will be promoted to a Grade 7 post as a senior tax professional.

The programme can be completed on part time hours and the minimum number of hours recommended would be 30 hours per week.

Eligibility

You must have a 2:2 degree or equivalent (level 6) at application stage, or the expectation of a 2:2 degree or equivalent (level 6) before September 2022. Civil servants who do not meet the academic qualification can apply if you were recruited through fair and open competition and have passed your probation period before September 2022.

Nationality and immigration

You are eligible to apply for the TSP if you satisfy both the nationality and right to work/Immigration requirements.

Nationality requirements (Civil Service nationality rules)

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
• relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
• certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals