Lydia Jackson, Tax Graduate, BDO Auckland
I’ve been working as a tax grad in BDO Auckland for just over a year now. I enjoy working in tax because it exposes me to a huge variety of different and interesting work. A typical day might see me work on various tax compliance and tax consulting jobs including completing income tax, GST and FBT returns, working on clients’ payroll, preparing tax advice for clients, restructuring and setting up trusts and companies – to name just a few! Because every business pays tax, I’ve been exposed to a huge variety of industries and business sizes which has been great.
In tax, we spend a lot of time reading tax law and understanding new rules and developments. My university degree in law and accounting gave me a really strong foundation for this, as I was familiar with using online legal resources and being able to read and interpret legislation.
Getting stuck in with on-the-job training
As tax grads we start on-the-job training as soon as we come through BDO’s doors so whatever someone’s background, we can build a really strong foundation of knowledge and experience for the work we do. I like how practical all the training has been as I definitely learn better when it’s on the job and I can get stuck into things straight away.
Because tax law is always changing, we also have training every other week for the whole team – this will take us through a particular tax matter, always using an example so we can see how it works in practice. We also go through recent IRD announcements so that we know exactly how new tax laws will affect our work and our clients’ businesses.
Supporting grads through their career goals
I have been able to complete my professional qualifications through BDO which has been a big goal of mine. I’m also studying for my CA. A few other members of the team are doing this too which is great because we can all work through the study material together and bounce ideas off each other when we get stuck. It has been great to have so much support from everyone here to achieve this. We get paid study leave to help us out with CA which has been super useful so far.
I love being part of my team – even though we’ve spent a lot of time in lockdown, there’s a really strong culture here and we spend a lot of time together outside of work. The team is very entertaining so it’s always fun being in the office.
The Partners are super lovely and approachable – I’ve had regular access to them, including carrying out some work directly for them. Everyone at all levels is always really happy to answer questions, which has made the transition from uni to work so much easier.
I’ve really enjoyed my first year as a grad at BDO and am looking forward to seeing where my career takes me.
If you’d like to know more about what it’s like to be a grad at BDO, visit our graduate careers website, where you can learn all there is to know about the culture and benefits of working with BDO. Apply now to grow your future with us.