A Taxing decision for finance professionals

No doubt you have heard a lot about the finance market, and all job markets in general being at record heights in terms of demand for professionals. Although this is the case, there is a specific area that has went under the radar… and that is the tax market. The tax market always has been and continues to be a sleeping giant. It is constantly overlooked by people who have tunnel vision for the seemingly more popular accounting genres of reporting and analysis.

But why is tax overlooked? From speaking with numerous clients and candidates, people tend to have a negative stigma towards tax with a common response being that “It will pigeonhole my career.” I agree that tax is definitely a more niche role than other accounting areas, however there are so many aspects to tax which allows it to create a whole world of it’s own for professionals to work in, grow, and understand.

Companies are now trying to break that stigma and demonstrate to candidates that tax can provide numerous opportunities for their careers. Subsequently, companies are more open than ever about having informal conversations with finance professionals who are contemplating entering the tax market. No pressure is put on you by them, rather the companies simply want to meet and inform you about the role and how they can help you.

Who Are Tax Roles Available To?

Many practices are now open to having discussions with any qualified accountants about tax roles. You don’t have to have a strong background within tax to start building a long-term career in it. Practices are understaffed in their tax departments and are eager to explain their plans and goals to qualified accountants. They want to show how tax can be a good career change with lots of possibilities down the road. These initial meetings don’t have to be interviews and can be simple ‘coffee chats’.

On the other hand, industry roles will require a more specific skillset for the area of tax that these clients are recruiting for. Nevertheless, because tax professionals are so scarce across NI, many companies are open to receiving applications from tax professionals even when live jobs may not be visible. Hence, if there is a specific company that you would really like to work for, there is always a chance of you getting an interview with them. (To find out how this works, get in touch with Marc Norton via [email protected]).

Why should you consider a career in tax?

1. Higher salaries than any other aspect of accountancy.
2. More in demand than any other area of accountancy.
3. Transformative field with multiple avenues to explore.
4. Complex work that will challenge and engage you day-to-day.

Roles are constantly available within:

• Employment tax
• Corporate tax
• Indirect tax
• Business advisory tax
• Private client tax
• R&D
• VAT

How Can Abacus Help?

We work closely with all the major practices across Northern Ireland which will give you as the candidate as much choice as possible when you explore options.

We are also on many of the NI Top 100’s PSL’s, meaning that you will have a better chance at getting in the door with the top industries across NI.

In addition, Abacus have recently placed tax candidates within both practice and industry at both senior and junior level positions. These candidates getting significant package increases in their transitions, along with new job roles that are tailored more closely to their ideals.

Get in touch with Marc Norton at Abacus Careers for any advice or insight you would like on the tax market at the moment. There is a lot happening on it, so it is a good time to see if you can benefit from it at all.

Tax Salary Guidelines

High calibre newly qualified Accountants have been obtained basic salary offers up to £40k in recent months. This illustrates the high demand that exists at present.