Lisa Mangan, Assistant Manager, Deloitte

So where do you work and what does your job involve?

I’m a tax trainee with Deloitte, I work in the corporate tax department so my work is primarily concerned with preparing corporation tax returns for clients. The other areas a tax trainee could work in are VAT or Personal Tax. The work is extremely varied, with large clients and small clients, both Irish and international. Also, in the evenings and at weekends, I’m studying with the Irish Tax Institute to be a Chartered Tax Adviser.

What skills are important for your job?

A common misconception is that tax is purely numerate based, and while they are obviously hugely important, there is also a huge legal aspect to what we do and applying it to our tax cases. In addition you also need really good communication skills, to explain your results to valued clients.

What’s the best thing about your job?

I love that it’s always different, with different cases and different clients almost every day. Tax policy is always changing so it’s a very interesting area.

What advice would you have for students?

Don’t worry if you don’t have degree modules on tax and accounting. My team in Deloitte has people from a wide range of backgrounds, such as engineering and arts & science and they bring their own unique skillsets. The tax element is something which you learn through the Irish Tax Institute’s programme in addition to learning on the job.