One placement student’s experience at Page Kirk

James Tarr joined us in September 2020 and has found the period at the firm to be very rewarding – both at a professional and personal level. Here, he explains how he's spent his time.

I'm a Loughborough University student studying BSc Financial Mathematics and I am currently half-way through my placement year with Page Kirk. Growing up, I had no idea what I wanted to do for a job – I was actually going to apply for a straight Mathematics course until it came to the night of submitting my application! Fast forward a couple of years and I am working with a firm of Chartered Accountants and Tax Advisers, with career prospects that really excite me.

Sometimes great things in life can be quite unexpected. I would encourage anyone who was in the same place as me, feeling a bit lost and aimless, not to close yourself off to an opportunity. My colleagues and I have come from all sorts of degrees and jobs, and there is a place for anyone at Page Kirk who is willing to apply themselves and progress as professionals, and as people.

Tasks and responsibilities

As a placement student, you will work in Tax Department until the end of January, and complete your placement in Audit. My primary role in Tax has been preparing income tax returns for individuals, sole proprietors, partnerships and trusts by sourcing information from the client, adapting the data to the software and submitting the tax returns to HM Revenue & Customs. Along with this standard work comes a host of extra tasks and adjustments to meet client's needs and varying situations.

I have prepared capital gains tax computations for rental property disposals and extensively discussed these matters with clients; as a result, I now have a good grasp of the calculations and legislation involved. I will use this knowledge to complete my first capital gains tax returns in January. I have also prepared rental property accounts and basic accounts for sole trade businesses. My accounts experience will be developed to a much greater extent when I move into the Audit Department in February. In addition, I have worked on NHS pension matters.

More generally, I have gained experience of phoning and emailing clients to discuss queries. I also regularly need to find information and resolve problems with HMRC and third parties such as solicitors, wealth management firms and estate agents.

Through my final months in this department, I have been given the responsibility of managing the progress of my manager's client tax return portfolio. I regularly review progress reports for each client and take responsibility of all aspects of the job's completion, having weekly progress meetings to review these tasks and liaising with my colleagues and partners in the firm. This has given me the full experience of how a graduate would operate in their first year of work in the tax department, along with most of the responsibilities and duties which come with that.

ACA qualification & studying

A primary aim of my placement year has been to begin the process of completing the ACA qualification to become a chartered accountant. The qualification takes three years, usually undertaken during the graduate training contract, post-university. Page Kirk have, however, presented a unique opportunity to me this year, offering the chance to complete the first year of the ACA qualification during my placement (the six 'certificate level' exams). This is the first time they are doing this with a placement student like me.

Life at Page Kirk

I am very content with the way I have been welcomed into the business. Everyone I have encountered has been very pleasant and enthusiastic and I always feel comfortable asking anyone a question. It is clear to me that people are willing to help me learn, and they consistently have made a clear effort to explain concepts to me fully so I can understand them and progress, rather than just going through the motions.

The only thing I feel I've missed, because of the Covid crisis, is the social events. Page Kirk normally has a social calendar that anyone can get involved in – nights out, drinks at the pub, bowling and watching ice hockey and cricket. Unfortunately, we have been unable to do these things in the time I've been here.

People have always made an effort to welcome me though and taken time to have conversations over Teams about both work and my personal aspirations and interests. This has made me feel like an integrated member of the team rather than a temporary place-filler – despite the limited contact time.

Each year, Page Kirk has a chosen charity, for which we raise as much money as we can. The team here are always thinking of new methods and initiatives to achieve this. I personally took part in various challenges where we could either run, walk, swim or cycle. The goal which we achieved was to cycle the distance to Lapland, to raise money for the charity 'When You Wish Upon a Star', which grants wishes to children with life-threatening conditions. This year, we are raising money for a local charity called 'Emmanuel House', which helps homeless and vulnerable people. This kind of atmosphere is something I enjoy, and being a part of this team makes you feel like you are really making a difference to people's lives.

How the placement has developed me personally and professionally

Over my placement, I have been encouraged gradually to undertake more responsibilities. I feel that I have made a lot of progress at a personal level as well as in career terms. I have improved my organisation and time-management skills greatly due to my busy routine during the placement.

My confidence has also grown tremendously; I previously had great trouble managing nerves during conversations with new people and presentations and I was not very good at reflecting my full potential. I have learnt to be confident in these situations and stay calm.

Final year of university and future prospects

It is very clear to me that this placement has greatly prepared me for my final year of university. I now have a context of the industry in which I want to apply my financial and mathematical knowledge. I am now also in a routine of constantly working hard and managing my time effectively, which will make the workload seem a lot easier.

Future prospects

Looking to the future, I aim to return to Page Kirk after my final year of university for a three-year training contract, where I will become a fully qualified chartered accountant in hopefully the first two years. I will then aim to progress in the company as much as possible after this, with the next goal being to become a manager.

Our deadline for applications for our placement scheme close Sunday 31 January at 11.59pm. For more information and how to apply, click here.