Find out what our Guest Bloggers are getting up to. Throughtout the year we will be following the progress of our Guest Bloggers as they find a placement or keep us updated as to what they are doing on their placement. Click here to read all entries from our bloggers or click here to meet them.

Week three and we’re already halfway through our placement. It’s difficult to believe how quickly it’s going and how much I’ve learnt already. I am now able to complete tax returns without constantly asking questions and I can promise you they are much more interesting than they sound!

I’m not sure what it is about the word “tax” which inspires such feelings of dread but I think for most people, until recently myself included, it stems from a general lack of understanding and many well-rooted stereotypes. Tax is confusing and ultimately means you end up with less money – so why would you want to spend your career in it?

During my interviews for this internship I picked “I am attracted to tax because of its problem-solving nature” as the reason behind my choice. But let’s face it, all I really knew about it was what I’d read on the website so this was more of a vague hope than a fact! Three weeks in though and I’m pleasantly surprised to discover that I was right.

Once you begin to understand the rules, laws and technical terms underpinning the tax system the confusion starts to disappear and the true challenge lies in the specifics of each individual case. Figuring out how to deal with a particular piece of information really is a bit like solving a puzzle… And whilst taxes do mean you end up with less money the role of a tax accountant is to help people keep their tax liability to a minimum.

Anyway, that’s enough about tax! What else have I been up to this week? As promised there was more fundraising. The “Guess how many sweets in the jar” competition proved popular with GT staff and gave us a great excuse to meet some of the staff working in different departments around the office – the Euston office is spread over 8 floors so there were plenty to meet!

On Thursday we headed to the London Eye with our managers then to a nearby bar for more networking. Thankfully the rain held off so we had some great views of the city. We even spotted the GT offices!

More fun to come next week as our DIY and gardening skills will be put to the test for our Corporate Responsibilty Day…