Name: India Withers
Age: 18
School: Helena Romanes School
Job Title: Tax Apprentice
Please give an overview of your role and what does this involve on a day-to-day basis.
On a day to day basis, my main role is to support members of my team and carry out specific tasks in different areas of tax. I spend a lot of time working within VAT, but more recently have been doing more work with the Transfer pricing team. There is a large amount of spreadsheet-based work, and working with numbers when working on different accounts.
Why did you decide to apply to a traineeship/apprenticeship?
The idea of going to university never appealed to me simply because I never knew exactly what I wanted to do when I left school. However, I wanted to be able to continue studying, and so an apprenticeship seemed like the best option for me. I am gaining on the job experience while studying for a qualification that will help me throughout my career.
What did you study at school?
At GCSE I studied Business Studies, and this was my favourite subject, so I continued studying it at A-level. As well as Business Studies, I also studied Economics and Sociology.
What was the recruitment process/assessment centre like?
There were many different stages to the recruitment process. The first stage is the online application, which is followed by online numerical tests to complete. The next stage after this is a video interview. This is online and you are recorded answering the questions that appear. After this stage, you are invited in for a face to face interview, and then if successful another interview or an assessment centre. I had two face to face interviews, with different members of the tax team.
What training do you get on your programme (external and internal)?
All apprentices have a variety of internal training, which includes time management training, presentation skills, and effective business writing. These are all skills that are required in the workplace. I also have external training, where I go to college once a week to study for the AAT. This is a globally recognised qualification that I will complete over the course of my apprenticeship scheme.
How much support do you get from your employer/team/manager?
My manager and my entire team are extremely supportive, and always happy to answer any questions I have. Everyone is always happy to explain things to me so I have a full understanding of what I am involved in and the outcome of things I am working on.
What has surprised you about working at Schroders?
When I first joined I was surprised that I was in a large group of other apprentices of similar ages. This has been extremely helpful because everyone is going through the same experiences, all having just left school, and so it is nice to be able to have the support from each other.
What has been the highlight of the programme so far?
For me so far I have enjoyed being part of a team, and knowing the work I do will benefit someone else in my team. Another highlight has been learning and gaining experience alongside the other apprentices, and building working relationships with a new group of people.
Any advice or tips for those applying?
For anyone thinking about applying I would simply advise to not hesitate in doing so. When I saw the job role online, I wasn’t sure if it would be suited to me, mainly because I didn’t completely understand what the job role would entail on a daily basis. However, since joining here with no previous knowledge or experience, I have learnt so much and had the full support of my team. I haven’t been left to do things that I wouldn’t know how to do, which has made this experience all the more productive. So far it has been a huge learning curve, and I look forward to learning and progressing further in my role.
To read more about the opportunities available at Schroders and apply please clickhere
