What's your job about?

Currently, I am employed as a graduate tax consultant at William Buck Adelaide. The Tax Division offers specialist tax advice to businesses and individuals to optimise financial outcomes. Some of the services provided include tax risk management, international tax, research and development tax incentive applications, tax consolidation and indirect tax. In my role, some of my daily tasks include:

• The preparation of Income Tax Returns and Financial Statements for a range of individuals, trusts and companies.
• Preparing Activity Statements on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis.
• Preparation of Fringe Benefit Tax Returns.
• Preparation of Research and Development Tax Incentive applications.
• Communication with the ATO on behalf of clients.
• Conducting research for client-specific tax issues.

As a junior member of the firm, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to attend many training and development sessions run internally by senior accountants and managers across a broad range of service lines. These sessions discuss a range of topics, looking at practical applications to skills and knowledge essential to your growth and development.

What's your background?

I grew up in a small country town in South Australia called Jamestown, where I completed my primary and high schooling. Once I completed year 12, I commenced a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) at the University of South Australia. Throughout University, I took a special interest in tax law subjects and received practical experience at the UniSA Tax Clinic. This influenced my decision to apply for a graduate role in Tax as it was an area that I enjoyed studying. This early exposure provided valuable insight into what a career in accounting could look like while developing my practical skills and knowledge.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Absolutely. William Buck employs many people from various geographical regions and walks of life. From Adelaide to regional South Australia or wider parts of the world. William Buck employees have a diverse range of backgrounds, knowledge, skills and levels of experience. This means that you never 3 feel alone and are surrounded by people who all want to help you succeed. I had no prior experience within the corporate accounting field, so I believe anyone who has a passion and interest in the industry should apply.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

The best part of my job is that I get to experience such a large range of work, not just preparing tax returns and financial statements, across many different clients and industries. While the work can be challenging and incredibly complex, I really enjoy problem-solving and critical thinking in the many different tasks. There are always new tasks, opportunities and different client matters that keep me on my toes, which I thoroughly enjoy.

What are the limitations of your job?

In my role, I am required to be highly organised, as providing a service to the client is what the job is all about. It can be challenging at times to balance these responsibilities; however, the wider team and firm are great at helping to support workloads and outside pressures. William Buck also offers incentives for when you study your Graduate Diploma of Chartered Accountant, such as paid study leave and group study sessions. As someone who is planning to commence this study, it will require an extensive time commitment across a period of 3 years while balancing full-time work, so these incentives are greatly appreciated.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

1. Enjoy your time at university. It goes by so quickly; by the time you blink, it will all be over. There are many opportunities that the university provides, so take these chances and enjoy yourself.
2. Use your resources, build your networks and engage in classes. Take every chance to learn and try to make friends. These relationships will make the experience more enjoyable, plus you may even end up at the same workplace as your peers.
3. Don’t stress about starting your career or having your future career plans set in stone. You have plenty of years for work, so take some time to pursue your interests outside of work, travel, or do something you enjoy.