Graduate Tax Trainee - December 2025 Start

PKF Francis Clark

  • Bristol
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 month ago
In a nutshellYou'll join our three-year training programme to become a Tax Advisor (ATT/CTA). You’ll earn while you learn, gaining practical experience while studying towards your qualification. We cover the full cost of your training and exams, and our dedicated support will guide you every step of the way. We’re proud to be certified as a Great Place to Work for the third year in a row, making this an outstanding place to start your career in tax.What you'll be doingYou’ll join one of the below tax teams, gaining hands-on experience in specific tax areas, enhancing your technical knowledge, and building trusted relationships with clients. Throughout your training, you’ll work closely with experienced colleagues, building your expertise and confidence every step of the way.As a member of the corporate tax team, you will learn how to prepare and deliver complex tax calculations for companies, research tax legislation and guidance, and support innovative companies by putting together R&D tax credit claims. You’ll also assist with due diligence work on business deals and transactions. As your skills and experience grow, you’ll take on more responsibility and get involved in advisory projects helping clients plan effectively and stay compliant.As a member of the share schemes team, you will learn how to design and implement complex equity incentives for key client employees, producing professional reports, and interacting with clients and HMRC on a regular basis. As your skills develop, you will undertake buy-side due diligence supporting investors who are buying companies and advise on the sell-side in company sale transactions. These skills will also allow you to work in tax advantaged equity fundraising projects.If you have a preference to which team you’d be interested in, you can highlight this throughout your application and assessment process.About youYou’ll enjoy this job if you like….
  • Research and want to hone your investigation skills
  • Working with numbers
  • Being analytical and methodical in your approach to work
  • Talking to people
  • Becoming an expert
  • Being a team player, surrounded by a fun and caring team
Studying alongside working is demanding. As a trainee tax advisor, you may need to do regular independent study outside of working hours and revise for your professional exams. It takes three years to qualify, by which time you may be managing your own clients or leading a small team.Your developmentWe know that strong personal development is key to becoming a trusted tax adviser. Alongside your professional qualification, you’ll receive support to build the skills and behaviours needed for a successful career. You’ll be assigned a buddy before you join, and once you start, your line manager and student counsellor will support your progress and help you stay on track with your qualification and career goals.What we're looking forYou might be an undergraduate, a recent graduate, or a graduate who has already established a career and wants to switch and start a new career in tax. You’ll be expected to demonstrate the following:
  • On track to achieve or have obtained a 2.2 or above in any degree discipline
  • Minimum of 112 UCAS points (obtained from three A Levels or equivalent excluding general studies)
  • Grade 4-9 or C or above in GCSE Maths and English
We recommend applying ASAP as we will be running a virtual assessment for this position in the Autumn for a December 2025 start date.Why work at PKF Francis ClarkAs the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that’s right for you.Established in 1919, we’ve grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro. This means we’re big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture.We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward-thinking team. This includes a flexible approach to hybrid working. And our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally.For the past three years, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked among the UK’s Best Workplaces. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on this prestigious list.We’re also ranked among the UK’s Best Workplaces for Wellbeing (35 out of 100), Best Workplaces for Development (24 out of 100) and Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services.All these lists are compiled by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work. Our rankings are a direct result of feedback from our people in a confidential, independent annual survey.The success rates of our trainees mean we’re also ranked 33rd in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025.While we’re proudly independent, we collaborate with colleagues around the world to enable our clients to succeed. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms – together we’re the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK. Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like-minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries.Your core benefits will includesFinancial benefits:
  • Pension
  • Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary
  • Group income protection
  • Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare
Health & Wellbeing benefits:
  • Option to buy 5 extra days holiday*
  • Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
  • Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
  • Cycle to work*
Other benefits:
  • Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
  • Gifts for career and family milestones
  • One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
  • Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation

PKF Francis Clark