“Working in tax as a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) is like solving a puzzle – scope it, then solve it. But solve it in a way that’s innovative and creative. It’s a puzzle that’s the perfect blend of numbers and strategy. Tax is based on legislation, so coming up with the solution means investigating the rules in legislation and putting together strategic tax advice that makes a real financial impact”.
About the Irish Tax Institute
Located in the heart of Dublin's Silicon Docks, the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification is the gold standard in tax and the international mark of excellence in tax advice. With over 5,000 members in Ireland, along with the Chartered Institute of Taxation UK and The Tax Institute of Australia, we are part of the 30,000-strong international CTA network and a member of the Confédération Fiscale Européenne, (CFE) the European umbrella body for tax professionals.
We offer three tax qualifications - one-year Tax Technician courses, our 10 month Diploma in Tax and our three-part Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).
Have you ever considered a career in tax as a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA)?
A career in tax creates opportunities. The opportunity for challenging and diverse work. The opportunity to see the world. The opportunity to work on the most cutting edge commercial transactions.
Tax is part of the international language of finance, and the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification is the international hallmark of excellence in tax. You could be part of a group of 30,000 CTAs working all over the globe from Ireland, to the UK, USA, Asia to Australia.
A common misconception is that only business graduates pursue a career in tax. Not so! The great thing about a career in tax is that it is more about the qualities that you bring to the career, rather than your educational background. Skills such as creative thinking, analytical know-how and commercial awareness are so important.
In addition to business and law graduates, those with an engineering, science and the humanities background also successfully pursue careers in tax. Go to www.careerintax.ie and see the variety of roles, sectors and backgrounds that Chartered Tax Advisers (CTA) work in or find our Irish Tax Institute Students page on Facebook.
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Lorcan Kelly is a Tax Consultant with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard. He studied Commerce and French in NUIG and also completed a Masters in Accounting. Lorcan is responsible for managing the Corporate Tax and VAT obligations of the group, as well as its domestic and international tax strategy and planning.
Hi, Ask me a question...
What were the main 'career decision' milestones in your life so far?
I did a summer internship in the audit department of KPMG Galway during college and also managed to spend a few weeks in the tax department. This is where I saw first-hand what a tax career entails and the kind of work tax professionals do, on a day to day basis. I was fully decided on a career in tax after this summer.
How did you go about getting your current job?
I applied for my current job through a recruitment agency. I had two interviews as well as a psychometric test. The interviews focused on my skills background, as well as some technical knowledge. The psychometric test was focused on numeric and analytical skills and was conducted by a third party.
Describe a typical day?
Each working day is very different and that keeps the role interesting and challenging. 8 30 am: Arrive to the office and catch up on any emails I may have received the previous evening. 9 30 am – 10 30 am: Conference call with our legal director and Pernod Ricard USA on the US tax consequences of a new project. 10 30 - 11 am: Assist the financial accountant with the tax accounting for a group company’s financial statements. 11 am – Midday: Meeting with Financial Controller and CFO on the liquidation of a group company and the tax implications. Midday – 1pm: Call with our professional VAT advisers in preparation for an upcoming VAT audit. 2 pm – 4 pm: Working on Corporate Tax computations and researching a VAT query I received from a colleague in the marketing department. 4 – 5 pm: Call with the Paris tax team on the Irish Tax implications of a group restructuring project and prepare slides for the next morning’s month end meeting. So you see the day varies between desk based work / research and calls, meetings etc.
What are the main tasks and responsibilities?
I have sole responsibility for managing the Corporate Tax and VAT obligations of the group, as well as its domestic and international tax strategy and planning. I advise on all aspects of tax law and liaise with tax and law firms and the Revenue Commissioners. Other additional responsibilities include, pension accounting and management and reporting of overhead costs.
What are the main challenges?
Tax law is always changing, so it’s really important that I keep up to speed on these changes!
What do you like most?
Tax professionals can add real value to a business and can be critical in shaping major decisions. I really enjoy seeing the value that I can add to the business. The tax analysis is critical in so many business decisions and in a lot of cases drives the decision.
Is there anything that isn't great?
I don’t have any major complaints, but sometimes there can be a lot of demands on my time that mean I must juggle what is the most important task at hand.
What particular skills do you bring to your workplace?
I have very good tax technical skills, but I also have good communication and presentation skills which are crucial to my role.
What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
My undergraduate degree really gave me a good insight in to what tax involved, and steered me in the direction of deciding that it was something I felt I would enjoy as a career.
What is your education to date?
I studied Commerce & French in NUIG, specialising in Accounting and Tax. My 3rd year was an Erasmus which I spent in Marseille. After my undergraduate degree I completed a Masters in Accounting, also in NUIG. I am also a Chartered Accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
I really developed my communication skills – communicating effectively with the various stakeholders in the business is critical for a tax professional and the ability to explain complex issues to a tax ‘layman’ is very important. Also, teamwork was really important at college– as a tax professional I am frequently working as part of various teams.
What have been the most rewarding events in your career so far?
Definitely successfully completing the AITI Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification, as it acted as a springboard to allow me take up my current role with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard.
What personal qualities do you have that helps you in your career?
I am a good team player and a hard worker who is focused. These are important qualities in my job.
Does your job allow you to have a lifestyle you are happy with?
Thankfully in my current job, I am able to balance my work life commitments. When I trained with KPMG, they gave me more than adequate study leave when I was pursuing the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification which was great. It can be difficult to go to lectures some evenings after work and at the weekends but if you can’t make it they’re also available online to catch up on in your own time.
What advice would you give to someone considering this job?
I would strongly recommend a career in tax to any students who are considering it. Tax professionals are in high demand from employers and can add real value to any business. It is a challenging and rewarding career which can place you at the heart of business decision making. It can also be an excellent springboard to other careers in finance.
Just recently a new Chief Financial Officer was appointed to Irish Distillers who was formerly the Pernod Ricard Group tax director! Also do your research about the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification – from my own experience, the course is very practical and relevant to my day to day job. It provides a structured framework for achieving the knowledge of tax law and skills required to be a Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA).
What are the three most important personal characteristics required for the job?
You need to have good communication skills, enjoy working on a team and enjoy challenging and diverse work!
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
My training firm (KPMG) required me to complete the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification. The Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) qualification is the most widely recognised and best regarded tax qualification in Ireland.
What kinds of work experience would provide a good background for this position?
I would really recommend a summer internship – my own experience on the summer internship programme in KPMG really helped me shape my career decisions.
What is your current job title?
I am a Tax Consultant with Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard.