My Story I Evan Ó Nualláin

Name: Evan Ó Nualláin

Position: VAT trainee

Dated Joined BDO: December 2019

College: LLM in General Law, University College Dublin (UCD)

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After completing my Masters in Law (LLM) at UCD, I decided to pursue a career in tax due to its close relationship with law as well as its diverse nature and application in Ireland and across the world. I applied through BDO’s Graduate Programme to pursue a career in tax. I was particularly interested in joining the VAT team due to its challenging landscape.

Why BDO?

I wanted to work with a company that was welcoming of my background skills and knowledge of law, while also providing me the chance to try working in a new field. After researching different graduate programmes, I found that BDO offered a variety of work across a range of industries and presented a realistic work life balance. I was impressed by the company’s values and as well as its global reputation, so I did not hesitate in submitting my application to join. Fortunately, I was selected for an interview with the VAT partners and I was met with a welcoming atmosphere along with a clear understanding of the standards expected of me. This first impression gave me a positive indication of the company’s collaborative and inclusive culture, which really steered my decision in joining the company.

It also helped that BDO offered a host of social events throughout the year, which I believe is important for settling into a new job and getting to know the people you work alongside. Once I joined, these social events really helped me to meet trainees in other departments and made my transition into the VAT team a memorable one!

My Role As A Trainee in the VAT Team

As a trainee in BDO’s VAT team, I am exposed to a wide range of clients both nationally and internationally each with unique VAT challenges. These challenges vary from advisory queries on VAT technical issues to compliance related concerns, such as preparing and filing VAT returns. Since the VAT team is relatively small, there is constant support from other team members and countless opportunities to learn from the team’s experienced partners, directors and senior management about the intricacies of VAT. This experience and support is especially noticed whenever a challenging assignment or deadline comes around. I have found the VAT team to be a friendly and inclusive group. We have weekly catch-up calls together and various organised social activities during the year, which provide a fun way of connecting with the people around you.

The day-to-day duties of working in VAT primarily revolves around supporting management on VAT consultancy assignments. This provides an interesting technical insight into the application of VAT legislation, as well as the client management side of the business. In addition, VAT compliance is a routine responsibility within the team, ensuring that clients are correctly filing bi-monthly VAT returns and complying with the latest Revenue and European Court of Justice decisions. This aspect of VAT is particularly interesting as you learn about assisting clients in minimising VAT exposure and maximising VAT recovery. I find working as a trainee in the VAT team challenging, motivating and rewarding. My daily tasks are diverse and there is always something new to get involved in. I am included in a number of ongoing projects with a wide-range of clients and I am given the independence and support by management to feel comfortable with the tasks at hand. The on-the-job learning and experience has also greatly benefitted my study for the Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA’s) exams, which has been an essential part of my development and understanding of both general tax and VAT.

Overall, I am grateful to be a part of BDO and I look forward to the many experiences it has to offer in the future. I believe working here will significantly improve my professional abilities and serve to further and enhance my career in tax.

Find out more about our graduate programme.