What subjects did you take in school and how have these influenced your career path?
In school I chose accountancy - which was obviously relevant to my career. I also chose French, Physics and Geography - just in case accountancy wasn't for me!
When I finished my Leaving Cert, I chose the Accounting and Finance Degree in DCU and the Masters in Accounting after that. These courses were relevant for my chosen career, due to the fact that while studying to become a Registered Tax Consultant by doing the AITI exams, I also qualified as a Chartered Accountant. In hindsight, I would not have chosen differently.
What is your education to date?
Leaving Certificate
Degree in Accounting & Finance, DCU
Masters in Accounting, DCU
AITI Registered Tax Consultant qualification with the ITI
Chartered Accountancy qualification with the ICAI
In my role as a Registered Tax Consultant, it is important to stay ahead of changes in the tax legislation. Therefore, I attend courses run by Ernst & Young, Institute of Taxation of Ireland and other relevant bodies on a regular basis. I also attend personal development courses run by Ernst & Young such as 'Effective communication', 'Preparing to be a manager', etc.
What aspects of your education have proven most important for your job?
Accounting for the Leaving Cert gave me a great base for my accounting and finance degree course. The Accounting and Finance Degree and Masters in Accounting was a great help when doing my Irish Taxation Institute tax exams and the ICAI accountancy exams.
The Masters was particularly important due to the fact that this gave me exemption from Prof 3. Therefore, when I started work as a tax trainee, I had more time to concentrate on my work as opposed to running out to lectures a few times a week.
Have you undertaken, or do you plan to undertake any further training as part of your job?
I attend a number of courses annually to keep ahead of changes in taxation. The Irish Taxation Institute run courses such as the Finance Bill/Act, the Annual Conference and the Tax Updates, which are very useful. Ernst & Young run tax courses too, which are relevant and helpful.
