Joe is a final year student at Leeds Beckett University, studying Accounting and Finance. As part of his course, he has completed a work placement on the UK Tax Team at Stellantis NV. Here, Joe shares his experience with us.

Tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose to study your course

Throughout my time at school and college, I always enjoyed working with numbers. That’s one of the reasons I chose to study accounting and finance, as well as the career options it gives you. My reason for studying this course at Leeds Beckett University is because it offers good professional exemptions to carry into a professional qualification after university, and Leeds is a great city for students.

Can you tell us about your placement and the role you’ve been doing?

As an undergraduate on the UK Tax Team at Stellantis NV, a multinational automotive manufacturing corporation, I was reporting into various Tax Managers on different aspects of Tax. This included UK Corporate tax returns and VAT reclaims in European territories, for numerous different automotive companies.

What are the highlights of your placement and how has it helped you?

My placement helped me enhance my soft skills including both verbal and written communication, organisation, and time management. Enhancing these skills has made my final year studies a lot easier to keep on top of meeting deadlines and managing revision for my various exams, as well as finding time to apply for postgraduate roles.

What are your plans for when you complete the course?

I have accepted an offer for an Audit Graduate Scheme at Haysmacintyre LLP, where alongside full-time work, I will study towards my ACA qualification. The experience from my placement made me a better candidate for the role as it strengthened my CV and I was able to utilise all the skills I learnt on placement to conduct myself professionally at the final stage of the recruitment process, which was an assessment center at the company’s office.

What would you say to someone who is thinking about studying your course or considering a placement?

I would urge first year and second year students to seriously consider doing a placement. It took me over 20 applications to get offered a role, however the university’s excellent careers team was on hand to support me through the process.

The personal development from a placement year is making my final year studies a lot more manageable, and the experience stood me out from the rest when looking for postgraduate jobs. Furthermore, my placement was assessed by the university and the grade counts towards my degree. This meant I was able to drop a module in final year, again making the workload a lot more manageable.