Since the time I met one of my seniors last year who came back from his internship at H & R Block, I was excited to know that he filed taxes of the individuals who were either working in the organizations or in varied professions. It was interesting when he was reciting the stories and informing me how the work culture was. That was the time when I decided that I would definitely sit for its interview.
On February 2019, when the mail was floated that H&R Block was coming for providing internship opportunities, close to 18 students sat for the interview. Out of 18, one student got selected for the internship at H&R Block. I was excited and thrilled that in the list of selected students, my name was there. I prepared really hard for the interview. The interviewer asked questions like GST rates, 5 heads of income, questions related to tax and checked our communication skills.
The interview went for close to 15 minutes. It was tough but went really well. I also asked the interviewer what work would I be doing if I were to be selected by H&R Block. She replied that I would be filing returns for the clients and would be working under the guidance of the C.A.'s. My father always wanted me to become a CA but I never felt that I should be a CA because I grew up looking up to my brother, who was working with S&P Capital IQ as a management consultant. That field really excited me.
My first day at the office was good as I met different students from different colleges situated in different cities. My trainer was CA Hemant who trained us and informed us about the subject called Income Tax. It was very new and tough to grasp for someone like me who has never learnt the subject nor knew anything about it.
Though it took me time to learn the sections and sub-sections, I was successful in learning them by heart. Originally, we started learning the subject when we implied our theoretical knowledge in filing the returns of our client. Now, it's the time when I e-file close to 15-18 cases a day. My manager was happy with my performance and was willing to offer me complex cases which are normally done by CA's.
Learnings have been excellent while working here, such as:
1. Tax knowledge.
2. Handling live clients on-board.
3. Solving 15-18 cases per day.
4. Fluent and confident in speaking with clients and convincing them about their tax situation.
5. Building a good network with the CA's working in an organization.
6. Guidance on my future goals and prospectives.
It was a memorable and remarkable experience working in such an environment and preparing returns for the individual.
I will cherish it in future as well.