HMRC Tax Specialist Programme (TSP) 2018

Hi Lizzie, im going to be at Castle House, not a massive worry for now but do you happen to know if there is free onsite parking? Thanks

Also, out of interest, do you know how many people have been offered a place in Leeds, in particular Munroe Court?

Hi, we do our tutorials with the Castle House trainees, so I’m sure we’ll see you around at some point. Unfortunately there’s no free onsite parking. There are car parks very close to the office but you’ll be paying £7+ for a full day. The closest free parking is around 20-30 min walk away (residential estates out of Leeds city centre). Alternatively, Castle House is only a 10 minute walk from the train station.

Thanks Lizzie, i was trying to negotiate a new car with my partner but I think I've lost this one...the train it is!

Hi there, I’m Leeds but I’m Castle House,do the different Leeds sites deal with each other at all?

How have you found the first year??

I wonder when we will get our "firm" offers (after checks etc.)...
I'm hoping to hand my notice in mid-June so I can take some time off over the summer before starting TSP.

Hi ☺️ Well done on getting through. Just for your information, I got my formal off in the middle to end of July last year, and I think I was one of the first to get it

I wonder when we will get our "firm" offers (after checks etc.)...
I'm hoping to hand my notice in mid-June so I can take some time off over the summer before starting TSP.

Does anyone know what checks are required if you’re transferring from another government department? It didn’t ask for much information when I completed the section on the CS jobs portal. Am I missing something?

Yeah I thought it was quite basic information but I suppose we already have a certain level of security clearance and also they have employment details already.

I’m in a very difficult position - I have to give 3 months’ notice in my current job.

Saw the transfers quite a lot in my office! Is the streaming point a year in now?

Please could someone explain 'streaming.'

So for the 17s, we’ll be streaming in December/January, which is 18 months into the programme. You guys will probably be streaming sooner than that, although I don’t know how they could possibly shorten the programme any more than they already have, unless they just shorten the consolidation period at the end (I’ll explain this shortly).

During the first 18 months (for the 17s), we do the exact same training and exams as all TSP17s in the country - mainly focussed on 2 types of tax but basically cross-tax. This is called stage 1. In the lead up to stage 2, our BLM (business learning manager) gets a list of all HMRC departments that will want a grade 7 when we finish the course. We’ll get to submit our top 3 preferences of where we’d like to go, but we don’t really get a choice per se. In stage 2, we’ll ‘stream’ to whichever department we’re allocated to. So in most cases we’ll be moving to a different area of HMRC than where we started and that’s where we’ll stay. The first module of stage 2 is the same for all TSP17s, but once we’ve completed that module, all further studying and exams will be based on the particular tax head that is relevant to the department we’re streaming into and our new roles.

Once we finish our exams there’s a ‘consolidation period’ of 10 months (for the 17s) in which we have no more exams but just concentrate on doing the work we’ll be doing once we’re officially qualified. During this consolidation period there is usually some form of ‘final report’ where we reflect on our time on the course and all the different work we’ve done to prove we’re ready to be promoted.

Please be aware things do change year on year but that’s the format the course usually takes.

So for the 17s, we’ll be streaming in December/January, which is 18 months into the programme. You guys will probably be streaming sooner than that, although I don’t know how they could possibly shorten the programme any more than they already have, unless they just shorten the consolidation period at the end (I’ll explain this shortly).

During the first 18 months (for the 17s), we do the exact same training and exams as all TSP17s in the country - mainly focussed on 2 types of tax but basically cross-tax. This is called stage 1. In the lead up to stage 2, our BLM (business learning manager) gets a list of all HMRC departments that will want a grade 7 when we finish the course. We’ll get to submit our top 3 preferences of where we’d like to go, but we don’t really get a choice per se. In stage 2, we’ll ‘stream’ to whichever department we’re allocated to. So in most cases we’ll be moving to a different area of HMRC than where we started and that’s where we’ll stay. The first module of stage 2 is the same for all TSP17s, but once we’ve completed that module, all further studying and exams will be based on the particular tax head that is relevant to the department we’re streaming into and our new roles.

Once we finish our exams there’s a ‘consolidation period’ of 10 months (for the 17s) in which we have no more exams but just concentrate on doing the work we’ll be doing once we’re officially qualified. During this consolidation period there is usually some form of ‘final report’ where we reflect on our time on the course and all the different work we’ve done to prove we’re ready to be promoted.

Please be aware things do change year on year but that’s the format the course usually takes.

And just to add to this a little bit, you'll either stream into Personal Tax, Company Tax, VAT, Employer Compliance or International Trade (Customs) so you'll end up as a specialist in one of those areas.

Just to clarify my understanding, it’s the managers who choose who’s streamed where and when you refer to ‘preferences’ its only heads of tax - not referring to moving location (although some location changes have happened at this stage in the past)?

Just to clarify my understanding, it’s the managers who choose who’s streamed where and when you refer to ‘preferences’ its only heads of tax - not referring to moving location (although some location changes have happened at this stage in the past)?