Our Initial Training Course is delivered both virtually and in-person by an in-house team of qualified accountants and trainers in conjunction with specialist training partners. All your accommodation and meals are included for any residential period of the Initial Training Course, during which you will get to meet and know all of the Support Centre staff.
We hold three training courses throughout the year and as there will be due diligence, business plans, registrations and possibly raising finance to undertake before joining us, do contact us as soon as possible if you are interested in working towards any of our courses. This will give you plenty of time to prepare and us the time to assist you.
Our next course dates are:
- 04 March 2024
- 03 June 2024
- 21 October 2024
The courses, which are a mixture of both face-to-face and virtual delivery, last for seven weeks and take place at our Support Centre in Norwich, with a week’s home study. Prior to joining the course, we will ask you to complete an online assessment to see if it would be beneficial for you to attend a two-day introduction to bookkeeping course included within week one of the seven-week training course, although you are still welcome to attend the introductory days if you wish to.
Tax, accountancy & software
The tax, accountancy and software training is delivered by our team of qualified accountants, tax advisors and software trainers in conjunction with specialist training partners. Through this partnership we are able to ensure that materials are up-to-date, directly relevant for our network and of the highest quality.
Marketing
Our marketing trainers provide a Business Acceleration Programme across eight consecutive days of the seven-week initial training course. The programme also monitors your business development through the first two years. We work with you during the course to decide on the right business development activity for your territory, then monitor your success. If for instance, we notice that you are attending a good number of appointments but not signing up at the rate we expect, we will help you to increase your conversion rate. This level of ‘hand-holding’ is the kind of support you may need in your first two years, and will help you to build your business at an aspirational rate.
By the end of the initial training provided by TaxAssist Accountants you will know how to
- Market yourself, recruit and retain your clients
- Competently complete year-end and monthly/quarterly accounts and tax computations
- Complete Self-Assessment tax returns and various other tax forms
- Operate bookkeeping and VAT software and be able to advise your clients
- Run an efficient shopfront/office and business with the support of IT, marketing and eventually staff
- In short – how to run and grow a successful business!
Follow up training (nurture programme)
Following the training course outlined above, there is further training in year one and two. The follow up training is a mixture of Technical, Practice Management and Business Development including additional services, staff recruitment, how to cross sell and business plan development days. These areas are covered in additional training and mentoring at months 3, 6, 12 and 24.
Franchise development visits
Former Non-Executive Director and our first £1m resale franchisee Mark Fordham supports new franchisees in their first year, providing a mix of technical, business development, general management and business planning advice and support. Mark is an invaluable resource, passing on his knowledge and experience to help you launch and grow your practice. He will have at least six visits over your first year either face-to-face or virtually to help guide you. You will receive a business development visit each year from then on with the main focus on building your business, profitability, and ultimately helping you achieve your ambitions.
Ongoing training
On an ongoing basis, our TaxAssist Academy provides courses at our Support Centre in Norwich and regionally, to keep the network up to date with technical, marketing and 'TaxAssist Practice Engine' developments. The majority of our courses are delivered at no additional costs or have a very modest fee. Our marketing courses include pricing and fee raising as well as social media training to keep our network abreast of business relevant advancements. Twice a year, we provide Technical Update content to cover Budget, tax and accountancy updates. In Spring these are day long events held at five locations around the country, but in Autumn they are delivered as a live webinar series. Both are included at no extra cost.
We also grant you access, at no additional cost, to Croner-i. This is a technical knowledge library build by Wolters Klewuer.
