Tax education: Inspiring students to a career in taxation

We have been working hand in hand with a band of volunteers to reach out to school children and university students, raising their awareness of taxation and promoting careers in taxation.

WCoTA is an active member of the Livery Schools Link. The Livery Schools Link aims to promote support for schools in the Greater London area by Livery Companies and their members, helping to prepare young people for the world of work. Its mission is to assist children from less advantaged backgrounds to receive an enhanced educational experience at school and to raise their personal aspirations, thereby increasing their employability and career options.

Every year, the London Careers Fair takes place at the Guildhall, supported by the Lord Mayor. The Livery Schools Link has organised and run the Livery Showcase during the Careers Fair for a number of years. WCoTA, partnering with the ATT and the CIOT, has taken part for three years (2023, 2024 and 2025), exhibiting at the senior school day each year.

In 2025, WCoTA also exhibited at the primary school day in February. Through this single event, incredibly we managed to reach out to 2,374 school children. We capture the interest of the children in a variety of ways, including ‘Tax Facts’, which they love.

It won’t surprise some of you to learn that the marshmallows and Jaffa Cakes on our stand are extremely popular! Huge thanks to all our volunteers and a special thanks to David Massey, who developed material for the primary school day that had the little ones captivated by taxation.

Liz Goodwin, Chairman of the LSL recently provided us with some feedback:

‘Can I also thank the Worshipful Company of Tax Advisers and the CIOT for the excellent stall that you had at the Showcase. Anything that helps financial literacy is really important for young people, whether or not they decide it is a possible career in the future.’

The CIOT, ATT and WCoTA also had a stall together and presented at the inaugural Financial Service Group Livery Companies Student Event in April, partnering with upReach.

Our target audience was 50 university students from across the country who went to state schools, achieved at least 3 Bs at A level and come from low socioeconomic backgrounds where the annual household income is less than £42,620. Often, these students do not have a clear pathway into professional careers, particularly into careers in taxation, and yet they would add so much to our profession. The engagement on the day was awesome, as were our volunteers.

Particular shout outs go to Alan McLintock, who spoke for us in the ‘Dragons’ Den’ style session, and to Flossie Skinner who described the life of a tax professional in their early years. Feedback on LinkedIn from students who attended the event was very positive.

If any of our readers are in the position of being able to offer internships in tax-related careers, we would love to hear from you. It would be wonderful if we could follow up on the student event with some tangible opportunities to gain work experience in taxation.

Lorraine Parkin

Chair, Charities Committee of WCTA