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Starting a new job at ForrestBrown during lockdown
Locked down but busier than ever – hear from our newest ForrestBrowners in the tax team about how they found starting their roles remotely
New faces. New processes. New responsibilities. Starting a new job is always tough, but doing it remotely throws up a whole host of different challenges. We spoke to three of our newest tax associates, Pippa, Laura and Jim, to get the lowdown on joining ForrestBrown during lockdown.
So, first things first – when did you actually start at ForrestBrown?
Jim: I’ve been at ForrestBrown for just over three months now – I came from working for the NHS, although I’d actually worked as an aircraft mechanic before that. I did my interviews and assessment day pre-lockdown.
Laura: I started about a month after Jim, but we did the assessment day together.
Jim: So we have actually met in real life!
Pippa: I officially started during lockdown, but I also interviewed before it.
You don’t have to be an R&D expert, or even from a tax background, to become an associate at ForrestBrown. Where had you worked before?
Laura: I worked at an accountancy and finance recruitment company – I had nothing to do with tax or R&D. I wanted to do something that would combine the people skills I learnt in recruitment with the numerical skills I learnt during my Maths degree. I also really wanted to continue my education and start working towards a professional qualification. ForrestBrown seemed the perfect place to do it.
Pippa: I worked at a small tax consultancy firm in Bath straight after university. I’d been there for about a year and a half, but I wanted to work at a bigger company with a great culture, social scene and the ability to support me with structured learning. It was important to me to be able to continue my professional studies and to become an expert in one focussed area of tax.
Jim: As well as the NHS and being an aircraft mechanic, I’ve also worked as a historian. All skills that have somehow combined nicely to suit my role at ForrestBrown.
That’s quite the change – especially for you, Laura and Jim. What was it about ForrestBrown that made you want to make the move?
Laura: So many factors! I’d come across ForrestBrown a number of times when recruiting within the tax market in the south-west and when I originally started researching the company, their website really stood out. It was bursting with personality and really caught my eye. I loved that they worked with clients from so many different sectors – I knew I would enjoy the collaborative, fast-paced environment. And, on top of all that, I love Bristol and always wanted to move here.