How to get tax experience without an entry-level job
Experienced professionals already earning a high salary cannot afford to step down into full-time entry-level tax roles just to learn a new specialty. This mismatch prevents established accountants from gaining the seasonal tax experience they need to launch independent ventures or earn extra income.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Volunteering through VITA and a CPA Society branch to learn technical aspects and softwareDid this help you?
- 2Seeking side contract work for a small firm during tax season after gaining volunteer experienceDid this help you?
- 3Pursuing the CPA to wipe the slate clean and bypass low GPA concernsDid this help you?
- 4Applying to firms directly through Indeed and LinkedIn without personal referralsDid this help you?
- 5continuing to work in alternative administrative or financial support rolesDid this help you?
- 6trying to balance professional board exam review while workingDid this help you?
- 7Treating the seasonal retail job as a tax internship to build resume experienceDid this help you?
- 8Studying for CPA or EA exams during the off-seasonDid this help you?
- 9Applying for fall roles once the seasonal work endsDid this help you?
- 10Considering getting a masters in taxation to get a shotDid this help you?
- 11Looking into AP/AR or junior accountant rolesDid this help you?
- 12considering going to an employment agency for help finding a job without prior accounting experienceDid this help you?
- 13looking for free work opportunities to learn from someoneDid this help you?
- 14Asking for peer or community criticism on resume bullet pointsDid this help you?
- 15Using AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT to critique and rewrite resume contentDid this help you?
- 16learning tax preparation on the job with guidance from the firmDid this help you?
- 17Trying to leverage domain experience from previous non-accounting jobs to apply for specialized industry accounting rolesDid this help you?
- 18Call up local firms to offer shadowing staff or managersDid this help you?
- 19Apply directly right after busy seasons when firms actively onboardDid this help you?
- 20Highlight business club leadership, networking attendance, and Excel skillsDid this help you?
- 21Volunteering with VITA during tax seasonDid this help you?
- 22Applying to a wide variety of roles (AP/AR, Staff, Public Tax/Audit, Government)Did this help you?
- 23Continuing higher education (pursuing an MBA) to delay employment pressureDid this help you?
- 24Starting out in low-level adjacent roles like receptionist or taking temp jobsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My bigger concern is getting stuck. How do I pivot out of this to something better?”source ↗
“Then I need to pay for study materials- all while juggling 25k student debt on poverty wages.”source ↗
“TL;DR How do I use this H&R Block experience to move to something better.”source ↗
“All I need to be licensed is the work experience. I switched into accounting last year as well, so I didn’t exactly have time for internships and I figured passing the exams would help me land something. I’m not even getting an interview and I’ve had my resumé reviewed many times”source ↗
“Yes, there are many postings but I haven’t gotten contacted back for ANY. I’ve applied to AP/AR, Staff, Public Tax/Audit, Government, literally everything. I moved to this state 3 years ago, so I don’t have many connections either.”source ↗
“If I want to get into accounting where do I start?”source ↗
“After graduating college I ended up getting a job that’s not at all related to accounting. The pay was good but now that my position has been moved overseas I want to go back to accounting, but how do I start all over?”source ↗
“It’s been years and I feel like I have to start from zero again.”source ↗
“Recently completed my B.S. in Accounting and started an M.S. in Accounting. I don't have direct professional accounting experience yet, so I'm trying to land an internship or entry-level accounting role to get my foot in the door.”source ↗
“I'd appreciate criticism on the experience section in particular, as well as anything that might cause an accounting recruiter to pass on this resume”source ↗
“I’ve been in accounting for roughly 8 years with all of my experience being in audit and industry. I have no tax experience. I’ve passed the CPA exam and I’m just waiting for my state board to process my license.”source ↗
“I’m hoping to get some tax experience and do some seasonal part time tax work. I’d like to make some extra income and potentially use it as a launching pad for my own business. I have a family and already make 6 figures, so simply getting a full time entry level tax job really isn’t an option for me.”source ↗
“Could I still have a good chance of landing a decent job in accounting with just the degree and also the CPA with minimal work experience and connections?”source ↗
“I graduate with no experience or accounting experience.”source ↗
“everyone says AP/AR and junior accountant but they ask me to know these softwares that I don’t know plus years of experiencex”source ↗
“I didn’t manage to get into my schools tax classes because they’re overfilled or they don’t work with my work schedule. Am I in for a rude awakening if a firm hired me as an intern? If you needed to learn tax for an internship with no prior experience, what tools would you use?”source ↗
“I've applied to a lot of internships without any luck.”source ↗
“Sa'kin po kasi tina try ko mag apply even entry level lang, but I am always offered sa other positions. It's a big challenge for me.”source ↗
“Also, I'm not sure anymore if when ako makapag take talaga ng CPALE, but it's been on my mind since last year pa, any advice huhu.”source ↗
“You have to wait until Jan 2027 to do the VITA program. So I have to wait until April to actually have a chance to get a job?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 52How to break into accounting as an international student with a low GPA
- 11How to learn accounting software without any training
- 5Which entry-level accounting job offer should I take?
- 4How to move from Accounts Payable to a staff accountant role
- 2Where to get hands-on accounting experience
- 6Can I skip public accounting and go straight to industry?