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.
- 1Volunteering through VITA and a CPA Society branch to learn technical aspects and software
- 2Seeking side contract work for a small firm during tax season after gaining volunteer experience
- 3Pursuing the CPA to wipe the slate clean and bypass low GPA concerns
- 4Applying to firms directly through Indeed and LinkedIn without personal referrals
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“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 ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 20How to break into accounting as an international student with a low GPA
- 5How to learn accounting software without any training
- 11What other career paths are there with an accounting degree?
- 3How to get an accounting job without a CPA
- 6Does starting in private accounting ruin your career?
- 12How to get a technical tax accounting internship as a rising junior