Patrick Still

My name is Patrick Still and I’m a business services intern at McLean Delmo Bentleys. I’m currently completing a Bachelor of Accounting and will be graduating at the end of 2024.

7.30 AM

I wake up have some breakfast, something quick like cereal and take some time to relax before getting ready to leave for the day.

8.50 AM

Arrive at work start to set up my computer and check my emails to see if I’ve been assigned any new jobs or if there’s any important news I should know. On a normal day, I would start working on a tax return a bit after getting everything set up. This would involve me downloading a client’s prefill report from the ATO portal and going through each section to see if there’s anything I must look at, while simultaneously looking at the work papers given to me by the client and working through each document and inputting the details into the tax return. I also compare my work with the tax return of the previous financial year to see if there are any major differences between the two years that I must look into or to see if there is anything in the previous year that I have missed and should put into the current return I am working on. While working on a tax return, I also jot down any questions or queries I might have for the client for me to ask them later. Once I have finished a return, I send it to my supervisor for review.

10.00 AM

On this day I had to print out and put together some physical copies of tax returns for a client who needed to physically sign. Most of the signing is done digitally over email but some still need to come in to do it physically. Putting together a simple physical tax return like the one I’m working on involves printing out the different components putting it all together in the right order and stapling the different parts that need to be together. I also mark with stickers which parts the client needs to sign

12.30 PM

Around now I take my lunch, and I pack a couple of sandwiches each day for myself. I prefer to eat my lunch outside after being inside an office for a few hours, so I try and find a bench or something to eat my lunch. I also try and go for a quick walk just to keep moving.

2.00 PM

I hear back from my supervisor about the tax return and make changes and fix any mistakes I have made. Sometimes my supervisor would go on to explain and teach me a certain aspect of tax law that I did not know about.

3.00 PM

If it’s a quiet day and I don’t have much work, I try and see if my colleagues need any help. Sometimes this will involve scanning in documents from clients so we have them on our system, and sometimes this will be other smaller tasks that aren’t in my usual wheelhouse of duties. It’s always good to learn a new part of the job

4.30 PM

When the end of the day is coming up, I start to try and finish anything I’m currently working on, if I don’t have time to finish whatever I’m working on, I write myself a reminder in my dairy so I know what to do at the start of the next day. Throughout the day I write down any reminders or anything new I learn and go over them at the end of the day to ensure I remember them.

5.00 PM

I post my timesheets, pack up my desk, turn off my computer and then say goodbye to everyone and head off for the day

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