The Topel Forman Internship
Why You Should Choose Topel Forman For Your Internship
Topel Forman provides hands-on experience in a mid-size firm. The size of the firm ensures that you have access to the resources of a larger firm but the ability to learn from all levels of employee from associate to Partner. If you end up starting your career with Topel Forman after your internship you will have the opportunity to be placed on a variety of projects that are for first-year associates which will help build on your knowledge and help you grow as a tax professional.
During the internship, you will work independently and with a team and will be included in all firm-wide events just as any other employee. You will have a support system of your fellow interns, the internship coordinator, a mentor, a buddy and sometimes the project team if assigned to a specific project.
Your Work Will Matter
You will be doing billable work for our clients. Instead of busywork, you will be trained on real tax work and expected to complete the work. You will be given real-time guidance and feedback on the work you produce.
Interns will not be preparing and signing returns on their own as all work will be reviewed. This is the opportunity to learn how to recieve feedback and learn from mistakes.
You Will Develop Your Skills
The audit internship is tailored to see the progression over the internship and is our department’s primary source of talent acquisition. Audit interns will work on audits, reviews, and compilations. We train mainly on software, department concepts such as file organization, best practices, and sampling methodologies. The remaining skills and development are client-specific and are learned within the virtual audit room (VAR). The VAR concept was developed when the pandemic hit and we were no longer able to train interns in a client conference room. The VAR allows interns and junior staff to ask questions and receive immediate feedback on their assignments, something TF has determined as critical to a teammate’s success.
For the summer project, you will get an initial, high-level training that will go over the entire return that you will be preparing. Next, you will get a 1 on 1 training where a buddy will prepare the return while you watch and vice versa. The training is very hands-on. There are also step-by-step instructions for the returns that you can use until you get the process down. There is a group of people who have worked on the project for years that can assist you with any questions you may have.
We know that you are new at first and don’t know everything at first. You will receive review comments and can take them and can apply them to future work. This is how you grow professionally and produce better work in the future.
Do You Want To Be An Accountant?
During the internship you can expect to gain hands-on experience in a professional setting, learn more about the tax industry and expand your network. You will learn about high-level tax concepts and learn some technical knowledge about various areas of tax or audit.
When you complete the internship, you will have a great idea of what day-to-day work life would look like so it makes it easier to sign an offer if you wish to pursue the career. You are getting a great window into the tax world to see if this is something you want and can do for your career.
Whether you end up becoming a full-time employee of Topel Forman or not we hope you will leave your internship having gained the self-esteem to pursue your career with confidence.