I've become a Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians! So, what's that about?

Anyone who's connected to me through LinkedIn or Twitter will have seen that I've been posting photos of my shiny new certificate and announcing to the world in general that I've become a Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians, as well as my recent appointment to Council of the same professional body. So, I can now put something new on my CV and business cards, but what does it actually mean?

Well, I'm better placed than most to explain this as I helped develop the Fellowship route for the ATT two or three years ago. The Association of Taxation Technicians is a professional body that provides a testing route to qualification for anyone wanting to enter the tax profession, some of you may also have heard of it's 'big brother' the Chartered Institute of Taxation. The ATT has been in place now for over 25 years (http://bit.ly/1u6dAQe) and as a body it was decided that something needed to be done to recognise those members who have been qualified to provide tax services over a long period of time. Hence the Fellowship scheme was born, and indicates not only a period of service to the tax profession of over ten years, but also the contribution and progression those members have made within the sphere of tax. So, it's not just a time served basis like some bodies, there is a little more to it. My personal story many of you know, but a short summary is about a guy who left Wolverhampton University, joined PwC completing corporate tax returns and after a few twists and turns ended up heading up the tax department of one of the fastest growing law firms in the country (www.hcbsolicitors.com) and helping run my professional body and have influence over tax policy. It's all been a lot of fun (and hard work) in the short space of fourteen years, so to get that recognition from ATT means a lot to someone like me.

So, that's what the Fellowship is, but what does it mean to me? Well, there's the shiny new certificate for a start which looks quite nice on the office wall. In all seriousness though, it does help in terms of marketing my service to potential partners, clients (and employers) as someone who is at the top of their game as there are, (last time I checked) less than 200 Fellows in the UK out of a membership of several thousand advisers. It is also a sense of pride at being able to shout out about my professional body, of which I am very proud, and help promote the qualification to people who are aspiring to enter the tax profession from perhaps a more mainstream background in accountancy or law, or like I did straight from university and into the exciting world of tax.

So, if you're looking for someone to help you with your taxes, or someone looking to enter the tax profession and wanting to understand the opportunities available to you I hope this article has helped explain what I've been shouting from the rooftops for the last couple of days, and for those of you who haven't seen it...