Career in Tax

PwC is your opportunity to learn with purpose, lead with heart and make a positive impact on the world. The PwC Tax Academy is aligned and accredited with relevant professional bodies.

Apply here for a three-year graduate traineeship programme in either of the below areas:

Traineeship in South African Taxes: Our standard rotational professional internship is accredited with the South African Institute of Tax Professionals (SAIT). Trainees are afforded an opportunity to work across many areas of our Tax practice to develop a broad base of tax compliance and consulting skills in addition to various internal courses. This programme provides trainees the opportunity to obtain a solid broad-based knowledge of South African taxes and the different practice areas of tax.

Traineeship in Transfer Pricing: We now offer a new internship where trainees will spend a dedicated three years in a specialist unit of our tax practice. Transfer Pricing relates to the pricing of goods, services, etc. in cross-border transactions between connected persons. The primary goal of transfer pricing rules is to ensure that transactions are ‘arm's length’, so that the correct profits are taxed in the right location(s). Stated differently, you will help global groups to set the prices of their connected-person transactions, and advise on the tax impact that this may have. This is an exciting practice area where you will be at the forefront of dealing with the business impact of global trends like digitalisation and mobility. This programme is ideal for ambitious graduates with combined interests in economics, tax, accounting, business science and/or law. This internship is also accredited with the South African Institute of Taxation (SAIT).

Tax – CA(SA) elective: A unique tax-focused CA(SA) traineeship for graduates currently studying CTA, PGDA or Honours in Accounting, who have a keen interest to pursue a career in tax post-articles. This programme exposes you to dedicated time in our Tax and Legal Services team whilst pursuing the CA(SA) professional qualification.

It’s all in your hands. So go ahead and be the master of your own career.

As part of our formal internships you will get the opportunity to build your career in a team-oriented, open, trusting and inclusive environment. Our super-friendly team leaders and coaches will mentor and help you make the most of your experiences to grow, explore new opportunities and realise your potential!

If you already have dedicated tax experience or you are laser-focused on specialising in a specific area of tax, you are always welcome to contact the applicable tax practice area.

Your day-to-day activities will depend on the specific traineeship programme and could include:

Working on a range of tax assignments advising clients on a variety of issues
Drafting technical tax opinions and/or reports for clients
Performing tax-audit-related work as part of review or pre-issuance assignments
Performing research related to client assignments
Interpreting tax legislation and the impact of this on business transactions
Dealing with, and handling queries from the South African Revenue Service
Performing general project administration and working closely with other teams to meet joint client deadlines

For our graduate internship programmes we’re looking for candidates in the postgraduate year of their tax qualification or that already have a postgraduate qualification in tax or related qualification, a solid academic track record (60% aggregate) and a willingness to learn. We look for candidates with a good understanding and knowledge of tax laws (specifically VAT, Tax Administration Acts, Income Tax and Customs Act would be an advantage) as well as good research skills.