FAQs for tax advisers
Are all of the Tax Advisers UK based?
We have recently introduced a facility for overseas based tax advisers to join us - on somewhat different terms to UK tax advisers. Further details here.
How can I benefit financially through being an Adviser member?
What are the membership criteria?
How do you establish the credibility of the network?
Can I write and edit my own profile?
Can I specify my areas of expertise?
Can I contribute to the development of the website?
I don’t have a professional qualification. Can I still join?
Where are the website and network promoted and advertised?
Who will approach me through the website?
Can I limit who approaches me through the website?
Can I join if I’m a partner or director of a firm?
How do users contact me through the website?
Are members competing with each other?
Do members support each other?
How do you guarantee the quality and competence of members of the network?
Is there a joining fee for UK based tax advisers?
How much is it?
Do I need to pay anything else?
OK. How do I apply to join the Network?
How can I benefit financially through being an Adviser member?
The full list of membership benefits for tax advisers are set out here.
Clerarly we hope that all members will secure billable work referrals that far exceed the level of the joining fee. Obviously the level of such referrals cannot be guaranteed and will vary dependant upon your areas of specialisation, the enquiries received and the attractiveness of your profile.
If you are simply interested in using the Network, you can choose betweent the available membership levels for users here. None of these are suitable for Adviser members.
How do you establish the credibility of the network?
We have established a series of minimum membership criteria explained here. Our founder and Chairman, Mark Lee, is a former Chairman of the ICAEW Tax Faculty. His reputation is on the line and seems to have added a degree of credibility to the network from the outset. Mark does not provide tax advice himself so is not competing with any of the members of the network.
Some of the other founder members are themselves credible and well known figures in the tax world.
Can I write and edit my own profile?
Absolutely. You will also be able to amend it to reflect tax developments, additional tax expertise and to revise your selected list of specialisms. Your changes will take no time and will be reflected on the site immediately.
Can I specify my areas of expertise?
Yes. All tax adviser members of the network can select a number of tax topics (or ’search terms’) and you can vary these as often as you like. For example, you might choose ‘property tax’ but then find that users don’t search for this term. So you will be able to amend your profile and choose whatever terms are being used in searches on the site.
Can I contribute to the development of the website?
Yes. The more contributors we have the better. We are keen to reflect the input of all tax adviser members. And of course such input is reflected on your profile and enhances your claim to expertise in the areas in question.
I don’t have a professional qualification. Can I still join?
Yes, as long as you have sufficient relevant experience. This may have been gained in practice or through a combination of work in practice and in HMRC. You will be able to highlight this in your profile.
Some users of the site will prefer to engage a ‘gamekeeper turned poacher’, others will focus on professional qualifications and others will only be interested in specific relevant experiences. Everyone is different and will be able to promote their expertise in whatever (professional) way best suits their background.
Where are the website and network promoted and advertised?
We have and continue to seek to secure links to the website from other related websites, blogs and complementary service providers. Mark Lee, our founder and Chairman, actively promotes the Network to his extensive range of contacts and during his talks and lectures to accountants around the UK. He also promotes the Network in his written articles, blogs and related activities.
Beyond this we have used the services of a telemarketing company, advertised in Accountancy Age, Taxation and on AccountingWeb. We are constantly experimenting with other media to assess their effectiveness.
Our website is highly ranked on Google and we are regularly approached by people who have found us online.
We do not reveal all of our marketing techniques in case any of our competitors are trying to monitor and replicate our success!
Who will approach me through the website?
Our primary target audience is smaller firms of accountants and we keep in touch with them every week, through our newlsetters. Accountants are also most likely to recognise when their clients' tax issues, challenges and problems are too complex to resolve without specialist tax support.
We also receive a regular flow of enquiries from taxpayers directly - sometimes they have no existing accountant, othertimes they are seeking a second opinion. Financial advisers and other professional advisers also find our site useful.
Can I limit who approaches me through the website?
Some members we know are happy to be engaged by anyone (subject to the necessary client ID/due diligence checks of course). Other prospective members have told us that they only want to provide tax support to accountants.
A small number of tax adviser members have made it clear on their profiles that they are only willing to assist accountants or solicitors.
Can I join if I’m a partner or director of a firm?
Yes. Although most members are independent sole practitioners anyone can apply to join - as long as they meet our membership criteria.
The market will decide who gets the work. Some users will be happy to go to a tax specialist in a larger practice; others will prefer to go to a sole practitioner. The key point to stress is that each profile will relate to an individual rather than to a firm.
How do users contact me through the website?
They can choose to make contact by telephone or email. Anyone calling you will be routed to you via our professional telephone answering service. Your profile will also contain a facility for users to communicate via an 'email' form that will be redirected to your conventional email.
You will also be able to choose what should happen in the event that you are unavailable. Messages can be taken by the answering service, left on your own system or sent as text, SMS or or emails to you. Some users may be prepared to leave a message. Others will choose an alternative available member of the network.
Are members competing with each other?
Members’ profiles are competing with one and other in so far as a user has to choose between them when considering the results of their search for relevant expertise on the website.
Users then choose who they think is best placed to resolve their tax problems. Instead of calling an anonymous helpline or consultant in a larger organisation, each user cab decide what elements of members’ profiles give them most confidence. Some are more interested in the expectation of low fees, others are more impressed by relevant experience. Some may contact more than one member in which case a member’s ability to ‘close’ an enquiry will also be a factor in deciding who gets the most work.
Do members support each other?
They certainly do and this is most evident on the members' forum where members share ideas, ask and answer each others’ questions and foster relationships with one and other.
These are also factors determining the extent to which work is cross referred to other members. Thus each member is able to decide who should receive enquiries when they are unavailable and who they might choose to work with in the event that a big project requires more than one person’s input.
How do you guarantee the quality and competence of members of the network?
We can offer no guarantees. However we do vet all prospective members as explained on the membership criteria page of the website.
Is there a joining fee for UK based tax advisers?
Yes. We're keen to ensure that tax adviser members of the network are serious players. We also need members who are committed to the network and who will ensure that their profiles are most likely to ‘work’ for them so that they gain maximum benefit from their membership. A desire to get value for money is a key motivator for many people.
The initial joining fee is £550 if paid in one lump sum. Monthly instalment options are also available. If you prefer you can pay £200 upfront plus £36 per month for 11 months (total £596). Or you can simply pay £58 per month for 12 months (total £696). All plus VAT of course. And all likely to pale into insignificance compared to the fees that you can generate if you make full use of our facilities to promote yourself effectively to the thousands of visitors we get each month.
Do I need to pay anything else?
Yes. 12.5% commission is payable by each tax adviser in respect of the work that is sourced through the Network or referred to you by a fellow member of the Network. In such cases 6% (c50% of the commission) is remitted by us to the referring member.
There are no other charges for standard services and facilities.
OK. How do I apply to join the Network?
1 - Please check that you satisfy our membership criteria. If your PI cover is currently insufficient we can either direct you to a suitable broker or you can arrnage an increase directly with your current insurer.
2 - Please register on the site. If you are not yet registered on the site please do so here.
3 - All applicants are personally interviewed by our Chairman, Mark Lee. Please call our local rate number 0845 003 8780 or 01635 574 160 and, if Mark is unavailable, you can indicate when would be a convenient time for him to call you back. If you are approved for membership Mark will send you a copy of the membership agreement and membership handbook and you can complete your detailed online profile etc
What are the membership criteria?
You will also be able to earn valuable commissions for referring your clients (old and new) to other members of the network when advice is required that is not within your area of expertise or when you are not available.
