After losing my job at 39 my future prospects wee looking dim. I took the chance with a temporary contract with HMRC, despite the 50 miles commute. After 18 months the contract was ending so I started looking for a permanent role within the Civil Service. I accepted a role in the Washington office which meant moving 250 miles. The role within Tax Credit compliance suited my skills perfectly and I excelled to the point of eventually becoming a learning facilitator outwith my normal duties. 17 years after starting with HMRC I am still ‘south of the wall’, Hadrian’s that is, not Game of Thrones and have made the north east my second home. Only second, as Scotland will be forever my true home. I have had 8 different roles within HMRC in that time, some good some not quite suiting me. After some struggles at work and home. I needed to find an area where I could be settled and lady luck smiled at the perfect time. In almost a full circle I have found myself back in a risking role, this time within RIS itself. This is the type of role that suits me best and where I can be most productive, as I am happiest. I work with great people and am respected.

RIS is the department with Customer Compliance where cases are prepared for caseworkers to investigate non-compliance in various tax regimes, including Income Tax, VAT, Alcohol duties. This can involve simple data gathering from a few systems right up to gathering information and intelligence and making a decision on whether there is something investigating. There are a lot of regular projects we work every year but as society changes so does our work. We have to be on top of new methods people use to avoid paying tax due. I find my work engaging and the support we offer each other, learning from different experiences, mean we can build good packages for caseworkers, making their job easier. It can be very satisfying to know we are helping to bring fraudsters to pay what is due and helping the country's economy

In my area we have built very strong relationships between the roles involved in working projects. This can be from Project Co-Ordinator's, data gatherers, analysts and the end customer. Where we see issues it is easy to raise this and have a part in solutions. Everyone gives a feeling of being approachable and always manage to find time to explain processes or offer assistance, at all grades. The management structure reflects what I see everyday on the floorplate, we all strive for the same thing and work together for the best results. Management treat their staff fantastically and the support available for everyday problems up to domestic emergencies is exceptional. I never worked in an area with so much respect for people.

There are a huge number of roles within HMRC and the wider Civil Service. There will be some that really suit your skills. Where there is a gap, the training and development opportunities available will give you every chance to fill that gap and find that role where you can excel. You will find management want you to improve and will encourage your development, whether within your current role or to achieve the abilities to change to somewhere else you can be better. Self-belief used properly can be your strongest skill.

Having a part-time role as a learning facilitator I was selected, along with 2 colleagues, to induct new entrants to HMRC over a 2 month period. This was a new process for the area and also involved utilising space in an office never used by the department previously. Whilst preparing presentations and learning packages, the office was still being kitted out and didn’t even have enough computers for the staff coming in. Plus managers were still being recruited. It was certainly not just an induction session. We and to be learning facilitators, managers, Heath and Safety risk assessors, career advisors and even negotiators with other departments, outwith HMRC. I pretty much led the process, thanks to some well-timed holidays by initial colleagues meaning less experienced assistance was required. This help cement my reputation as someone to get the job done in the best way possible and gained me a lot of respect in different areas. It was also very satisfying to see some of the more capable entrants climbing the career ladder in a short time, acting on some of my advice.