Your Initial Training Course runs through the Academy Program: it’s online, self-paced, and takes you through preparing Individual, Sole Trader, Trust and Company tax returns, including financials, and the lodgment process using XERO Tax. You work through it in your own time, wherever you are and can remain in full-time employment whilst the training is completed. As part of the program, you will be given the opportunity to complete real client Tax Returns under our mentorship and start your own client work under our Tax Agent Supervision Program.
Once you join as a TaxAssist Franchisee, a second stage of training begins. This one covers practice compliance, interview and marketing skills, and managing your practice day to day, and it includes time in person at our Sydney Training Office in Neutral Bay. That’s the part worth planning for properly. Here’s what it involves and why it’s worth the trip.
What does the Initial Training Course through the Academy actually cover?
The technical groundwork. It’s online and self-paced, and it takes you through Individual, Sole Trader, Trust and Company tax returns, including financials, all prepared in XERO Tax. You complete it before you get to Neutral Bay, so you arrive already comfortable with the core compliance work.
What additional training do I get once I’ve joined as a franchisee?
Everything to do with running the practice itself. Once you’re a TaxAssist Franchisee, your training moves on to practice compliance, interview and marketing skills, and managing your practice, and this is where our Sydney Training Office comes in. It’s the part of your training built for being in the room, not in front of a screen.
Why do the interview and marketing skills training in person?
Because those are conversational skills, and conversation is hard to learn from a screen. In Neutral Bay, you sit in on real client meetings, run through interview scenarios with experienced staff, and get immediate, specific feedback on how you’re coming across. Franchisees who train this way walk into their own practice already comfortable steering a client conversation and pitching TaxAssist, not reading from a script.
Will it actually improve my client conversion?
Yes, and directly. Conversion comes down to how confidently you handle the first meeting: the questions you ask, the way you explain fees, how you respond when a prospect hesitates. Those are things you practise, not memorise. A few days watching and taking part in real interviews teaches you more about winning a client than any manual can.
How will I learn TaxAssist’s practice compliance standards?
By seeing them applied, not just described. Our compliance standards exist in policy documents, but they come to life in daily practice: how a file is set up correctly the first time, how a compliance checklist actually gets worked through under normal time pressure, how the team keeps standards consistent when the phone won’t stop ringing. That’s the version worth learning.
Will I get real access to the training team and your Tax Agents?
Yes. In our Sydney Training Practice you’re working alongside the training team and the Tax Agents who run that practice day to day, not corresponding with them. You can ask a Tax Agent how they’d handle a specific client situation and get their answer on the spot, based on how they actually do it.
What can I pick up just from watching how the practice is run?
More than you’d expect. Sitting in a working practice for a few days shows you how appointments are scheduled, how the team divides work during busy periods, how client queries are triaged, and how a manager keeps everything moving without dropping the ball. Most of this never makes it into a manual. You only get it by being there, and it’s a core part of learning to manage your own practice.
What happens when I have a question mid-training?
You get an answer straight away. That’s the practical difference between being in the room and being on email. A quick question about a client scenario, a marketing decision, or how we handle a particular compliance step gets answered on the spot, so you keep moving instead of waiting on a reply.
What about software onboarding?
Your XERO Tax skills are already built through the Academy, so your time in Sydney focuses on the systems you’ll run your practice on day to day, with support sitting right next to you. Instead of working through it alone and emailing when you’re stuck, you can ask as you go and have someone show you the fix in real time.
Is there a cost to attend?
No. This training is included as part of your franchise fee. The only thing to organise is your time and travel.
How many days should I book?
We recommend a minimum of three days, and more if you can manage it. Three days covers the essentials, but the franchisees who get the most out of it tend to stay longer. How many days you book is entirely up to you. It depends on your experience, your confidence with the practice systems, and how much of the practice you want to see in action. Once your have your practice up and running, you are always welcome to come and work in the Sydney Training office if you need one-on-one support, training or a refresher.
Where is the Sydney Training Office?
TaxAssist Accountants Neutral Bay Training Practice, Shop 5 & 6, 81–91 Military Road, Neutral Bay.
How do I book my training days?
Contact the Support Office to arrange your dates. Email [email protected] or call 02 7229 6930, and the team will help you find a time that works.
Make the trip
Your Academy training gets your technical skills in place. The in-person days in Sydney are what get the rest of the practice in place: sharper client conversations, a real feel for how the business runs, and a direct line to the people who can help you get it right from day one. Book your training days with the Support Office and get started.
Is in-person training mandatory or optional?
It’s optional, but we strongly recommend it for all the reasons above. Most franchisees who haven’t worked in a practice before take us up on it. If you’re converting an existing practice to a TaxAssist franchise, or you’ve spent years in public practice, your time in Sydney will focus mainly on TaxAssist’s systems and software, plus a lovely lunch with the team.
