Franchise and Business Opportunities Articles

Acquiring a New Skill Set May Be An Entry Step into the Tax Industry

Because no previous tax preparation experience is required, Liberty Tax Service's fall tax school opportunity offers an equal playing field for mature and younger job seekers eager to improve their tax knowledge and work in the tax industry. Displaced workers who are 55 and older who have been laid off during the past year have encountered the greatest challenges reentering the work force. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder, 28% of them have found new jobs, compared with 71% of job seekers 25-34. In addition, 23% of older job seekers are considering starting a business.

"The tax school training method has been a natural fit for empty nesters or retirees interested in extra income or ready to explore an industry new to them. It's also been a career launching pad for some Liberty Tax franchisees, managers, and was for me in 1969," remarked John Hewitt, Founder and CEO of Liberty Tax Service.

Liberty Tax Service offers fall tax schools that can be the entry point to securing flexible seasonal part-time and full-time jobs as tax preparers and employees. The company is planning to staff up at 2700 U.S. offices by tax season. Students learn the fundamentals of basic income tax preparation by preparing returns on paper and on the computer. Instructors cover all schedules, credits and forms that can be filed with an individual tax return.

The new economic stimulus tax provisions of The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are a part of the basic income tax school curriculum as well as other tax changes. Students may also discover repeatedly overlooked deductions or credits, and can amend past returns within three years of filing to claim a refund.

There's minimal charge for books and supplies. Class schedules are flexible with day or evening classes available twice a week for ten weeks. Tax schools start after Labor Day. Liberty Tax Service is actively recruiting bilingual tax school students.

About Liberty Tax Service>
Liberty Tax Service is the fastest growing retail tax preparation company in the industry's history. The company plans to open up to 500 new offices in January 2010. Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, a pioneer in the tax industry, Liberty Tax Service has prepared over 7,000,000 individual income tax returns. With 41 years of tax industry experience, Hewitt stands as the most experienced CEO in the tax preparation business, having also founded Jackson Hewitt Tax Service (NYSE:JTX). While a college student, he enrolled in a non-curricular course that would change his life, and have a profound effect on the tax industry. He took the H&R Block tax course in 1969, then started as a tax preparer.

Liberty Tax Service provides computerized income tax preparation, electronic filing, refund loans, and online filing through eSmart Tax. Each office offers customers audit assistance, a money back guarantee, and free tax return checking. The Liberty Tax Service franchise opportunity has climbed to #3 on the latest Entrepreneur "Franchise 500."

About CareerBuilder and the Survey
The survey referenced above was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder between May 22 and June 10, 2009 among 921 U.S. workers ages 18 and over, who have been laid off in the past 12 months from a full-time position, and 2667 hiring managers and human resource professionals ages 18 and over.