Pros
Overall, my experience with H&R Block was positive. The tax class was very informative and I felt prepared when my first season began. (Make sure that you stay on top of the homework— once you fall behind, it’s very difficult to catch up! Many of my classmates dropped out due to this reason). Management at my particular office was extremely laid-back and besides a few weeks out of the season, the schedule was flexible. My coworkers were AWESOME! Despite taxes being a complicated subject, I rarely felt stressed and the vast majority of the clients were friendly. I wish the job was year-round because I would have loved to work there permanently (given that the con mentioned below was improved).
Cons
THE PAY! As much as I enjoyed my experience there, the pay is pretty abysmal. The job requires an income tax course, passing an exam, getting licensed, dealing with complicated tax matters, and continuing your tax education every year to keep up-to-date... yet there are several employees making minimum wage! It’s a bit ridiculous that employees have to do all of the tasks mentioned above and still make as much as a job that requires less skills. H&R Block does offer bonus commissions at the end of each season, but these are unavailable to first-year preparers and don’t amount to much in your later years if you’re in a smaller office with fewer clients (like I was). Also, if you’re one of the preparers who works year-round, you do not receive any commission for the off-season.