SARS

About SARS

The South African Revenue Service, known as SARS, collects taxes and administers customs for the country. Its head office, Lehae La SARS, is in Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria. The money it raises pays for schools, clinics, roads and grants. As a result, the agency needs a steady supply of skilled people who understand tax, law, auditing and data.

Those skills are scarce nationwide. SARS competes with banks and audit firms for the same graduates. Funding students early is one way to build a pipeline suited to its own mandate.

How SARS supports students

The SARS bursary is run in partnership with Career Wise, a bursary administrator. Career Wise handles applications and screening on behalf of the agency. The fields on offer have changed between years. Recent lists have included accounting, information systems, actuarial science and computer science. Some lists have also named chemistry, geology and several engineering fields, so check the current call before you plan your studies.

Tax administration is wider than collecting returns. It involves auditing, customs control, investigations, legal disputes and data analysis, which is why the agency recruits across several disciplines. A student who studies one of these fields gains a clear route into a stable public-sector career.

Applicants have generally needed to be South African citizens or permanent residents, in Matric or finished with it, and in genuine financial need. Accounting candidates have needed at least a level 6 in Mathematics. Engineering, geology and science candidates have needed level 6 in both Mathematics and Science. Students apply online through Career Wise and upload results and proof of admission. Past calls closed around the end of May.

Bursary holders may be offered vacation work at SARS during their studies. This exposure helps students learn how the organisation runs before they graduate.

Apply as early as you can, because late applications have not been accepted. Keep scans of your Grade 11 or Matric results, proof of admission and academic record ready before the online form opens.

Graduate programmes and obligations

SARS also runs separate graduate pipelines. The Trainee Programme lasts 24 months, or 36 months on the chartered accountant articles stream. It covers areas such as tax, accounting sciences, internal audit, IT, data analytics, legal work, economics and engineering. The Graduate in Training Programme is for unemployed graduates aged 18 to 35. Both can lead into talent pools that fill permanent vacancies.

Published bursary material does not describe a compulsory work-back contract. Entry into the trainee and graduate programmes is voluntary. This differs from the binding service contracts that some other state entities use. Nevertheless, confirm the current terms with Career Wise before you accept an award, because conditions can change from year to year.