[loves winter]

hi,

I originally applied for next fall start date but I guess the firm is really short on the staff and since they knew that I have already graduated, I guess they want me to start work asap (coming January)

My concern is that I’m in the middle of studying CPA and I have always wanted to finish CPA before I work so that I don’t go death with working long hours + studying.

I have also planned to trip to my country for a month or so during the spring and I was even about to book my flight ticket but I guess I can give up on this if I have to.

My biggest concern is that I saw some threads about promotion delay if I start on January.

I don’t really know exactly how promotion works in Big4 but will start in January affect my promotion in anyway compare to other staff who starts on Fall (I’m don’t even know I’m with 2015 fall group or 2016 fall group).

So my biggest issue is promotion, and the second is CPA.

And the fact that I might bump direct to busy season without learning anything beforehand.

Personally, I want to delay to next fall but I don’t even know if it is possible and I ‘feel’ like they are really short on staff for some reason (maybe many people already quit before starting upcoming busy season idk).

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

[WaivingMyHands_ALOT]

So just to clarify, you were hired for a Fall start date and they then asked for you to start early (January)? Or you applied for Fall and they countered with a January start?

If they originally hired you for fall, and you do not want to start in January, I would just tell them that (explain your situation in regards to CPA, Family commitments, etc.). I would think they would back off and allow you to start in Fall.

If you applied for Fall, but they countered with a Jan start date, then you can still ask if Fall is available, but my guess is you will have less luck then if they've already hired you for fall.

As far as promotion delays are concerned, I think it depends on how you perform for the first 5 months or so. Jan-April is provision busy season. The staff that started in Fall (October), will likely have worked on compliance work (tax returns, etc.), and a few misc. projects, but probably haven't seen much provision work. So I don't think you will be behind the other staff that started a few months ahead of you.

Traditionally, it takes 2 years to make Senior (3 for PWC). Promotions are effective in October (For my firm at least). So the earliest you would be up for promotion would be 1 year and 9 months after you start. Is it possible the firm holds you back because of those 3 months…maybe. Is it likely…I doubt it.

I think you'll have a better idea once you've had your first annual review. If you are in the high performance, or even average performance bucket, I think you have a good shot at still making senior within the 2 year mark. If you get dinged on your first review, there's a good chance you'll be held back a year. But I don't think there is much sense in worrying about it right now. I think it has more to do with your performance once you start, than the simple fact that you are 3 months junior to the people who started in October.

AUD 99
BEC 96
FAR 94
REG 96

[miamigirl]

Hi,
I am starting in B4 tax in January. I did a few internships in the group I will be starting with, so I am very familiar with the process even though I haven't started full time yet.

Your main concerns are promotion, CPA, and starting in busy season.

First of all, starting in busy season: At least in my group, starting in busy season is pretty normal. The main start dates are January and June. there are a handful of people who start in the fall, but that's not usual. As far as not learning anything beforehand, I wouldn't worry too much about it. They expect you to come in knowing virtually nothing. It is also very difficult to learn in the off season, because there isn't much work to do, and in my experience you only really learn by doing. So were you to start in the fall with not a lot going on, it would just take that much longer to get up to speed.

As far as promotion: promotion generally takes 2 years, and goes into effect in the summer. The way I see it, if you start in summer/fall 2016, you will be up for promotion summer 2018. If you start January 2016, you will be up for promotion summer 2018. So while yes you will have worked an extra season, it wouldn't delay you in real time.
That being said, it is possible to be promoted in less than 2 years, just not highly recommended. I know some who have been promoted in a year and nine months, and even the rare 1.5 year promote, it is just very little experience before becoming a senior. If you have prior relevant experience i would say go for it, but if this is your first job I would stick it out to 2/2.5 years.

The biggest issue as I see it is CPA. How far along are you? Have you gotten any sections done yet? And if not, could you take one in the very beginning of January, potentially before you start? When I start full time I will have attempted 2 parts (crossing my fingers). I actually had the option to start a couple months before January but I chose to start in January as planned, so I could squeeze those in. I plan to schedule the last two around my busy seasons, for May and October.

Is there a possibility to do a winter seasonal/internship and then start full time in the fall as planned? A friend of mine is starting in the summer, and was asked by her recruiter if she would consider starting in January or doing a seasonal, as they are still understaffed for the winter. This would give you some practical experience before you start full time. Depending on when you had vacation planned you could potentially still fit it in, and if you are diligent about it you could also get some more of the CPA done. If this is a possibility I would say it's probably your best bet, since it won't push off your promotion further by starting a bit later, you'll get a chance to make some overtime $$, and you'll start off as an associate on firmer ground with a little practical experience under your belt.

REG 86
BEC 77
FAR 5/31/16
AUD 7/6/16

[taxsage]

At my Big 4 firm they actually consider the July 2015 and January 2016 people in the same start class, so the January people get promoted at year 1.5. So Op would be senior in August 2017 if they start in January and August 2018 if they start in July. That can be a good thing if you want to leave public accounting as soon as possible, and a bad thing if you want to be a solid senior right after promotion since you will have six months less experience than the July hires.

Assuming there has been no dialog yet I think the best approach is to say something like “I am really excited about being part of the team and would really like to start work as soon as possible, but unfortunately I have a month family trip planned as I was originally expected to start in the Fall.” Chances are you are only dealing with a HR representative that was told to bring in more people in January, so the managers, seniors, and partners you end up working with will never know(or care) that you were asked to come in earlier to help the team.

I personally finished the CPA exam before starting at the Big 4, and I have to say it makes all the difference. Having the three months to unwind after each busy season makes this job truly manageable. On the other hand coming off 65 hour work weeks only to work 40 hours and study 30 for the CPA exam can be exhausting.

Ask for what you want and see what they say.

[Author]

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