[Anonymous]

Hello to all those who already have a job within Public Accounting CPA Firms, I just get a few questions regarding the entry-level job. Hopefully it won’t take too much of ur time.

Does passing all 4 CPA exams actually help u finding a job in Public Accounting CPA Firms? I know nothing is guaranteed, but will it give u a competitive edge over those who doesn’t have it?

I am a Canadian and a recent university accting graduate. I wanna work in New York City, and I don’t mind a entry-level CPA job in a small public accounting firm, so will it really help me finding a CPA job if I passed all 4 CPA exams?

Do employers expect candidates to have some audit/tax experience for entry-level positions?

Also, I need a firm to sponsor me for a TN-1 work visa, I heard canadians are a lot easier to get sponsors?

If possible, plz give me some professional advices from those experienced CPAs.

Much appreciated!

[Anonymous]

Hi guys, thank you all so much for all ur replies, it really helps and encourages me =)

@jomarie: I am currently living in Toronto, I went straight for CPA without doing CA first. The CA institute asked me to do the exams, but I decided not to since u would have to get into a specific CA training office (not just any CA public accting firms) for the experience, which was extremely diffcult right now due to the economy. Second, I really wanna move out of Canada, so I figured why not come to the States for something new, and CPA is better recognized internationally than CA as well.

@rknight21: Toronto is a great city! But as for me, I have lived in this city for over 20 yrs now. Also, I really want to get out of my parent's house and live by myself. The reason why I want to come to NYC is becuz my aunt & uncle lives there, also they told me NYC has way more foreigners than local citizens, so sponsorships happen quite often in that city.

But hey, here is a great news for both of us. If u come to Toronto as a US citizen, all u need to do is to find a job and get an employment letter. Get out of Canada and re-enter it again at the border to get the TN visa for only $56. That's it, no corp sponsorship involved at all as far as I am concerned.

Btw, what is OCR where u worked at, maybe I could start searching from there.

If there's additional info that anyone wants to share with us, it would be extremely kind and plz feel free to drop a comment.

Thanks =)

[tableleg]

@CPA_Rookie: Is the pay comparable for a USA CPA in Canada vs the U.S.? Any special perks associated with going up north?

[jelly]

From my superficial research, the US company provides an employment letter for inspection at the border. It sounds like the larger US companies hire law firms to not only draft this letter, but to deal with laws and regulations from 2 countries related to labor, immigration and international income taxes. The US company needs to show that the US company is legitimate, and has the infrastructure and resources to comply and handle the risks associated with these issues. The US company needs to show it is sincerely hiring someone for employment for the described position, that a domestic candidate could not be found, and that the candidate is not trying to seek self-employment. Hence, the “thousands of dollars” that other posters have described are likely related to the legal and administrative expertise and services related to making sure that when a US company hires an international candidate, it happens as seamlessly as possible.

Couldn't pass again!

[HustlinHustlin]

Having your CPA DEFINITELY helps you to have a competitive edge. It not only proves that you are/were hardworking enough to study for these rigorous damn things but it builds their firm. The more CPA's you have working for you, the more appealing your work is to clients, as you have professionals doing the work.

I work for a very small firm and it is a requirement ( though some of the people who have been here longer than I have STILL not met it). I also had experience at an even smaller firm which I think really helped them to overlook that I had not taken any of the exams yet.

B 71 - 79 EXPIRED
A 69 - 75 EXPIRED
R 65 - 48 - 45
F 56 - 61 - 65 - 64

Becker, Wiley Test Bank, Wiley Text and Ninja Notes

"The fish who keeps on swimming is the first to chill upstream" -311

Experience - Done, like WAAAY done.
Still need 30 more credits, in basket weaving (gotta love new CA requirements)

[Anonymous]

Once again, thank you all for the valuable comments. Much appreciated =)

@IWantThisOver: This really depends on ur job titles, but I would assume US has a higher pay rate than in Canada on average. Especially for entry-level positions, I would say the salaries are better in the States, it might also depends on ur location as well.

@Jelly: Thx u very much for ur info there, I really put some thoughts into it. So I did some research online, and I was able to find a website that talks about the employment letter fees, requirements etc.

https://internationalcenter.umich.edu/immig/hiring.html

If u have the time, can u plz take a look for me at the pdf section of “Fee schedule for Employment-Based Visas”? Under that document, it seems that I can't find the legal fees and other fees requirement for the TN-1 visa. Hence, does that mean it would be cost much less to issue an employment letter for Canadians then?

https://internationalcenter.umich.edu/immig/forms/empvisafees.pdf

I would love to assume Canada and US might have some international tax, and immigration agreements or something lol.

[jomarie]

CPA Rookie – we should be waving at each other across the lake. I live in St. Catharines!!! LOL!!! Small world!!!

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[Anonymous]

@jomarie: lol it is always good to know someone here is actually living in Canada! =)

Btw, if possible, may I ask u what visa u r currently having in Canada?

Thx =)

[jomarie]

I currently have a permanent residence card. Currently, I work for a CPA firm in the States (just outside of Buffalo). My husband is Canadian, originally from Burlington. Since I'm from Buffalo, we decided to move somewhere inbetween.

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[Anonymous]

Does passing all 4 CPA exams actually help u finding a job in Public Accounting CPA Firms? I know nothing is guaranteed, but will it give u a competitive edge over those who doesn't have it?

Do employers expect candidates to have some audit/tax experience for entry-level positions?

Also, I need a firm to sponsor me for a TN-1 work visa, I heard canadians are a lot easier to get sponsors?

—-

I'm in the New York City area. I have been out of school for about four years and passed the CPA exam almost two years ago. I have applied to few dozen firms (small to large) and have not received a single call from ANY of them. From my observation, they only want to recruit out of the schools. So, in my experience, no.

Also, I have received a few calls for internal audit related positions, but nothing came out of it.

Thankfully, I have been employed for the most part, though my hours recently got cut. I work in the technology field and the only calls and interviews I have received are for technology jobs (but my experience is in a somewhat specialized field so its somewhat slim pickings). I did interview for a finance position a few months ago.

I would focus your search in GTA (Greater Toronto Area). I considered temporarily relocating there (as I have friends) and have seen jobs that I would apply if I were there. However, I understand that getting sponsorship as a United States citizen for an entry-level position would be difficult as well.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

@jomarie: Thank u for sharing ur story! im assuming that u would have to across the border to get to work everyday? It must be long way drive especially when the traffic is bad.

@NJTProadwarrior: Thank u for giving me those tips in advance. But oh man, this is a terrible news u have for me there pal, lol! But o well, I guess I will give it a shot when I go to NYC next spring.

In Toronto, CPAs are overwhelmed by CAs, and the accounting job markets are divided by 3 designations: CA, CMA, CGA. So it is competitive when an employer is seeking an accounting professional with one of the desired designations, but u have the other two.

Sorry if u don't mind me asking, if u were an accounting student, how did u end up in the technology field? Was ur university degree not in accounting?

[jelly]

I don't see any other employer fees in those umich links. It might cost the employer less than the other visa types – or nothing at all – but it still costs the US company time and effort to carefully prepare your employment letter, so that it follows specific guidelines, wording and will past muster at the border, i.e. management consultant titles are heavily scrutinized it seems. This preparation effort may require legal services, which costs the company money, especially if the US company is not well-versed in this area.

On the IRS website – http://www.irs.gov – the US tax enforcement agency – you can type in international tax treaties, and get tax treaties from A to Z:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/international/article/0,,id=96739,00.html

Some of these may lead to the US Treasury Department website on international tax treaties, which is usually related to US federal income taxes (not state or local income taxes or Social Security taxes):

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/tax-policy/treaties/Pages/default.aspx

And on the US Social Security website, there are international agreements on Social Security:

https://www.ssa.gov/international/agreements_overview.html

Depending on which state and/or county you end up in, there are also provisions for non-immigrant individuals.

Couldn't pass again!

[jomarie]

@CPA Rookie – The times I drive over the traffic is not to bad. Plus I have the NEXUS pass which makes it a lot quicker. If the bridges are really bad then I'll just cross the Whirlpool Bridge that dedicated to NEXUS users only.

Started sitting in May 2002, on and off. But since 2008 I've been nonstop and my scores are....
AUD - 39, 48, 56, 65, 68, 73, 76!!! (Finally passed in Oct 2011!!!) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
REG - 75 (Lost Credit) 72, 68, 73, 75 (Passed again in Aug 2011) Becker, NINJA, & Wiley
FAR - 65, 68, 75 (Lost Credit) 68, 73, 73, 80 (Passed again in May 2012) Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
BEC - 65, 68, 71, 72, 72, 71, 76 (Lost Credit)- 70, 76!!!! I AM DONE!!! - Roger, NINJA, & Wiley
After 10 long years of studying, I AM DONE!!!! Finally a Licensed CPA in the State of New York!!

[Anonymous]

“Sorry if u don't mind me asking, if u were an accounting student, how did u end up in the technology field? Was ur university degree not in accounting?”

Hey, no problem OP, I did study accounting and was on the CPA track. However, while in school I was working as a temp (mainly part time) for my company (Fortune 500 company), then soon after graduation I took an opportunity to go full time, as I've always had an interest in technology.

This year my hours got cut and my pay got cut.The job search has been absolutely awful, approximately 30 CPA firms and ZERO response (other than automated e-mails) even with a 3.3 GPA, CPA exams passed etc, well-written customized cover letters/resumes etc.,.

At this point, I'm seriously considering joining law enforcement, NJSP and NYPD are hiring next year, and I have an interest in law enforcement too 🙂

Good Luck and Happy Holidays 😀

[cpa_equals_freedom]

coming from a guy working with no CPA yet for a Big 4….entry level doesn't really matter tooo much, but it definitely helps your resume…..i mean now im struggling to pass mine and i need it to get to manager in 1-2 years…so i think it can only help your cause having it so I would be proud of it during interviews…

i was a college new hire 5 years ago…but i did go straight to a Big 4…as for local tax acct, they mightt expect you to know a little more straight off the bat, but i really think if its for entry level, your degree + some form of tax experience at all, even classes + great grades can help get u in if you try and try

best of luck!

AUD 78*
BEC 68, 70, 72
REG 58, not quitting!!
FAR

* = lost credit sighhh

[Anonymous]

Thx u all very much for sharing all those info.

I have been thinking, do u think it is a good idea to volunteer at a small local CPA firm, like for a month or two? Do CPA firms ever accept volunteers at all?

Also, do transcripts/grades matter anymore if u passed CPA already. I mean, usually employers would want to hire good accounting students who are capable of passing the CPA exams, but once u done that, grades probably won't help u as much for the job anymore?

[Author]

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