[weed74]

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering, and have found no better area to ask this question, but what sorts of benefits are people receving at their public accounting job? Please include a general location to help apply relevance to the situation for myself and others.

My qualifications:

BS – Accounting and Finance

Masters – Accounting

Passed 2 of 4 parts of CPA so far

4 years experience with one 20-30 person firm, Southern Ohio

Benefits:

2 weeks vacation

No set personal/sick time policy

No Comp Time

No reimbursement for CPA or Schooling

Interest free loans for CPA/School (up to $5k)

1% of salary max match on 401k

4-5% of salary profit sharing employer contribution

salary around $50k, bonus generally between $2500-4000

total hours around 2300-2400 each year, of which about 1400-1500 are chargeable

AUD - 84
BEC - 80
REG - 75
FAR - 80

[Anonymous]

another tip is to not listen to any recommendations from PursuitCPA. i'm sort of sick of his unhelpful, deflating posts about how his bad employment experience guarantees no success for anyone else.

have a great, positive attitude through this recruiting process – it leads to strong confidence which will certainly show in any interviews you have. you will have a (more likely) successful interview experience. it is very hard to find a job (especially the one you want), but people out there (albeit fewer) people are doing it. there's no reason you can't do it too.

[sums]

Thanks for the motivation dwadecpa ..it certainly helps ..like you said ..If others can do it .I can do it too 🙂

AUD84,FAR82,BEC77,Reg79

[PursuitCPA]

Of course its possible. Sorry dwadecpa your right just Be Positive get the highest grades possible. But do not deny reality that you will just be handed a JOB, it requires alot of hard work and someone giving you a chance to get started.

CPA EXAM - Passed

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I don't think anyone who breathes today actually “denies reality” and believes that they will be handed a job – so please stop reminding people of this in every topic here, because it sounds more like you are discouraging people from even trying.

Of course you will not be handed a job, you are 100% correct in that. That's why it is imperative that you do everything you can to present yourself in a better way than all other candidates. Competition is much tougher now. Things like attitude, GPA, willingness to be flexibility (job role, function, company, location), interviewing skills, networking, resume, etc, matter more than ever.. so you won't be doing yourself a favor if you skimp on any of them.

[NDIRISH]

I agree with Dwadecpa. But the main thing for working in public is Why This firm? Why Audit/Tax/Advisory? Why This City?

Be positive about those and commit to them.

Flexibility or desire about other cities or firms are not good for being hired.

Jobs aren't on a silver platter. Hard work and perseverence will get you a job.

BEC 85, REG 79, FAR 77, AUD 81!!! DONE!!! PA

[Anonymous]

Great post, dwadecpa. I agree completely. I wanted to clarify one point for college recruits regarding flexibility in location. I went into the recruiting process thinking, “I'd work anywhere they need me. This should surely increase my chances of getting a job.” I spoke informally with a couple of Big 4 recruiters and they each told me that my “go anywhere, do anything” attitude was not a characteristic they were looking for. I was kind of shocked.

Like I mentioned earlier, this bit of info only really applies to campus recruiting. Recruiters want a candidate that is sure of the position and location they are applying for. It seems like a Catch 22 because sometimes we want jobs that aren't available in certain locations. However, the propensity to leave a job increases when an employee isn't entirely excited about the location or nature of their employment. Have two specific locations picked out and have a great explanation for why you'd like to work in that location/field.

Recruiters are usually pretty happy to speak with you about areas that are hiring. If you do decide to recruit in an area that is hiring, don't mention that during the interview process. Instead focus on other reasons why you want to be in that office.

[Anonymous]

I do not mean a willingness or desire to move around with a specific position/firm. This implies that you lack commitment (and real desire for the given position) and expect the firm to accommodate your requests, fill the void you leave, and pay for your relocation. I apologize for the confusion and thank you for correcting me.

My advice was meant to suggest that you have an open mind in the recruiting process. Don't pigeonhole yourself by only applying to a specific position or company. Look outside the big four so you have some “backups” (not to suggest that other firms are inferior – but just that if Big 4 is your goal, you need to have something to fall back on). If you have a lifestyle where you can afford to move to a new city and take a job there (see NDIRISH's experience), then do not rule that out if you get an opportunity to network with recruiters or firms in other cities. In order words, simply stated, do not be picky in the recruiting process. You can interview and network all over the place, and once you have some offers, then it is time to be picky.

[NDIRISH]

I agree.

I was picky in the fall (only Seattle.) Although I was still picky (mostly west of the Rockies with one exception) I have more opportunities this spring.

But be prepared as a non-native in explaining why this office. One of my friend said he want to transfer to New York in a few years got shot down when interviewing for Chicago.

Dwade, are you working for the Big 4? (or will, or want to?)

BEC 85, REG 79, FAR 77, AUD 81!!! DONE!!! PA

[Anonymous]

I do work for Big4.

[NDIRISH]

Which city? from your name, maybe Miami?

BEC 85, REG 79, FAR 77, AUD 81!!! DONE!!! PA

[Anonymous]

nope in the northeast.. my name is from dwyane wade though. i googled dwadecpa and there's actually some guy who goes by that alias.. kinda sucks that i ripped his name

[NDIRISH]

Oh ok cool.

I'll have friends starting in Boston and New York from my program this upcoming fall in the Big 4.

BEC 85, REG 79, FAR 77, AUD 81!!! DONE!!! PA

[Anonymous]

Started at firm in the Southeast in 2008

salary 50k

bonus – 2k for starting.

3k for passing

up to 3k for materials or pay for becker.

[jimboace88]

Here's my tale:

BS in Accounting

Have not taken any parts of the CPA exam yet

Two internships (one private, one public), and a full-time position

Internship #1:

This was my first internship in the second half of my junior year in college. I basically did all of the accounting for a small business. It was all Quickbooks and not very complicated. I actually uncovered a lot of errors that the owner made when she was doing the books.

Length: 6 months

Pay: Started at $9/hr., increased to $10/hr for the last two months

Hours: 20 – 40 depending on my class demands

Internship #2:

Tax season internship at a large regional accounting firm (300+ people). This was during my last semester of college.

Length: 4 months

Pay: $25/hr.

Hours: Ranged from about 28 – 50 depending on my school work. Very flexible.

This internship likely would have resulted in a full-time position had I chosen to pursue it. However, here's the rest of the specs:

– $48k salary

– No overtime pay

– Flex time

– $5k loan for CPA exam prep/fees (forgiven after 3 years of employment)

– $5k loan for education to get to 150 hours (forgiven after 3 years of employment)

– Common hours during tax season for non-interns ranged from 70 – 80 hours

During this internship, I was also interviewing for a position at a much smaller firm (about 40 people). That is the job I ended up accepting.

Small/mid-size firm (starting in the fall)

– First summer off (preparing for CPA exam)

– $46k base salary plus overtime for any hours over 40

– Option to take overtime as cash or bank it for additional time off

– 55 billable hour minimum during busy season

I don't know too many more details about the position yet, but my time is valuable so the option to bank my overtime for more time off absolutely sealed the deal. It's also an excellent work environment.

FAR 07/27/11 - 87
AUD 10/01/11 - 85
BEC 11/15/11 - 87
REG 01/03/12 - 92

[valueofnothing]

no prior accounting industry experience, but BS in accounting. getting to 150 on my own.

b4 advisory, starting this fall

northeast

61,500 salary

5,000 exam passing bonus

25 days pto

prob gonna be working like a slave

REG - 81
BEC - 88
AUD - 85
FAR - 81

[Author]

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