[osidecompass]

Hi All,

Been a while since I posted, hope tests are going well for everyone. Quick background, I am an audit manager at a local CPA firm with approximately 65 employees. There is a good chance that I could teach an intro accounting class at a local major university where I received my Master’s degree. My questions is has anyone tried doing this and working at your firm as well? How many hours per week did you spend doing this? Did you find the experience worth the work? Were your partners receptive to the idea and willing to make it work? Just gathering some information before I formally start talking to people on both sides of the issue. Thanks!

AUD - 99 (10/4/10)
FAR - 92 (11/29/10)
BEC - 87 (1/24/11)
REG - 90 (5/30/11)

[jeff]

Them er some rockin scores!

[mla1169]

Disclaimer: I do not work in public, I work in industry but still pull long hours (50 hours is a “short” week). I have 2 kids too.

I JUST started teaching about 2 weeks ago. My impressions so far: your first class will take more prep time than subsequent classes especially if using the same text again. That said there is a WORLD of prepared material to use (and here I thought my oh so smart professors created their own powerpoint presentations and lecture notes LOL). Admittedly I could/should have spent more time the last 2 weeks but including the 3 hours in class I'd say it worked out to about 12 hours each week.

Talk to the dean or chair of the accounting department at the university. They have been the best resource to me, the chair of acctg at my school IS my guardian angel. She has done more to calm my nerves than I can ever say. (I asked her to come critique me as well).

Good luck!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

Wo, you got a 99 in AUD?

O_O

[Anonymous]

I can't offer you much advice on this, but I am going for an M.S. in Taxation now, and last semester one of my professors also worked in a Big 4, and this semester one of my professors is a partner in a Big 4 firm. So teaching while working in public accounting does seem to be something that people can (and do) do.

[Motivated]

I have been teaching at a community college for the past 10 years while working full time. After a couple of years it requires very little time outside of the classroom. I use an online site for all end of chapter assignments, which get automatically graded.

BEC - passed 4/12
FAR - passed 5/12
AUD - passed 7/12
REG - passed 8/12

[mla1169]

Motivated, how long before it becomes “comfortable”? This is my 4th week and I'm having a hard time pacing myself (usually too fast) and still feel a bit uneasy when I don't immediately know an answer to a question. Thanks!

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

@sidecompass , your scores rock! Pls share your success secret and methods of study.

[14 Times a Charm]

For anybody reading this, how hard is it to find a part-time job as an Accounting Professor if you already have a CPA and an MBA with less than 3 years of real world accounting experience? Isn't there a huge shortage of college professors, let alone a bigger shortage for Accounting Professors since the subject of Accounting is not a fun subject to teach for most people. Seems like Accounting Professor jobs would have an even bigger shortage, right?

[PhDCPA]

Oside – Some of my professors in my masters program were partners at public accounting firms, one of them specifically said that a part of the reason that he got into teaching was to have a better chance to recruit top students, so I would guess that they would be alright with it.

14 times – I think the shortage you are referring to is the shortage of accounting Ph.D.s. It seems that usually the adjunct professors have a CPA, masters degree, and significant interesting work experience. I think that 3 years might be a tough sell. That being said, it depends on where you are trying to teach, it doubt that would cut it at a large university, but maybe you would have better luck at a community college type school.

[mla1169]

I agree with PhD about the Community colleges. I applied about 2 weeks before the term started (noticed there were several classes that the instructor was TBA) and was basically fast tracked through orientation, etc. My plan is to do community college part time for a couple of years then look for a f/t position at a uniersity with teaching experience under my belt (fwiw, I have 20 years accounting experience)

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Anonymous]

I was going to start a new thread for my questions but I figured they could fit here – @osidecompass – I hope you don't mind!

I have about 3 years experience working in a small public accounting firm. I have been getting mixed advice lately on whether I need to make a move soon to a Big 4 firm in order to get Big 4 experience that will help me in order to be a better (don't know if this is true – these are other people's sentiments, not mine) professor (in the future).

So my first question is, how vital do you feel Big 4 experience is in order to be a good professor?

Also, if I work a few more years in a small public accounting firm and then decide to go to a Big 4 firm, will my experience seem less desirable than someone straight out of college, because I will have to be “re-taught”.

(I have about 1.5 yrs left to my Master's degree in Tax, so I will also be “straight out of college” after that…)

I'm trying to sort this out and these are a couple of issues that have been presented to me.

Thanks!

[PhDCPA]

Acct – in general, I don't think it matters if you have big 4 experience or not, this is especially true if you aren't planning on doing audit research / teaching. If you would like to do financial or tax research / teaching I think it makes absolutely no difference. It may be helpful though if you are interested in research about auditor judgment. I guess you need to think about what aspects of being at a big 4 you think would help you in teaching / research. I'm interested in hearing the arguments that others are making that it is important.

I'm not sure I understand your second question. Your experience will be less desirable to who?

[Anonymous]

@PhDCPA

Thanks for your reply. I apologize if my post was unclear, I myself am a bit confused and am in the middle of trying to sort this out.

In general, I am more interested in working in tax.

In my second question, I meant less desirable to Big 4 firms.

Although I still have about 1.5 years before I finish my Master's degree, it does not appear realistic for me to pursue a PhD. Of course things can change, but taking not going for a PhD into account, I have to weigh my current options. I was told that going to a Big 4 firm would be beneficial because from there it is easier to move on to a smaller firm, and after the first couple of years I will hopefully be able to cut down on the crazy hours at a Big 4 firm. It's better to do it sooner than later so that I can get it done already, and also if I stay for a while longer at my small firm doing the same things I've been doing for the past few years, it may not seem as appealing to someone recruiting for a Big 4 firm. I don't think I have heard exactly why that is, but I can kind of understand how it might be better in certain cases to have someone more new and fresh to teach everything to, rather than someone who sort of has his/her own ways of doing things based on past experience that may not be so applicable.

I haven't heard strong arguments from people regarding experience in a Big 4 firm being beneficial for teaching. One person who worked in a few places including a Big 4 firm and now has his own practice had said that the work experience would be beneficial. However, some teachers that I have spoken to did not necessarily say that…some seem to feel it's more like two separate routes and people usually go one way or the other. I plan on talking to some more teachers so maybe I will get other opinions on this.

I guess if I want to teach at some point without a PhD I would do adjunct…I feel like every few weeks what I think I'm going to do changes because I keep hearing different advice. I'm not sure which way I want to go and I know I am young and have time to figure this out. I just don't want to regret anything later on…

[Minimorty]

So I'm just kind of curious: what's the draw to teaching? Is it because you just want to help? Better hours? Less stressful? Just wondering what drives someone to go into teaching.

[mla1169]

Mini, I am hoping to teach f/t for two reasons. The first and biggest: FREE TUITION for my kids (now 18 and 12 but the 18 year old has no interest in college…….yet). Even at a cut in pay, the tuition benefit at any MA state school more than doubles what my salary would be. Someday I may decide to go back to school too.

The second but no less important, I'd like a schedule more in line with my daughters schedule. The schools get certain holidays that you're never going to see in public or private (like columbus day) and even if I don't take summers off, the hours I'm required to be out of the house/away from my youngest are less because theres more work I can do from home.

And until it changes there are definate perks to being a state employee, benefits are far better than I am likely to find in industry.

FAR- 77
AUD -49, 71, 84
REG -56,75!
BEC -75

Massachusetts CPA (non reporting) since 3/12.

[Author]

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