I notice those who are outisde of the industry always think big 4 is very highly paid, prestigious to work for, partners make big bucks etc. But this is just a myth actually.

If you compare like for like big 4 pay is actually quite low, more comparable to a local blue chip company / GLC then a global top 100 MNC. Many layman also equate big 4 as equal to high finance, this cannot be further from the truth. If you compare an entry level partner pay with similar entry level MD pay in a global bank, the latter earns at least 2x the amount.

When I was a Director for KPMG, many people expressed shock when I chose to move to a German MNC as a finance manager thinking I got a big pay cut. They were even more shocked when I told them I got a 15% increment by joining them.