Q: Big4 - Yearly salary increment

why some audit partners want to start their own audit firm?

Is it because they cannot justify to the higher management their salary or charge out rate during off peak season?

Is $200K per annum salary considered a lot in Singapore?

Can buy condo or not?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Even middle class kids can afford to heck you.

Actually aside from PR (for foreigners), what even is the point of joining audit in 2024? I know a guy who joined to steal his family's competitors secret (and succeeded lol) but that's 5 years ago when you had more time due to less compliance bs. Most rich kids will also go to advisory, not audit.

To prove to people you aren’t strawberry and you can work to 3am for consecutive nights without complaining.

Hi all, recently made a move from B4 (second year senior) to a compliance role and just wanted to share some of my thoughts.

First of all, accounting as a profession is so underpaid (excluding CFOs and Finance director levels). Went for multiple interviews requesting for an expected salary of 6k and I was genuinely surprised by the number of accounting roles not being able to meet this salary. Really made me wonder how the govt dares to talk about making accounting an attractive profession again when the remuneration for these roles are like that. At the end of the day, a starting level compliance role was able to meet this salary expectation like ???

Secondly, I would like to call out the workplace culture of not just the B4, but most accounting related departments. It sincerely feels like exploitation of the naive fresh graduates who are likely at their first full time job, making them handle excessive workloads and OT. This culture is then brought to the finance departments in commercial firms by those who leave B4 (based on my personal observation of audit clients). Personally, this is worse than being slightly underpaid. We have audit managers essentially gaslighting staff and seniors into retracting resignations just using the idea of “faster-growing salaries”. Then again, this method works well on us fresh grads in our first full-time role. By the time I was firm on moving out of audit, I was already quite burnt out and not even looking forward to a new role.

In my experience, it was a little disappointing that I had to move on to a role that is less accounting-related, given I spent 3 years in audit just to obtain a professional accounting cert. (Has anyone seen the SCAQ ad on Instagram that promotes their cert by saying “Do the best for your children, Build Their Future”? Like wtf🤡???) However, if I get a chance in the future, I’m open to the idea of going back to accounting roles if the payscale can match up to other roles and no more of that toxic workplace environment.

Thanks for reading to the end and feel free to share your experiences as well. Really enjoy reading this forum apart from the quarreling parts.

Jiayous,
an ex-auditor😬

Do you think ISCA will sign MRA or RMA with ACCA?

For MRA, there a possibility to take one IB exam
For RMA, there is no examination requirement

Honestly, the entire accounting profession is a joke when it comes to pay, unless you're sitting pretty at the top as a CFO or Finance Director. I've hit up numerous interviews asking for a $6k salary, and it's laughable how many accounting jobs can't even stretch to that. Makes you wonder how the government has the audacity to claim they want to make accounting appealing again when the pay is downright insulting. What's even more absurd is that an entry-level job in compliance managed to meet my salary expectations without batting an eye. Seriously?

And don't even get me started on the toxic work culture that's rampant not just in the Big Four, but in pretty much every accounting department out there. They prey on fresh grads, piling on insane workloads and expecting you to live at the office. And this lovely culture? It spreads like a virus from those who escape the Big Four to infect finance departments everywhere. It's not just about the pathetic pay—it's the blatant exploitation. Audit managers have the gall to emotionally manipulate their teams into staying by dangling the carrot of "fast-growing salaries" right in front of their noses. And sadly, we fall for it because we're just that desperate for a leg up in our careers. By the time I was determined to get out of audit, I was so burnt out that the thought of starting anew filled me with dread.

What's even more frustrating is having to abandon the accounting field, especially after grinding for three years to snag that professional accounting certification. (And don't even get me started on those SCAQ ads that try to sell their certification as the key to your children's future. What a joke.) But hey, if by some miracle the accounting world decides to offer decent pay and kick the toxic culture to the curb, maybe I'd consider going back.

Thanks for enduring my rant. I'd love to hear if anyone else has had the pleasure of navigating this mess of a profession. This forum is a breath of fresh air, aside from the occasional bickering.


老实说，就薪酬而言，整个会计行业都是个笑话，除非你是坐在CFO或财务总监的位置上。我参加了无数次面试 ，要求6千的薪资，真是可笑，这么多会计职位甚至都达不到这个数字。这真让人怀疑政府怎么有胆量声称他们想 再次让会计职业变得有吸引力，当薪水实在是侮辱人。更荒谬的是，一个入门级的合规岗位轻松就能满足我的薪资 期望，真的吗？

更别提大四强会计事务所，几乎每个会计部门都盛行的有毒工作文化了。他们以新毕业的大学生为目标，堆积疯狂 的工作量，期望你住在办公室里。而这种美妙的文化呢？从那些逃离大四强的人那里传播，像病毒一样感染到各个 财务部门。这不仅仅是关于可悲的薪酬——这是明目张胆的剥削。审计经理们竟有胆量通过悬挂“快速增长的薪水 ”这根胡萝卜，情感上操纵他们的团队留下。可悲的是，因为我们太渴望在职业生涯中获得进步，我们就这样上钩 了。到我决定离开审计行业时，我已经疲惫不堪，以至于重新开始的念头让我感到恐惧。

更令人沮丧的是，不得不放弃会计领域，特别是在辛苦工作三年以获得那个专业会计证书之后。（别让我开始吐槽 那些SCAQ广告，试图把他们的证书卖给你，作为你孩子未来的关键。真是个笑话。）但嘿，如果通过某种奇迹 ，会计世界决定提供体面的薪酬并抛弃有毒的文化，也许我会考虑回去。

感谢你忍受我的抱怨。我很乐意听听有谁也经历过这个行业的混乱。这个论坛除了偶尔的争吵外，真是一股清新的 空气。

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, recently made a move from B4 (second year senior) to a compliance role and just wanted to share some of my thoughts.

First of all, accounting as a profession is so underpaid (excluding CFOs and Finance director levels). Went for multiple interviews requesting for an expected salary of 6k and I was genuinely surprised by the number of accounting roles not being able to meet this salary. Really made me wonder how the govt dares to talk about making accounting an attractive profession again when the remuneration for these roles are like that. At the end of the day, a starting level compliance role was able to meet this salary expectation like ???

Secondly, I would like to call out the workplace culture of not just the B4, but most accounting related departments. It sincerely feels like exploitation of the naive fresh graduates who are likely at their first full time job, making them handle excessive workloads and OT. This culture is then brought to the finance departments in commercial firms by those who leave B4 (based on my personal observation of audit clients). Personally, this is worse than being slightly underpaid. We have audit managers essentially gaslighting staff and seniors into retracting resignations just using the idea of “faster-growing salaries”. Then again, this method works well on us fresh grads in our first full-time role. By the time I was firm on moving out of audit, I was already quite burnt out and not even looking forward to a new role.

In my experience, it was a little disappointing that I had to move on to a role that is less accounting-related, given I spent 3 years in audit just to obtain a professional accounting cert. (Has anyone seen the SCAQ ad on Instagram that promotes their cert by saying “Do the best for your children, Build Their Future”? Like wtf🤡???) However, if I get a chance in the future, I’m open to the idea of going back to accounting roles if the payscale can match up to other roles and no more of that toxic workplace environment.

Thanks for reading to the end and feel free to share your experiences as well. Really enjoy reading this forum apart from the quarreling parts.

Jiayous,
an ex-auditor😬

If you’re here for money, you’re in the wrong place.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Hi all, recently made a move from B4 (second year senior) to a compliance role and just wanted to share some of my thoughts.

First of all, accounting as a profession is so underpaid (excluding CFOs and Finance director levels). Went for multiple interviews requesting for an expected salary of 6k and I was genuinely surprised by the number of accounting roles not being able to meet this salary. Really made me wonder how the govt dares to talk about making accounting an attractive profession again when the remuneration for these roles are like that. At the end of the day, a starting level compliance role was able to meet this salary expectation like ???

Secondly, I would like to call out the workplace culture of not just the B4, but most accounting related departments. It sincerely feels like exploitation of the naive fresh graduates who are likely at their first full time job, making them handle excessive workloads and OT. This culture is then brought to the finance departments in commercial firms by those who leave B4 (based on my personal observation of audit clients). Personally, this is worse than being slightly underpaid. We have audit managers essentially gaslighting staff and seniors into retracting resignations just using the idea of “faster-growing salaries”. Then again, this method works well on us fresh grads in our first full-time role. By the time I was firm on moving out of audit, I was already quite burnt out and not even looking forward to a new role.

In my experience, it was a little disappointing that I had to move on to a role that is less accounting-related, given I spent 3 years in audit just to obtain a professional accounting cert. (Has anyone seen the SCAQ ad on Instagram that promotes their cert by saying “Do the best for your children, Build Their Future”? Like wtf🤡???) However, if I get a chance in the future, I’m open to the idea of going back to accounting roles if the payscale can match up to other roles and no more of that toxic workplace environment.

Thanks for reading to the end and feel free to share your experiences as well. Really enjoy reading this forum apart from the quarreling parts.

Jiayous,
an ex-auditor😬

Curious what kind of compliance role? AML at bank? Risk? Internal audit? How did you jump in without prior experience? I simply dont get any callbacks but I'm trying to move too.

ISCA is thrilled to be back in the Philippines!

We are pleased to announce that we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) to foster collaborations through training and professional development of accountants in the Philippines. This partnership will also elevate the accounting profession and contribute to the growth and success of businesses.

ISCA CEO, Fann Kor, did a presentation to the PICPA, highlighting recent developments in Singapore's accounting landscape and explored more potential initiatives between both institutes.

ISCA also appointed an Approved Learning Centre, Lope Laranjo Bato & Co. CPAs (an accredited CPD provider by the Board of Accountancy) in the Philippines to collaborate on ISCA's Sustainability certifications and conduct joint seminars to support accounting profession in the region.

One of the highlights of the trip was the members' recognition ceremony where we welcomed new members to the ISCA family!
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build bridges and create impactful partnerships across borders!

P/S: Happy belated birthday to Sir Abner Ty!

Teo Ser Luck


Anyone saw the above Facebook Post on ISCA?

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Honestly, the entire accounting profession is a joke when it comes to pay, unless you're sitting pretty at the top as a CFO or Finance Director. I've hit up numerous interviews asking for a $6k salary, and it's laughable how many accounting jobs can't even stretch to that. Makes you wonder how the government has the audacity to claim they want to make accounting appealing again when the pay is downright insulting. What's even more absurd is that an entry-level job in compliance managed to meet my salary expectations without batting an eye. Seriously?

And don't even get me started on the toxic work culture that's rampant not just in the Big Four, but in pretty much every accounting department out there. They prey on fresh grads, piling on insane workloads and expecting you to live at the office. And this lovely culture? It spreads like a virus from those who escape the Big Four to infect finance departments everywhere. It's not just about the pathetic pay—it's the blatant exploitation. Audit managers have the gall to emotionally manipulate their teams into staying by dangling the carrot of "fast-growing salaries" right in front of their noses. And sadly, we fall for it because we're just that desperate for a leg up in our careers. By the time I was determined to get out of audit, I was so burnt out that the thought of starting anew filled me with dread.

What's even more frustrating is having to abandon the accounting field, especially after grinding for three years to snag that professional accounting certification. (And don't even get me started on those SCAQ ads that try to sell their certification as the key to your children's future. What a joke.) But hey, if by some miracle the accounting world decides to offer decent pay and kick the toxic culture to the curb, maybe I'd consider going back.

Thanks for enduring my rant. I'd love to hear if anyone else has had the pleasure of navigating this mess of a profession. This forum is a breath of fresh air, aside from the occasional bickering.


老实说，就薪酬而言，整个会计行业都是个笑话，除非你是坐在CFO或财务总监的位置上。我参加了无数次面试 ，要求6千的薪资，真是可笑，这么多会计职位甚至都达不到这个数字。这真让人怀疑政府怎么有胆量声称他们想 再次让会计职业变得有吸引力，当薪水实在是侮辱人。更荒谬的是，一个入门级的合规岗位轻松就能满足我的薪资 期望，真的吗？

更别提大四强会计事务所，几乎每个会计部门都盛行的有毒工作文化了。他们以新毕业的大学生为目标，堆积疯狂 的工作量，期望你住在办公室里。而这种美妙的文化呢？从那些逃离大四强的人那里传播，像病毒一样感染到各个 财务部门。这不仅仅是关于可悲的薪酬——这是明目张胆的剥削。审计经理们竟有胆量通过悬挂“快速增长的薪水 ”这根胡萝卜，情感上操纵他们的团队留下。可悲的是，因为我们太渴望在职业生涯中获得进步，我们就这样上钩 了。到我决定离开审计行业时，我已经疲惫不堪，以至于重新开始的念头让我感到恐惧。

更令人沮丧的是，不得不放弃会计领域，特别是在辛苦工作三年以获得那个专业会计证书之后。（别让我开始吐槽 那些SCAQ广告，试图把他们的证书卖给你，作为你孩子未来的关键。真是个笑话。）但嘿，如果通过某种奇迹 ，会计世界决定提供体面的薪酬并抛弃有毒的文化，也许我会考虑回去。

感谢你忍受我的抱怨。我很乐意听听有谁也经历过这个行业的混乱。这个论坛除了偶尔的争吵外，真是一股清新的 空气。

Wow did not expect such a similar post hahaha