In audit firm, you have proper material/guidance/ methodology from development team to assist you to use/learn every big firm audit software.

You hardly will find great which will help to use those software. In audit, you only use 1 audit software.

In an established corp co, you will be using few different software at 1 go.

If you are senior now, my tip is stay and build network with client and partners, when time comes, hope over to client, that will be the best transition to commercial.

Well just my two cent, who made the switch to fbp from audit.

If you are so particular on work hour, you are not suit for audit.

Myself, will start the day by checking email at 7am., and still checking emails after knock off.

FCH or nt, audit will give you experience/knowledge which are not on textbook.

On crucial/ critical time, you will need to think out of the box/ find alternatives,

To do great in audit, you need to he humble and learn from the laojiao partners/SM

Correct, but yet many give up early in the game, which really defeats the purpose of choosing this in the first place.

tbh there's other roles that can do the same with better payoff (better wlb or better pay). but for people who finds exams difficult, audit is a good enough path as there's tons of headcount so they aren't fussy. (they're even taking non-accounting grads these days!)

If you're smart and resourceful, audit would be a waste. I've jumped elsewhere and found the work to be more fulfilling, better pay, and helped more in my skill and personal growth. Barely 1 year in, I already had to present to CEO and CFO directly and work on the problem from scratch and use tons of critical thinking. In audit, you always have to refer to some standards, whether it is software, audit, or accounting and the critical thinking is often just "how to cover this lobang".

how does the progression compare to audit?

Progression as in salary or rank? I would say 20%-40% higher than audit at every rank/YOE. 20% doesn't sound a lot to many but at the wlb/learning you get I think it's perfectly worth it. I don't have to open work laptop after dinner 98% of the time. SG tax is low anyway so money is money.

If you want a title bump, minimum 2 years - 5 years usually but most people just jump ship to get it. My peers who jumped every ~2 years are generally doing much better than those who stayed. You get access to better roles when you have actual industry experience compared to when you are an auditor.

Promotion every 2 years is not something limited to audit despite what the dinosaur partners want you to believe. Maybe 20 years ago during our parents' time but not anymore.

Audit is decent for average joe who want to earn decent life
Audit is for ppl who passionate to be practitioner.
If you are elite, super elite then audit nt for you.

Audit is for someone who want a safer/predictable career.

You will Hit SM in 10 years with guarantee, if u put in effort.
Other commercial sometime require luck, but i had seen a lot progress faster than if he is in audit.

In short: audit is stable. Decent and iron rice bowl job

Of course there is , but there is always uncertainty on payrise/ progression in outside conmercial world.

If you are confident you are elite, then you wont waste time in audit. , i had seen a lot cfo who dont even have/ minimal audit experience.

Audit is for someone who is average joe. Want decent and predictable career ( meaning, u know u sure can hit exceed 100k at 7/8th year in audit.

Audit is for someone who passionate to be practitioner
Audit is for someone who want stable . Decent and iron rice bowl

If you read alot AR, you will notice there are CFO who didnt start their career with audit.

In commercial world. U can only have one cfo at a listed co, but you can have more than one partner in audit firm.

I have seen a cfo at 39 who dont have big4 exp , but drawing $30k sgd with 3mil sgd bonus.) even more than some of SGX blue chip cfo remuneration)

I am still grateful that i have hit more than 100k PA at 8th year mark.
After jump out to commercial, guess it will be depends on luck to break 10k per month mark.

You might disagree. my 2cent , Audit still remain one of the safest route to hit 100K PA.

how much bonus does audit normally get?

I always on 15 month packages, means 3 months

Associates usually 1.5-2?

Good for you . Look like you want a wlb/ high pay job/ 9-5

Myself still clock close to 60 hr per week during my time in glc as fbp

Banks or audit better? If I want to work with chiobus only

how's audit like with GenZs now?

For now still OK cause it’s the transitioning cohorts. (Mainly still 199x).

In a couple more years they will start graduating. Ask again then.

I hit more than 100k at 7th, exiting to other role.
Audit is slowly eat your life for peanut pay. Not worth it. Best is 5th year exit.

1 month. 3 month is SM?

see your intern and newest joiner quality and you know. audit is now scraping the bottom of the barrel, never seen such severe lack of critical thinking and problem solving skills, simple blatant written instructions also cannot follow. i'm actually pretty worried tbh and don't want to stay on this sinking ship, imagine managing teams made up of people like these. i rather they hire quality ppl from kl (not jb or whatever cmi regional office) instead of hiring rubbish locally just to fulfill quota.

can i cum on your face?

can you make manager by 5 years? seeing that everywhere online but i thought 5 years only can reach AM, 6-7 years for manager?

why is this thread even still active in 2023. still got idiots think joining big 4 is a good idea?

Gen z senior here. Speaking from my mgr’s POV, they probably feel they have the worst luck meeting a senior like me. Unlike those seniors who only know how to guai guai and listen to the upper like a dog and force the staff to bear the “punishment”, I fought hard for my team. I said no to unreasonable “urgent” request from upper when they fail to do their part. I fought hard to wfh/wfo when the upper insist in going down to fkin ulu tuas to do vouching when the supporting docs are provided in soft copies. I fought hard when the upper wants to cut down on manpower to exploit the whole team further. I let my associates off at 6pm sharp so that they can rest well for the day.

My managers were speechless. They doubted my way of managing the team in the beginning. But guess what, my way of managing succeeded. And productivity is far way better than the millennials/tonkatsu ramen seniors’ old schoool of style.

Pretty sure those dinobus SM will definitely understand when you book a staycation with them

kudos to u. this is the right way to manage ppl. is this type of management a norm now?

Nahh how can this type of management be a norm when the whole industry is made up of jhk who loves to OT for god knows what reason and tekan poor sinkie fresh grads.

Those old folks mindset think they are very smart, think they reach senior alr very big and call the shots. If you think carefully, your associates are the most important assets you have in the engagement. You make your staff happy, give them the trust they want, they will also willingly do work for you what. You shout at them, micromanage them, ask them OT here OT there, you think they will put in effort to help you finish work? More than likely anyhow do and ask you kiosai for them.

how do you meet unflexible deadlines set by HQ though? especially when there are problems that arise midway and need to follow up with client and everyone there is on leave. plus coaching new joiners with no knowledge of excel and accounting for some reason.

genuinely asking because i work the same way but can't meet the deadlines if we work 9-6.

End of 5 years, start of 6 years for audit.

Other dept especially consulting can be different

how's audit/tax progression compared to consulting/advisory arms in big four? is it true progression outside of audit/tax is less guaranteed cuz attrition rates are lower?

No, but some of us old timers like to come in chat about old times. Sucks that we don’t really have new blood sharing latest salary information.

Probably should move on with life already but heck it.

salary for fresh is 3.6k, 2nd year 3.8k, S1 is 4.8k, S2 is 5.3k. They claim that senior pay is a huge jump from before. Is that true? I feel like senior pay has always been 4.5k-4.8k based on older posts.

U always can if u have the capabilities

Old timers like me like to come in chit chat / talk abt good old days

S1 used to be 4150/4200 back then, 6 years back then, when i reject PWC senior role


So few hundred pay rise now lor

Ok you better dont print out type set in hardcopy for your partner if they asked. U tell them read softcopy

So you will tell Ac members and TCWG members that you cant attend ,if there is AGM / AC meeting at marina club at tuas?

So you will skip if there is AC meeting/AGM at marina club tuas? And request AC members to carry out via teams meeting? Haha

I’m just eating popcorn while waiting for the 2002 to 2004 babies to become managers.

They’re only 19 to 21 so still some time away

Those cohorts have the biggest shift in mindsets.

I will print out with cum stains for them to read

I speculate part of the decline in popularity is due to SQP/SCAQ.

Having to take exams while grinding for 3 years makes it less attractive.

First year senior plotted to be the senior-in-charge for a first year audit with group reporting. How screwed am I?