Anybody work in an accountancy practice?

K

Kiddo

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Hi there

I'm a qualified ACCA currently working as a audit senior/manager. I came into this practice as a senior four years ago. I am working at least 45 hours on a quiet week and recently I have been in most Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays too. My motto in life is "work to live" and I'm getting totally p**ed off with it.

The main problem is lack of staff. A couple of seniors left in the last 18mths and were replaced by juniors with no experiance. My boss is not willing to take on any seniors so the situation is going to get worse.

I'm getting mixed feedback from a couple of friends who previously worked in practice although the majority are telling me that this is the norm. In the practice I trained in it was normal for everyone to be gone by 6 at the very latest.

So are these hours the norm?
 
Currently in Practice, standard day 9-5.30, September-October-November tend to be crazy late nights early mornings saturdays etc, I have worked in practices where the hours were 9-5 and if you were there at 5.05 something would have to be wrong!!!

Seniority tends to bring increased hours and responsibility, I think a senior role requires certain availibility with regard to additional hours but 6 or 6.30 should be it, I tend to draw the line at sat & sun unless completely unavoidable.

Seems quite short sighted of your boss to refuse to bring in seniors, but its probably endemic in small practice, after all 3 juniors cost the same as 1 senior!!!! or so Im led to believe.


Regards

Ikeano
 
I left practice in Novembver 2004 and have never looked back. I was never killed with hours to be honest, but that was a function of:

(a) the assignments I worked on
(b) my working style/practices

Many of those around me worked until 10/11 pm and Saturdays as a matter of course for 3/4 months of the year.

I now work in finance/compliance in a large blue chip in the financial services industry. I had enough of practice, and it was only going to get worse (less capable junior staff, less partner time available, more onerous company law requirements on clients, more and more senior staff leaving), so I jumped ship before the money on offer became harder to get elsewhere.

My advice: if you can get the same money you are getting now (I actually ended up getting more, but was willing to take a slight pay cut), and can find a job in which you will be reasonably happy, get out now (the jobs market for qualified accountants is as strong as ever). I have no grudge to bear against practice, I just think that a culture of long hours has built up to such an extent that people feel they have to be there until a certain time every night, regardless of how busy they are.

If you stiil want to stay, consider this. I never did as many hours as anyone else in and around my level, and I was never seen as a slacker by management and partners, in fact I consistently received the highest appraisal ratings available. Don't think that your superiors equate long hours with dedication or anything like that. They are far happier if you get the job done in as little time as possible.
 
I left an accountancy practice- the hours were bad for about 6 months of the year. The wages were also dire.

It all left a bad taste. I returned to college to do an IT course and am currently doing an MA.

I hope to return to accountacy but not in practice.

I know others who like working in accountacy practices. Practices are a mixed bag.
 
Currently studying engineering in university but i'm thinking of taking up accountancy after my degree.

What should I be aiming for? Small practise/ Big 4? What is the work like?
What are the differences between the professional bodies?
 
CIMA are management accountancy. (industry)

ACA, CPA & ACCA are similar.

Like Tayto, Perri and Walkers crisps.
 
Worked in practice in Dublin, London and Barbados

I found the bigger the firm the stupider the hours
I have my own practice now and like it

I wouldn't work overtime in a small practice unless it was a one-off
If the work cannot be done in the working week and you've put in a working week, then it will still be there on Monday as it should be

In practice you are just another dogs-body who does the same as the rest of the idiots
Even if you are the best you wouldn't be missed, everyone has the same qualifications after all

I was out as soon as I qualified for a practicing cert of my own, worked in industry for a year and liked it

In industry you usually are the accounant

[email protected]
 
stuart said:
In practice you are just another dogs-body who does the same as the rest of the idiots
Even if you are the best you wouldn't be missed, everyone has the same qualifications after all
Click to expand...

In your opinion :rolleyes:.
 
My opinion has always been that no-one is indespensible and the ones who try to be are idiots IMO...you get no thanks for breaking your back.

As the OP on this tread I have since moved to another practise where the whole office including partners are gone by 5.10pm....although we are all working late as its October...stuck there till at least 6:D ...my only regret is not moving sooner
 
So whats the consensus? practise/Big 4?

Shoud I go for accounting? What is the salary like after qualifying?

Seen as I would have a non-financial degree a big 4 firm would pay all my fees.
 
Big 4 (NB Big 4 is practice, just on a larger scale). Better study leave, pay and conditions. Excellent prospects (at the moment) for qualifieed accountants. Try and get financial services experience. That's my opinion anyway, based on personal experience.
 
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