u/Sun_wanderer

Background

Worked in practice for 2 and a half years and this is my first industry role. I initially interviewed as as analyst but when they found out I had a offer from a IB they offered me a senior role and a 50% salary increase.

Company and role background

One of two major players in the UK retail space and turns over several hundreds of million. My role is responsible for several P/L lines and doing Month end, forecasting, budgeting, business partnering etc.

Intense start

I have been here 35 days and already have been given and done the following:

- Given 900k accruals to untangle that my predecessor caused and was a mess (actually completed this which the head of finance noted and was able to release to P/L)

- Completed ME for 2 of my line items within the first 2 weeks

Should be noted the models and files rely on several internal and external stakeholders, has cross currency, cross charges and the model is 10 years old. Also need to follow several processors for every QTF which I also had to do

- Given the Q2F to do

- Given the Q3F to do (weirdly only a month apart)

- Told to do Budget 27 for my line items, all the analysis, putting it in deck with supporting commentary which we attended the budget meeting with CEO this week

My manager

They have sacked several people this past year. When I was given the role I was told massive opportunity to learn and develop yet it feels I have to just DO perfectly first time with no room for error. Every 1-1 we have they expect me to be able to explain in detail every model I use and go in detail with the issues im having. The problem is its been so much information in such a short time I dont even know what im struggling with besides feeling dumb every time I speak to them.

They tell me to ask questions and oh our team is so open but every time I do they have this look on there face as if im a massive moron and is really sharp with me.

Is it me?

Is the start of this role normal? This has felt so intense and I never expected I would have been responsible for doing 2 forecasts and a budget within my first month when this is my first industry role.

I know with time I will be able to get there but they are putting me under immense pressure and have already mentioned my probation three times and said they need to see a real step up before my next probation meeting in a few weeks.

I am coming in for 8am and going home 6pm. I come home and all I think about is how im going to be terrorised again tomorrow. I can work hard and have done some crazy hours in my life but this amount of information, this intensely so soon is frying my brain.

Any advice or opinions will be appreciated.

I currently have 2.5 years experience all exams complete, PERS claimed already and I just need 6 months signed off at a bank I use to work at.

ACCA have told me as they are an approved employer I must use the Per form. Problem is the internal HR team wont fill it in and wont click on any links to confirm my employment. This is preventing me becoming chartered. I havnt worked a the bank for over a year so dont have any contact with my supervisors.

What can I do here? The HR have sent me an email with everything on that the PER form requires but wont fill the form itself.

I have a client who requires an "accountants certificate of confirmation" for the last full financial year of their accounts. Tgis is to support their partners visa application and will relied upon by the home office The client is operating as a sole trader and put together and filed the last year return themselves.

We have only just been informed by the client they need this and they need it by the 14th. With MTD we are close to capacity and wouldnt be able to begin work till after the deadline on the 7th.

As we are a small practice we havnt had to do this before. My questions are :

-We already agreed previously to review his last year submission and amend to include quite a few business expenses they did not claim. Should we bill this element seperate to a full review of the last year P/L review?

-Given the compliance risk and the tight deadline how much do you think is fair to bill for this? The clients turnover is 100k and they do have a mixed personal and business account.

I am considering outsourcing this piece of work. What is a justifiable bill though?

Ehat is the best way to become overemployed in terms of job types?

I work in finance and will be working from home twice a week so I have an opportunity.

I am considering just making my own business in this time as I am a chartered accountant. But if that fails what work could I apply for?

I know i will get some heat for this but I am considering to evade paying a fair.

Currently tight on money and they are charging £7.20 for a 1 stop 5 min journey. Absolute disgrace.

Im aware the fine is £100 but at the prices they charge ill probabaly save money by taking the fines if im caught. I can not imagine it will be too often an inspector boards the train too often for that stop and when they do by the time they get to me likely I will be off.

Why are the prices of train tickets so high?

Also what would happen if I just ignored them and walked away without even speaking.

I bought my first home relatively young (22) due to some investments. I lived in this for 4 years but no longer live in the property as relocated for work. The LTV on this is 50%.

My new salary is 50k with 30% bonus and I would likely be able to get a mortgage on a second property worth around 160k.

I have 20k in S&P500. Is it worth me leveraging my salaey to get a second property?

Note: My total base income is as follows:

Salary:50k

Rent income: 15k

Bonus: 7.5-15k

Ofcourse this puts me in higher tax bracket and with a student loan id be paying 49% tax on any profits. To circumvent this I would put it in a LTD company.

Management of the any potential property would either be by me or by family. Most my family are unemployed so me bringing one on to manage teo properties would help them out a little.

Side note : I do intend to move to austrlia in 2 years

I got a role on the finance team about a month ago now. I have signed the contract and completed all the necessary paperwork.

However, the company Citi use for these background checks ( first advantage) have been nothing short of an absolute f*****g nightmare. They come back to me every other day with the tiniest problem and I still dont believe theyve even bothered to start the background check.

In the time this has taken ive received another offer from another firm that in going to accept. Are there any implications of me withdrawing after signing the contract? Ideally id like to .ake Citi aware how horrendous of a process first advantage have made this

Decision has to be made by tomorrow

I posted on here a week back asking for the same advice however the retail role responsibilities have been reduced (no more capex handling). My end goal is FP&A or eventually doing my CFA (already have ACCA) and trying to break into equity research. Job descriptions are below:

Retail - £50k London

Tier 1 bank - £38.5k Belfast (Cost of living much cheaper £300 pm cheaper rent alone)

Note: I do also want to move from UK to Australia in next 3 years.

Retail - Senior Property Financial Analyst

• Business partner the Property Director and the wider Property leadership team, providing insightful analysis, challenge and clear commercial recommendations
• Own the financial performance of Facilities Management and Utilities, including month end processes, accurate reporting, robust controls and actionable insight
• Ensure compliance with all financial controls and accounting policies, including Balance Sheet reconciliations
• Lead on the Quarterly Forecasting and the Annual Budgeting process for your areas, coordinating inputs from across the business and producing high quality outputs for Board review
• Prepare and coordinate responses to Group Finance on monthly and quarterly submissions
• Build strong relationships with external Finance teams across our 3rd party providers and attend relevant supplier meetings
• Develop an understanding of all areas controlled by the Property function in order to support on adhoc analysis / help provide support to the wider Property & Investments Finance team where appropriate
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting, processes and system use to deliver better insight efficiently.

Tier 1 Bank - Intermediate Expense management Analyst

These allow internal movement after 12 months

• Financial Trend Monitoring– work with team to track financial trends and build the commentary story for financials
• Ensure Market Data expenses are accurate and allocated to the correct trading desks and businesses
• Manage the booking of accruals (estimates) based on trade data to ensure current month expenses are accurately accounted for
• Manage the Balance Sheet monitoring and reporting process for the BET team
• Assist with the month end close process for Transaction Expenses to tight deadlines
• Attend and contribute to monthly review meetings with Trading Desks, Business Chief Accounting Officers, Financial Planning and Action. This includes discussing actual expense results vs plan and historic trend
• Participate in projects that drive process efficiencies & automation
• Monitor and track developments in vendor landscape and changes to regulatory requirements that affect each business unit
• Participate in the Budget and Forecast Market Data Process

Seen this job posting by Citi for an expense management analyst. I want to eventually do FP&A type work and im not sure if this would help with that.

Is there much value in this role and what do you think the split between doing ops and analysis would be

What you’ll do :

• Ensure Market Data expenses are accurate and allocated to the correct trading desks and businesses
• Manage the booking of accruals (estimates) based on trade data to ensure current month expenses are accurately accounted for
• Manage the Balance Sheet monitoring and reporting process for the BET team
• Assist with the month end close process for Transaction Expenses to tight deadlines
• Financial Trend Monitoring– work with team to track financial trends and build the commentary story for financials
• Attend and contribute to monthly review meetings with Trading Desks, Business Chief Accounting Officers, Financial Planning and Action. This includes discussing actual expense results vs plan and historic trend
• Participate in projects that drive process efficiencies & automation
• Monitor and track developments in vendor landscape and changes to regulatory requirements that affect each business unit
• Participate in the Budget and Forecast Market Data Process
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behaviour, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency.

I have a case against an employer that I am likely to win for sex discrimination. Due to it happening across a few months it is likely to fall in band 2.

I am aware of the banding payouts. However, i would rather maximise the damage to the company if im being completly honest and I couldnt care less about a settlement figure unless it was substantial.

I am currently valuing a settlement figure based on their legal costs, payout should i win, wrongful dismissal and reputational damage to them as they are a FCA regulated company. Any finding against them could impact their FCA standing and cost of capital.

I know im likely to get some hate for valuing it this way and being abit of a nob. However, the way the company acted was completly disgraceful and no one should be subject to what they done. The only way this can be changed is if it makes a noticeable dent in their bottom line and they take a hit to reputation.

I am more than happy to drag this out over a few years and go through the stress of it as its principal.

A likely payout from tribunal would be 35k. Im weighing up proposing settling for 100k due to the above but wasnt sure of the costs associated with their legal fees to give me a better settlement figure.

Anyone have any idea of others who have valuing their cases this way and the outcome of them?

My Background

• 1st class degree - Accounting & Finance
• ACCA Affiliate
• 2.5 years in accounting practice across audit, accounts and business services

End goal

My end goal is either breaking into equity research or do FP&A type work. I feel the retailer may offer more valuable work but I also know how competitive roles are at these banks and want to keep as many doors open as possible for my future.

I initially applied for an analyst role at a retailer. However, they liked me and have offered a more senior role and a 50% bump in pay (30% higher than tier 1 bank). I am now torn on which role to pick.

I originally planned on going with Tier 1 bank but have now flipped to the retailer as the hiring manager said they'd make me a finance manager within a year. However, i come from a very poor background and never dreamed of being able to work for a tier 1 bank. Which role should I go with?

Below are the responsibilities for each role

Tier 1 bank - Intermediate Expense Analyst

• Ensure transaction expenses are accurate and allocated to the correct trading desks and businesses
• Mange the booking of accruals (estimates) based on trade data to ensure current month expenses are accurately accounted for
• Manage the Balance Sheet monitoring and reporting process for the BET team
• Assist with the month end close process for Transaction Expenses to tight deadlines
• Trade Analytics & Trend Monitoring – work with trade analytics team to develop enhanced accuracy of expense reporting via integration of VarCiti platform into month end activities
• Attend and contribute to monthly review meetings with Trading Desks, Business Chief Accounting Officers, Financial Planning and Action. This includes discussing actual expense results vs plan and historic trend
• Participate in projects that target trading and post trade efficiencies
• Monitor and track developments in vendor landscape and changes to regulatory requirements that affect each business unit
• Develop cost benefit reports based on necessary analysis with data points that include trade volume, fee schedules, and vendor contracts
• Appropriately assess risk when business decisions are made, demonstrating particular consideration for the firm's reputation and safeguarding Citigroup, its clients and assets, by driving compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, adhering to Policy, applying sound ethical judgment regarding personal behavior, conduct and business practices, and escalating, managing and reporting control issues with transparency.

Leading UK Beauty Retailer - Senior Financial Analyst

• Business partner the Property Director and the wider Property leadership team, providing insightful analysis, challenge and clear commercial recommendations
• Own the financial performance of Capex, Facilities Management and Utilities, including month end processes, accurate reporting, robust controls and actionable insight
• Ensure compliance with all financial controls and accounting policies, including Balance Sheet reconciliations
• Lead on the Quarterly Forecasting and the Annual Budgeting process for your areas, coordinating inputs from across the business and producing high quality outputs for Board review
• Prepare and coordinate responses to Group Finance on monthly and quarterly submissions
• Lead and present regular CAPEX updates to the UK Investment Committee chaired by the CEO and Finance Director
• Build strong relationships with external Finance teams across our 3rd party providers and attend relevant supplier meetings
• Develop an understanding of all areas controlled by the Property function in order to support on adhoc analysis / help provide support to the wider Property & Investments Finance team where appropriate
• Identify opportunities to improve reporting, processes and system use to deliver better insight efficiently.

I feel the retailer position would develop me quicker and give me exposure to more value added work. However, although its 30% more money they are based in London whereas the tier 1 bank is in a extremely cheap part of the UK.

Any advice is appreciated. In two years I would like to move from UK to Australia.

My two questions are:

- Which Job should I pick

- How big of a factor does having a tier 1 bank on CV impact future prospects nationally & internationally?

I have recently received an iffer as a financial analyst at tier 1 bank.

I already rendgiated salary upto £38.5k. This was under the assumption the role was a analyst position.

However, today I received the contract and it explicitly says intermediate analyst. I looked on the job post and it doesnt mention this. However, other specific roles the firm has listed has Intermediatory in the job title.

Is it bad faith to try renegotiate now? I agreed on thr basis it was a analyst not intermediate analyst position.

UK Based

I know this is a fairly unconventional route, so some background may help.

I grew up on a council estate and come from a family where nobody has ever worked. Most of my family only have partial secondary school education, so I've largely had to figure out my career path on my own.

Academically, I have a First Class degree in Accounting & Finance and recently qualified as ACCA after spending the last 2.5 years in practice.

My long term goal is to move into equity research, although I do enjoy FP&A work as well. I also plan to move to Australia in around two years' time.

I've been offered two roles:

1. Expense Analyst at a Tier 1 investment bank

- Finance role with exposure to trading desks

- Will work alongside traders and gain direct exposure to the front office environment

- Not exactly the career path I originally planned

2. FP&A Analyst for Property & Investment at a major UK retailer

- Budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling

- Business partnering responsibilities

- Opportunity to step in for the Finance Manager when required

- Seems to offer broader commercial finance experience

The FP&A role appears stronger from a skills development perspective, but the banking role gives me a Tier 1 bank on my CV and exposure to a financial markets environment.

Given that I plan to move to Australia in around two years, would you take the banking role for the brand name and industry exposure, or the FP&A role for the more transferable finance skills?

Apologies if this is a bit rambling. I don't really have anyone I can ask for career advice, and I'm conscious that my route into finance has been quite different from the typical equity research candidate who may have come from a target university, investment banking, or trading background.

I have just asked a finance role at Citi. Currently In england but want to move to austrlia in two years.

Do citi allow transfers between offices after a few years?

Role financial analyst

Was asked expected salary on application and answered 36-43. When querying salary before offer i was told it can not be disclosed yet but 'your salary expectation is something we can accommodate within the range'.

Today I received an offer for 37 so very close to the bottom. However, i ofcourse want to push as much as possible. My valid reasons would be:

- Job requirement is studying towards accounting qualification ( I am fully qualified already)

- I would be relocating country for the role so higher base would allow me to hit the ground running with no stress. Again not studying so full focus on role.

- I have two other offers from other firms (Retail and aerospace for £45k each). They are aware I received other offers as I was chasing citi for an update they just dont know how much.

Citi would be my massive priority but is it really cheeky if I ask if they can match 45 given my original range was 43 max and id be asking for 20% more than their offer?

I work in finance and was dismissed for gross misconduct after only working 3 months. Was told it wont be reported to FCA as it wasnt fraud or anything like that.

My issue is I have received an amazing offer from an investment bank and the standard have you ever been investigated in a prior role question has come up.

As this investigstion was for a role I have omitted from my cv is there anyway for the background checks to flag this? For the 3 month period I was employed and was dismissed i said I took a break which they were satisfied with.

I work in finance and was dismissed for gross misconduct after only working 3 months. Was told it wont be reported to FCA as it wasnt fraud or anything like that.

My issue is I have received an amazing offer from an investment bank and the standard have you ever been investigated in a prior role question has come up.

As this investigstion was for a role I have omitted from my cv is there anyway for the background checks to flag this? For the 3 month period I was employed and was dismissed i said I took a break which they were satisfied with.

Recently received an offer hiwever I have been asked if ive ever been in estimated or dismissed from a prior role.

The answer to this is yes however I didnt put the role on my cv so they dont know about it. Is there any background checks where it can flag my employment history other than those ive explicitly told them about?

I would be honest here however im taking the company to a tribunal over how I was treated and dont want to lose an offer if it wont flag anyway. For context the reason I was dismissed was for gross misconduct so if they pressed and asked why im almost certain the offer would be withdrawn

I completed an online assessment followed by a virtual day of 3 back to back interviews. Today I received an email saying congratulations ive made it through and to log into my candidate portal and upload a photo.

This alongside responsive amd positive wording from the recruiter makes me think I may be set to receive an offer but Id of thought they'd be much more steps. There has been no in person interview but the head of department is in NY and im in England.

Anyone know if theres any more steps after providing a headshot?

I recently applied for a cost analyst role for Citi in Europe. After passing the screening I have been invited to 3 interviews in one day with a SVP,AVP and analyst.

Is this typical for the first stage as it seems pretty Intense to have 3 interviews in a single day.

Does anyone know what other stages there may be after this?