r/Big4

Hi all - got fired for cause at EY. Can I just tell future employers I was caught up in a layoff? Seems like EY only verifies dates of employment so don’t know how anyone would find out.

I’m starting my first Big 4 audit internship this summer, and I’m honestly a little nervous. My biggest goal is to earn a return offer. Everyone keeps telling me that networking is really important, but I’m pretty introverted and don’t want to come across as forcing coffee chats just for the sake of it.

For those of you who’ve been through a Big 4 internship:
- About how many people did you network with during a 6-week internship?
- How many coffee chats would you say is “enough”?
- Is it better to focus on building a few genuine relationships, or should I try to meet as many people as possible?
- Any tips for an introvert on making a good impression without feeling awkward?

I am a newly passed CPA with 1 year experience in accounting. After passing the cpale, I am torn if I am going to work at big 4 as an auditor or as an accountant.

Right now, I want to experience working as an auditor. But I don’t think that I want to pursue it further in the future (or maybe that’s what I’m thinking right now since I haven’t explored auditing yet)

For my future plans, I really want to land a work from home job in the future with high salary.

What do you think is the career path I should be taking?

Wondering whether to go to industry for better pay, or stick it out for partnership. I’m mid-senior Director, a couple of years away realistically.

Does one essentially lock themselves into the company for the rest of their career? Is there any financially sound exit strategy from a partnership?

I'm currently looking for a Big 4 entry-level role or internship this fall (although I know internships are less common for MSA students). Is my resume at least competitive enough to give me a realistic chance?

https://preview.redd.it/y46rxju18gbh1.png?width=952&format=png&auto=webp&s=2727756e9e18f8bf7d45db563b49ee1a7d811030

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend decided that she would like to move to the UK from the UAE, so we can live together. She works for Big4 right now (Delloite), as a senior auditor. She has ACCA, and years of experience. To precise my question - how is the job market right now? For the moment she is getting rejected from all the audit jobs that sponsors visas.

Just wondering. Please comment! Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m a Senior Associate in Big 4 tax and I’m trying to understand what actually makes a senior look manager-ready.

Beyond doing good technical work, what behaviors make managers/directors/partners think: “this person is ready for the next step”?

I’m thinking about things like ownership, client communication, risk escalation, managing upwards, coaching juniors, prioritization, and staying calm under pressure.

For managers and above: what do you look for in a senior before supporting a promotion?

For seniors who made the jump: what did you consciously change before becoming manager?

Any practical examples would be really helpful.

Do partners normally ask about salary expectation at the end of partner round? This was already discussed with recruitment previously.

Do they usually ask that or can it be read as a promising sign?

I recently moved from strategy consulting into an Internal Firm Services (IFS) role after several years in consulting, and I’ve noticed something I wasn’t expecting.

I’m… uncomfortable when things are quiet.
Not because I have nothing to do, but because for the first time in a long time, I actually finished everything I set out to do this week.

I had a clear goal, completed it, sent everything off, addressed comments, and now the expectation is essentially, “Great, let’s pick this up again next week.”

Objectively, this is healthy.

But my brain keeps waiting for the other shoe to drop.

In consulting, especially on some of the teams I worked on, “finished” rarely meant finished. There was always another request, another deck, another rework, another last-minute fire drill, or the feeling that if you weren’t constantly busy, you weren’t adding enough value.

Weekends often became catch-up time because you knew something would inevitably explode the following week.

What’s been interesting about IFS is that the work is still important and there are definitely deadlines, but the culture feels different. People seem much more respectful of boundaries. If something isn’t finished by Friday, the conversation is often, “Let’s discuss it next week,” rather than creating a culture of panic or shame.

The strange part is that my nervous system doesn’t seem to trust it yet.
When it’s quiet, I don’t immediately feel relaxed.
I feel like I should be finding more work, proving my value, improving my utilization, or preparing for something that hasn’t happened yet. And at the same time, everything that has happened to me in the past five years, everything I’ve avoided feeling, it’s just starting to creep up.

Has anyone else experienced this after leaving consulting (or another high-pressure environment)?
How long did it take before “quiet” stopped feeling like danger?

Did you struggle with feeling guilty when you actually had capacity?

Did your relationship with work eventually become healthier, or did it take conscious effort to stop equating constant urgency with productivity?

I’m really curious whether this is a common adjustment or if anyone has any advice for retraining your brain after years of operating in “everything is urgent” mode.

Im an Intern at a big 4 and want to schedule the TCP cpa exam this month but the most convenient locations and times are during the week. Would asking for a day off during the week to take the exam look bad on me?

Hi everyone.

I am going to join a company A next week, but now i have offer from company B for better package.

Now i want to negotiate with company A so i mailed hr regarding this, they asked me to send offer letter but i politely denied telling this is against the clause, so i can only share the salary breakup and i sent this to them.

Now hr called me regarding this and asked to At least tell company name , i denied saying it is confidential and i can’t share it so hr told ok she will raise request with team and will get back to me. And then he mailed asking for share offer where it Is addressed to you.

I don’t want to share offer as it is confidential documents and i am thinking to politely reply that this is salary breakup and this should be only considered.

I'm an incoming staff at EY this July. We have a training trip to another city and I was wondering if I should wear professional dresses or business casual. We also have dinner event after training scheduled. I want to dress appropriately and I'm not sure what people will be wearing.

Anyone had their training trip before that can give me some advice? Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some career advice because I feel like I'm at a point where I need to decide what direction to start moving in.

For context:

• LSE Accounting & Finance graduate.
• Currently a staff 1 in Big 4 audit (Financial Services) in London.
• Studying towards ICAS (CPA equivalent in UK).
• My plan is to qualify first before making a move.

I've spent the last few weeks researching exit opportunities and now I feel even more confused because there seem to be so many different paths. After reading a lot, I think I've narrowed it down to two broad directions:

1. Transactions / Deals

This appeals to me because it seems intellectually interesting, has good pay progression, teaches financial modelling and valuation, and seems to open doors into Corporate Development, IB, PE and other commercial roles.

2. Commercial Finance in Tech

This also really appeals to me because I've always been interested in technology and AI. Strategic Finance or FP&A at a tech company sounds much more commercial than audit.

One concern I have is wasting time.

For example, if my long-term destination ends up being Strategic Finance or Corporate Development at a tech company, is spending a few years in Transaction Services actually valuable, or is it just another detour like I now feel audit has been?

Similarly, if I move straight into FP&A or Strategic Finance after qualifying, am I closing doors that Deals experience would have opened?

Also:

1. Who should I actually be networking with over the next year? Transaction Services professionals? Strategic Finance Managers? Corporate Development teams? Recruiters? Someone else?
2. What skills should I be building now that are valuable regardless of which path I choose?
3. If you've made a similar move yourself, what do you wish you knew when you were in audit?

I appreciate that this is a long post. But, if you could spare some time to help me out, I will forever be grateful! Thanks :)

I have an interview lined up for a senior manager role @ Deloitte. Currently a Manager at another Big 4. I know there’s regional pay difference but wondering if anyone has insight on salary range

I’m getting lots of mixed answers online so thought I’d ask here - for recruiting this fall for entry level positions (not internships), are they recruiting for 2028 start dates?

I graduate with my accounting masters in December 2027 and will have hopefully passed 1-2 sections of the CPA by then and I’m based in NY

Had an interview today with EY but the interviewer didn’t show up. No email, no explanation nothing.
Should I be concerned?

Hi Big4 accountants, I want to confirm that it is normal for a head-hunter to request printed performance reviews and the names of the clients I work on. I personally find it strange.

I hear a lot about AI and layoffs but is big 4 consulting really that bad for new grads? It’s a career path I’m considering but is it something you’d recommend, especially today?