Importance of Work Experience for Big 4

d.m.b1990

Hi I was just wondering how much emphasis the Big 4 place on candidates having previous relevant work experience?

I had two months work experience in a small practice this summer and was lucky enough to be given a lot of responsibility from day 1 even though I had not done accountancy in college. I have a 2.2 law degree and am doing a PDA starting in September.

ninty9er

d.m.b1990 wrote: »

Hi I was just wondering how much emphasis the Big 4 place on candidates having previous relevant work experience?

I had two months work experience in a small practice this summer and was lucky enough to be given a lot of responsibility from day 1 even though I had not done accountancy in college. I have a 2.2 law degree and am doing a PDA starting in September.

The 2.2 will be your biggest issue for any of the international accounting firms. Work experience might not even get you the interview.

d.m.b1990

ninty9er wrote: »

d.m.b1990 wrote: »

Hi I was just wondering how much emphasis the Big 4 place on candidates having previous relevant work experience?

I had two months work experience in a small practice this summer and was lucky enough to be given a lot of responsibility from day 1 even though I had not done accountancy in college. I have a 2.2 law degree and am doing a PDA starting in September.

The 2.2 will be your biggest issue for any of the international accounting firms. Work experience might not even get you the interview.

Would be confident if getting a first in the accounting postgrad. 2.2 was a result of picking a college course that I didn't really like.

ninty9er

d.m.b1990 wrote: »

Would be confident if getting a first in the accounting postgrad. 2.2 was a result of picking a college course that I didn't really like.

Given your law background then you might be attractive for a tax hire. Experience isn't a prerequisite, though a lot of new hires may have been offered places or immediate 2nd round interviews as a result of experience with a firm.

20 Times 20 Times

The postgraduate diploma should be enough to get you an interview provided that you get a first in it. The reason I am saying this is because you will be competing against graduates with 2.1 / 1.1 undergraduate degrees. So you will need to stand out from the crowd.

As another poster said , you may be better off applying for the tax department via the milk round offers but its a lot harder to get an interview that for say audit department.

Where you doing the PDA ?

d.m.b1990

Little Pea wrote: »

The postgraduate diploma should be enough to get you an interview provided that you get a first in it. The reason I am saying this is because you will be competing against graduates with 2.1 / 1.1 undergraduate degrees. So you will need to stand out from the crowd.

As another poster said , you may be better off applying for the tax department via the milk round offers but its a lot harder to get an interview that for say audit department.

Where you doing the PDA ?

I'm doing the PDA in gmit as financially it didn't make since for me to got to dcu/dit for it. Will have full cap1 exemptions after too.
I suppose the main thing other than gettIng a first would be to ace the application form which I know I made a mess of last year!

Jim2007

ninty9er wrote: »

The 2.2 will be your biggest issue for any of the international accounting firms. Work experience might not even get you the interview.

+1, Getting to the interview stage could be a real issue...

Theboinkmaster

d.m.b1990 wrote: »

Hi I was just wondering how much emphasis the Big 4 place on candidates having previous relevant work experience?

I had two months work experience in a small practice this summer and was lucky enough to be given a lot of responsibility from day 1 even though I had not done accountancy in college. I have a 2.2 law degree and am doing a PDA starting in September.

I did the BComm in UCD and had a 2.2. I had work experience in a small firm for 3 summers. Was offered interviews for all big4 and offered training contracts in all big4.

So i think it relevant.

20 Times 20 Times

Theboinkmaster wrote: »

I did the BComm in UCD and had a 2.2. I had work experience in a small firm for 3 summers. Was offered interviews for all big4 and offered training contracts in all big4.

So i think it relevant.

I also think its relevant that you did your BComm in UCD . Big four tend to recruit a lot from that course and the M.acc.

d.m.b1990

Woul it be possible to do the M.Acc after the PDA if I got a first with the 2.2 undergrad . Would prefer to avoid if possible as am already 22 and wanna get out there ASAP

20 Times 20 Times

d.m.b1990 wrote: »

Woul it be possible to do the M.Acc after the PDA if I got a first with the 2.2 undergrad . Would prefer to avoid if possible as am already 22 and wanna get out there ASAP

Yup :-)

UCD