IS WORK LIFE BALANCE AN ISSUE AT THE BIG 4? (PWC, KPMG, EY, DELOITTE)
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- Today, I talk about work life balance in practice and whether it should impact your decision to join a Big 4 / Top 10 Accounting firm!
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Good video brother but the problem arises when these very companies are not paying you for the extra time which you are spending on Thier projects. Time is a resource which doesn't come back so it's not always about people not wanting to work hard. It's more about the fact them when your working 14 hours a day your litrally making minimum wage on an hourly basis because your giving the company more than your contractural hours.
True but equally it’s not possible to be 100% efficient all of the time I remember at college we had a detailed discussion about how efficient you can be at work general consensus was 70/30 so 30% you’d be inefficient ie browsing, chatting, coffees etc.
Also the long hours will normally result in promotion later on or improving your chances of promotion - the jobs that have 9-5 hours only will pay less as well.
But deffo agree there’s a balance to be had
@@FehzanMehdi "Inefficiency" is part of your working time. As you said it is not possible to be 100% efficient and employers need to be factoring that into their resourcing. This shouldn't be a race to the bottom.
Hey man hope your well, love all your videos. Because of your videos I have secured a grad audit role at a big 4 firm thanks for the helpful videos. The only thing I am scared about is having zero life now, no time for the gym etc haha!
Thanks I’m glad they helped don’t worry work hard and smash the exams you’ll appreciate it later on! I’m sure you’ll find time for the gym at some point and with the Big 4 if you’re in a big city they may have a gym in the office anyway.
A Big 4 job would appear illustrious and sexy to have, but they are so demanding and stressful that you’ll spend most of the time being unhappy. It’s all about billing and time utilisation- you are not allowed a life.
Thanks for your views, it can definitely be stressful at times!
Personally I think a firm ranked 5-10 will have a much easier work life balance and still is very reputable. A big 4 is more reputable but the work life balance is hell.
I agree to an extent however I still had to work some very long hours at BDO. Disagree that it's hell at the Big 4 as again if it was unbearable they wouldn't be able to recruit thousands of grads and apprentices each year. I guess it comes down to individual experience at the end, but I always remember that I have excellent work life balance now and that's because I did the long hours early on in my career. With the Big 4, you do the long hours and either you will progress within the firm as there are always opportunities or you will use that experience to move out into industry.
@@FehzanMehdi exactly I am working at BDO as an intern , and literally working for 14 hours every day
@@priyankajaiswal7756 Did you manage to move to industry? Or are you still struggling with the work life balance
@@nicklancer3923it’s probably enjoyable, they dine all day and collaborate while building relationship and learning technicalities. Stress isn’t that bad when you learn to enjoy it
1000 people working in an organisation doesn't make organization good. Dont know on what logic you said this. 👍
Please make a video on industry vs practice. Pros and cons of each. A dilemma everyone faces.
Will do in shaa allah although I'd recommend watching my previous videos as some of the points should already be covered.
My problem with the Big 4 wasn’t so much the hours, it’s just got management culture. Specifically, in my case, partners being complete dumbasses who just feel the need to try in being in new revenue no matter what, even though there not actually good enough salesmen to truly bring in new business.
The majority of parters are just accountants that really have drank the koolaid that’s been sold to them. Their idea of bringing in new business is acquiring other firms and cutting costs by outsourcing, because that’s literally the easiest thing any idiot could do.
Problem is, that leads to a terrible cut throat environment, as well as inefficiencies all over the place.
Thanks for sharing yes agreed with a lot of this especially the part around inefficiencies.
Never join big4, if u want to have a life
Sounds like you had a bad experience! I know a lot of people who’ve built great careers owing to the big 4 experience
Very helpful insights Fehzan!
Thanks Tyler
Great video as always.. Thank you
No worries thanks for the support!
Good video good to listen to a different viewpoint
Thanks mate
Work life balance mostly depends on pjct not about the company.
And I heard from many peoples in Deloitte everyone saying need to work 13-14 hours every day.
Agreed not sure about 14 hours every day but long hours are dependent on the project and deadlines
There have been cases at startups of people working 120+ hours per week
And I thought busy season was bad.
If persons like big4 why attrition rate in big 4 is more than 50%
There’s many pros and cons a lot of ex big 4 also accept that their big 4 experience has helped them when looking for a new role
Best said: السلام عليكم 🙏💙🇸🇦
Wa alaykum as Salam jzk for the kind words
You worked 9.30 am - 11.30 pm then another hour at home? Thats 15 hours out of the recommended 16 hours youre meant to be awake.
Yes so in the video I talk about how that can happen but that isn’t the norm at all only when there are tight deadlines! Also I wasn’t working at 100% during that time obviously would have breaks and time to eat
@@FehzanMehdi what about maintaining a marriage! 😰
Haha I’m sure a few weeks of long hours will not break a marriage! However I don’t do those hours right now I have much better work life balance where I rarely work past 6pm. But again that’s only because I did the hard slog early on in my career.
@@FehzanMehdi how many years did you work like that?
@@ArsHaD-dg1gb I worked in practice for around 5 years before moving into Industry
Hi, may be the question is not related to the video’s topic but I want an advice. Is it worthy to go for MSC Accounting and Finance after ACCA?
Answered this question previously but I wouldn’t recommend a Masters unless it’s a MBA sponsored by your employer.
@@FehzanMehdi professional qualifications are better than MBA right? Especially if one seeks a specialized career path like chartered accountancy? ACCA/ACA etc definitely seen better than MBA etc worldwide?
I have 2 offers actually .. as a intern analyst buisness role in deloitee. And in torry harris as software engineer .. both are 3.5package...what to choose pls help me... I was an average in coding. Not like coding.. i like to join deloitte but everyone saying saying no work life balance..iam a fresher suffering lot to choose which one... Is that work toleratable in deloitee..if i select Deloitte in future shall i expect work life...shall i spend time with my family?
In terms of the brands, Deloitte is a bigger brand. It depends on your career goals if you're just looking for a 9-5 job and aren't too interested in progression or building a career, then I'd recommend going for what suits your family circumstances. But I know people who've gone with that approach and then realised they want the promotion. Equally, if you want to progress I'd say there will be more opportunities with Deloitte, although I have to confess I don't know much about Torry Harris as an employer.
@@FehzanMehdi thank you brother!
How did you manage to get offers at two diffrent industries,what degreee did you do?
@@hamzayusuf9206 b.tech/ IT
Hi sir, I'm currently working in kpmg global services india as tax associate with less than one year experience. I would like to work in uk Or canada.. How can i get into there?
I would apply for an internal secondment as you work for a large firm. They should be able to support you with the visa process.
Can you go into equity research after 4 years at Deloitte audit and assurance into equity research at Morgan Stanley
I know people who have gone into asset management and investment banking after audit so I’d expect so just not saying definite as I don’t know anyone specifically who’s gone into Morgan Stanley
Is ey gds is BPO?
Whether Bcom graduate will be good choice for ey gds?
How will be the increment in ey gds?
Sorry what is gds and bpo?
It’s not a BPO. Everything is similar to EY India - it’s just not client facing as much.
Hi Fehzan I was wondering for audit apprenticeships at the big 4 I heard you do a lot of travelling across different offices in the uk. Is this accurate ?
So you normally travel to client sites and on average whilst I was training I spent around 8 weeks as a minimum travelling to different site and staying in hotels, but this is the first I’m hearing of having to travel to different big 4 offices. With remote working now becoming the norm id expect travel to reduce slightly.
@@FehzanMehdi thank you for your response. I’m currently in yr12 and I want to do an audit apprenticeship with one of the big 4. If I wasn’t to get in when I would apply would you recommend still applying to other companies like bdo and buzzacott. Thanks
You apply in September in Year 13. Yes I recommend applying anywhere and everywhere
@@FehzanMehdi if i was to do an apprenticeship with one of those other companies would I still be able to get a job with one of the big 4 in the future ?
Depends on the size of the firm say if it’s a top 20 accounting firm yes I think it’d be possible you may have to go via a bigger accounting firm but definitely possible.
Hi Fehzan,
I'm currently studying CA in India and I have 3 years experience in the big4. I wanted to work in the big4 firms in UK.
So what are the steps should I follow to get a job in UK, and will qualifying ACA will help me in the process?
Yes so being a qualified accountant will definitely help you’ll be a skilled worker then. I’d speak to your firm in the first instance. As a global firm they may be able to help you transfer to the U.K. I know a few people who did this the other way and moved from the U.K. to India.
Can ACA work as an Investment banker?
Yes in the future you could do however I don’t promote careers in the banking industry
I have a question that isn’t really related to this video, but can I still do a school leavers programme if I have a degree in something completely unrelated to accountancy? (P.s. love your videos)
Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately not a lot of firms won’t accept this and would refer you to their graduate scheme instead. There could be a firm which may accept this but I haven’t come across any which would.
Great video bro, just curious to find out from u whether an acca member can become a partner in big 4 uk?
Thank you yes they can!
Any idea about PwC ?
It will be as I mentioned in the video
Hope ur well, where do u work and how is work like
Hi I work for TJX Europe it’s a great company I suggest watching my last video as it gives an insight into my work!
How's the job security at the big4?
It's good the big4 often you can build a long term career and they recruit all year round for non-trainee positions.
You wasted my 5 minutes just beating around the bush and not answering the actual question. We know about busy seasons and efficiency, that was not in question. get a life man
Sorry this video wasn’t up to your expectations. A lot of people don’t have contacts or knowledge, for a variety of reasons, it’s the main reason I started this channel.
Hence why when doing videos it’s always good to give context so people can understand a subject matter fully as not everyone will watch every video on my channel. This may involve giving information which may seem obvious to you, but is useful for others.
Good to see you’re already well informed about the industry!
Thanks man,I watched the full video now, Good analysis work hard like 80 hours in a week become partner in 15 to 20 years. Spend your prime years running on a wheel like hamster and then enjoy your retirement life and life hereafter. BTW I don't know about other countries but in UAE staff turnover is very high in big4 and mostly people who remain their they have no life or they just become immune
No worries thanks for your insight! Haven’t worked abroad so good to find out about working in the uae I know that’s a popular destination for many who want to work abroad.