Question: I currently work for a firm of accountants, specialising in corporate tax. Having passed my exams in the last round, I now have offers outstanding with both the Big 4 and a commercial organisation. What are the factors I should take into consideration when making my decision?"
Your decision is one that many people face upon qualification, and the path you choose will be a personal one depending on what you want to get out of your career.
On the one hand, there is the highly attractive prospect of working in-house, probably for a household name where it is likely you will command a jump in your salary (not to mention the benefits, which tend to be superior to those offered in practice, particularly the bonus and pension schemes). In terms of the work you perform, unless you work for one of the larger in-house teams, it is reasonably likely that you will be in a smaller team or in a stand-alone role where you will get to know the tax affairs of the business well and have a large degree of autonomy. There is likely to be a large element of compliance work as often for more technical issues, you may call on the services of external tax advisors.
So why would you choose to stay in a public practice firm? Experience has shown that whilst many people make the leap in-house for the reasons above, many find a few years down the line that they miss the variety and complexity that working for a number of different clients exposes you to. They also miss the client facing aspects of the work and being part of a team of specialists from whom they can learn and bounce ideas off of. Owing to the size of the teams, there is great scope to progress your career without the limitations of being part of a smaller team. Often candidates that have worked in-house for more than 2-3 years can find it difficult to return to a practice environment because technically their knowledge is no longer as strong, and they will not have the experience to successfully go about developing new business.
Both routes offer a rewarding career path, and with distinctive pro’s and con’s for each depending on your preferences, it is essential for you to take the time to assess what is important to you, and what you want to achieve from your career in the long-term.
Hays Senior Finance is a subdivision of Hays Plc, providing a specialist recruitment service for qualified accountants and our clients. Hays Senior Finance has a national network of experienced Senior Finance consultants, recruiting qualified accountants across commerce and industry, financial services, practice firms, public services and not-for-profit organisations at all levels, up to finance director and partners in practice.
Hays Plc is the FTSE 250 Company which employs 7,753 staff operating from 376 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms. Hays Plc placed circa 68,000 candidates into permanent jobs and paid circa 46,000 temporary workers weekly during the year ending 30 June 07.
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