Balancing work and life at big 4

Honest answer - it is a struggle (second year Big 4 in London).

The need to study for ACA means that the majority of your first two years you are spending weekends/evenings studying which eats into your life. As you get more senior, you tend to work longer hours as there is a tendency for work to be pushed downwards and you'll almost always be juggling multiple engagements at the same time. Working on jobs you are not booked on currently as there are a number of annoying admin tasks (particularly in audit) is a very common part of life. I would say that typically I would call working 9 -6:30 a "good" client and my two worst jobs in busy season, I'll typically be doing 9 - 9 for weeks at a time and often working at home when I get back on top of that.

On top of this, there is an expectation by the firm that you will be doing extra stuff on top of all these other commitments so that you look good when it comes to annual ratings eg. industry networking events, community volunteering, organising group socials etc. It's up to you how important this is for you personally though, the bonuses in audit are so paltry that the extra work just really doesn't justify the reward and if you're set on leaving as soon as you qualify then it makes even less sense to do all these things on top as every employee from a big 4 receives a generic reference with no explanation of how they actually performed whilst at the company.

Honest answer - it is a struggle (second year Big 4 in London).

The need to study for ACA means that the majority of your first two years you are spending weekends/evenings studying which eats into your life. As you get more senior, you tend to work longer hours as there is a tendency for work to be pushed downwards and you'll almost always be juggling multiple engagements at the same time. Working on jobs you are not booked on currently as there are a number of annoying admin tasks (particularly in audit) is a very common part of life. I would say that typically I would call working 9 -6:30 a "good" client and my two worst jobs in busy season, I'll typically be doing 9 - 9 for weeks at a time and often working at home when I get back on top of that.

On top of this, there is an expectation by the firm that you will be doing extra stuff on top of all these other commitments so that you look good when it comes to annual ratings eg. industry networking events, community volunteering, organising group socials etc. It's up to you how important this is for you personally though, the bonuses in audit are so paltry that the extra work just really doesn't justify the reward and if you're set on leaving as soon as you qualify then it makes even less sense to do all these things on top as every employee from a big 4 receives a generic reference with no explanation of how they actually performed whilst at the company.

Wow. Why would you do that to yourself? D:

Yes I am in audit, not planning on staying as industry seems a lot more interesting and the big 4 culture really doesn't suit my personality or life aspirations. Generic references are a must really as your don't have a boss in the traditional sense as you work for so many different people.

Wow. Why would you do that to yourself? D:

That is not good. Nothing to show for all your hard work. There must be a way they can still give a decent reference. Do these companies support people in balancing work and life?

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left uni and this was a good job with decent career prospects! You get an ACA qualification which sets you up for life – qualification salary after 3 years is £44k in London and you can expect more if you move to industry.




No way unfortunately, it is company policy. Also lol, course not!

Even with those benefits it still wouldn't appeal to me.

As you said above, my personality wouldn't match that sector at all either.

What are you planning to move onto after you leave ?

But you're working simply for numbers, for ridiculously long hours. :/
I would feel really unhappy working just for the money. Unless you find the job really enjoyable of course!
What qualification is that? Sounds specific

Well, I enjoy some aspects of the job - the variety of jobs, option to work with some big names but have found I value a less stressful life more! Not surprisingly they don't hype up the long hours and stress on the job advert! It is to become a chartered accountant.

If I I could ask, what was your career into big 4? What uni did you come from and was it straight onto a grad scheme?

Also, sorry if I seem like I'm intruding or whatever and you don't have to answer at all, but if you don't mind, could I ask what your stats are? Your GCSE's and a levels? Thanks

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As you get more senior, you tend to work longer hours as there is a tendency for work to be pushed downwards

I don't like to go into too much detail but came in from a northern redbrick uni, having taken a gap year where I worked in a non-accounting related job. Did a degree in a non-related subject and got a First, above 300 UCAs points at A level and good GCSEs (not that they care about GCSEs!). I wouldn't really read too much into this though, a good degree and 300 UCAs points is enough to get you in, provided you do a good telephone interview and assessment centre - the Big 4 doesn't care for target unis per se as I see people seem to throw around this forum for investment banking. And you most definitely don't need to spend 10k on a masters to get in. Some work experience/internship will always help, not that I did one though, I was in a minority when I started though.

This seems kind of contradictory...

Well, I enjoy some aspects of the job - the variety of jobs, option to work with some big names but have found I value a less stressful life more! Not surprisingly they don't hype up the long hours and stress on the job advert! It is to become a chartered accountant.

Honest answer - it is a struggle (second year Big 4 in London).

The need to study for ACA means that the majority of your first two years you are spending weekends/evenings studying which eats into your life. As you get more senior, you tend to work longer hours as there is a tendency for work to be pushed downwards and you'll almost always be juggling multiple engagements at the same time. Working on jobs you are not booked on currently as there are a number of annoying admin tasks (particularly in audit) is a very common part of life. I would say that typically I would call working 9 -6:30 a "good" client and my two worst jobs in busy season, I'll typically be doing 9 - 9 for weeks at a time and often working at home when I get back on top of that.

On top of this, there is an expectation by the firm that you will be doing extra stuff on top of all these other commitments so that you look good when it comes to annual ratings eg. industry networking events, community volunteering, organising group socials etc. It's up to you how important this is for you personally though, the bonuses in audit are so paltry that the extra work just really doesn't justify the reward and if you're set on leaving as soon as you qualify then it makes even less sense to do all these things on top as every employee from a big 4 receives a generic reference with no explanation of how they actually performed whilst at the company.

I had no idea what I wanted to do when I left uni and this was a good job with decent career prospects! You get an ACA qualification which sets you up for life – qualification salary after 3 years is £44k in London and you can expect more if you move to industry.




No way unfortunately, it is company policy. Also lol, course not!

I'd have left within a year really; I think my life expectancy would have cut shorter if I'd stayed longer.