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PWC, Deloitte or KPMG
Hello,
I have offers for audit with PWC, Deloitte and KPMG in London. I am particularly interested in auditing banking or related clients and, if possible, do not want to work excessive hours (although I am aware that hours are long during the busy season). Does anyone have any experience of working at any of these firms and could point me in the direction of one over the others as I am finding it difficult to differentiate between them? Are the hours better at one? Is one more friendly than the others? Would experience in one be seen as preferable when applying for other jobs in the future? I would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you.
I have offers for audit with PWC, Deloitte and KPMG in London. I am particularly interested in auditing banking or related clients and, if possible, do not want to work excessive hours (although I am aware that hours are long during the busy season). Does anyone have any experience of working at any of these firms and could point me in the direction of one over the others as I am finding it difficult to differentiate between them? Are the hours better at one? Is one more friendly than the others? Would experience in one be seen as preferable when applying for other jobs in the future? I would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you.
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Reply 1
11
i applied to all.. got kpmg and pwc.. from what i saw PWC is a much more 'fun' company to be with.. its whole presentation is much better than the others.. its also the top firm so i would assume it has the highest prestige.. you can probs see i will be going with pwc lol
Reply 2
I work for PwC .. and it's deffinately fun, the people are really good which makes the occasional long hours fly by.
Also .. if your interested in auditing financial services clients (which is what I do) then we have Lloyds TSB, Barclays, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Zurich Insurance, AXA .. you kind of get the idea .. we have a very developed FS practice (depending on what office you work in ... i.e. either London or Bristol).
Although I am a little biased ... I would definately recommend PwC .. !!
Also .. if your interested in auditing financial services clients (which is what I do) then we have Lloyds TSB, Barclays, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Zurich Insurance, AXA .. you kind of get the idea .. we have a very developed FS practice (depending on what office you work in ... i.e. either London or Bristol).
Although I am a little biased ... I would definately recommend PwC .. !!
Reply 3
Banking clients are normally the ones with the longest hours...correct me if i'm wrong??
Reply 4
Haha .. yeah .. working in Financial Services does have a bit of a reputation .. but the only time the hours really get long are during the busy season .. so between December and April ... other than that it is almost normal working hours.
But it does depend on what you're booked to .. and what position you have on the jobs, i.e. a first year Associate won't have to work as many hours as an In-charge for example. As long as your working with a good team you hardly notice it though ..
But it does depend on what you're booked to .. and what position you have on the jobs, i.e. a first year Associate won't have to work as many hours as an In-charge for example. As long as your working with a good team you hardly notice it though ..
Reply 5
17
Fly by? Bit optimistic 
You don't usually count the hours in accountancy but to say you have so much fun you don't notice the time is a huge exageration in my opinion.
You don't usually count the hours in accountancy but to say you have so much fun you don't notice the time is a huge exageration in my opinion.Reply 6
rabbitus
Hello,
I have offers for audit with PWC, Deloitte and KPMG in London. I am particularly interested in auditing banking or related clients and, if possible, do not want to work excessive hours (although I am aware that hours are long during the busy season). Does anyone have any experience of working at any of these firms and could point me in the direction of one over the others as I am finding it difficult to differentiate between them? Are the hours better at one? Is one more friendly than the others? Would experience in one be seen as preferable when applying for other jobs in the future? I would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you.
I have offers for audit with PWC, Deloitte and KPMG in London. I am particularly interested in auditing banking or related clients and, if possible, do not want to work excessive hours (although I am aware that hours are long during the busy season). Does anyone have any experience of working at any of these firms and could point me in the direction of one over the others as I am finding it difficult to differentiate between them? Are the hours better at one? Is one more friendly than the others? Would experience in one be seen as preferable when applying for other jobs in the future? I would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you.
Do u know what salaries they are offering
Reply 7
Yeah i know its a bit of a wierd concept .. but do really find that the time goes a lot quicker when you're working with a good team .. perhaps its just a personal thing.
PwC starting for first year Associates in Bristol this year was about £20,500 .. and in London I think it was around £26,000 ... but not to sure exactly.
PwC starting for first year Associates in Bristol this year was about £20,500 .. and in London I think it was around £26,000 ... but not to sure exactly.
Reply 8
rabbitus
OP
Thank you all for your comments. They are very helpful.
Someone asked about salaries. They are all pretty similar, in the £26,000-£26,500 bracket, with pay reviews pending for 2008 for PWC and Deloitte. KPMG pays the least (but offers bonus from year two and a lunch allowance), PWC pays the most but has less holiday. You can have 30 days holiday at PWC if you take a slight pay cut. I am less concerned about salary though, as there is very little difference. I am more interested in hours and how friendly the people are. I read on here somewhere that people auditing banks at KPMG had been working quite a few times to 2am which does not sound too appealing (too much sleep deprivation does not sound a good idea). PWC said the latest you would work is 10pm-1am and then only for say four weeks of the busy season and Deloitte said 9-midnight max and only midnight in extreme cases where the audit was behind schedule or there were serious problems. On that basis, KPMG seems the least appealing. At the interview, the PWC partner seemed the friendliest but then I speak to people from KPMG and Deloitte and they say the people who work there are very friendly.
Someone asked about salaries. They are all pretty similar, in the £26,000-£26,500 bracket, with pay reviews pending for 2008 for PWC and Deloitte. KPMG pays the least (but offers bonus from year two and a lunch allowance), PWC pays the most but has less holiday. You can have 30 days holiday at PWC if you take a slight pay cut. I am less concerned about salary though, as there is very little difference. I am more interested in hours and how friendly the people are. I read on here somewhere that people auditing banks at KPMG had been working quite a few times to 2am which does not sound too appealing (too much sleep deprivation does not sound a good idea). PWC said the latest you would work is 10pm-1am and then only for say four weeks of the busy season and Deloitte said 9-midnight max and only midnight in extreme cases where the audit was behind schedule or there were serious problems. On that basis, KPMG seems the least appealing. At the interview, the PWC partner seemed the friendliest but then I speak to people from KPMG and Deloitte and they say the people who work there are very friendly.
Reply 9
rabbitus
OP
On another matter, does anyone know if PWC or Deloitte have made redundancies in recent years in (financial services) audit or they are likely to do so? I found these articles about KPMG from 2002:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2131066.stm
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/kpmg-to-cut-700-uk-jobs-due-to-market-downturn-648435.html
but I cannot find any similar references to job losses at PWC or Deloitte so I am assuming that no redundancies have been made at these firms (thus making these preferable). I would have thought that audit was fairly secure as it is a legal requirement.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2131066.stm
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/kpmg-to-cut-700-uk-jobs-due-to-market-downturn-648435.html
but I cannot find any similar references to job losses at PWC or Deloitte so I am assuming that no redundancies have been made at these firms (thus making these preferable). I would have thought that audit was fairly secure as it is a legal requirement.
Reply 10
i wouldnt base my decision on a few job losses years back, shows a lack of ambition if ur worried about losing ur job in a generally secure industry! I guess which ever you prefered when u went to the ac's, im still applying/interviewing and out the lot would chose deloitte if they offered me a place.
Reply 11
10
Another of these identical threads...
Basically all three firms are damn near identical. They'll pay largely the same, work you just as hard as each other, and the exam policies are equally tough. Hell, go with the one who's name you like the sound of as it's just as arbitrary as any other method of determining one from another. I work for D&T and whilst it's tough, it's a good laugh most of the time and on balance I am enjoying it. But there will be people working for PwC and KPMG who are enjoying their lot just as much.
Basically all three firms are damn near identical. They'll pay largely the same, work you just as hard as each other, and the exam policies are equally tough. Hell, go with the one who's name you like the sound of as it's just as arbitrary as any other method of determining one from another. I work for D&T and whilst it's tough, it's a good laugh most of the time and on balance I am enjoying it. But there will be people working for PwC and KPMG who are enjoying their lot just as much.
Reply 12
When it comes to audit, it's all the same really. Boring as (insert desired phrase here).
If you really want to do it then pick a name out of a hat or choose what office is best to get to...?
If you really want to do it then pick a name out of a hat or choose what office is best to get to...?
Reply 13
Honestly there's v little difference.The pay's the same, the hours are the same and the firms all attract the same kind of people. I'd go PwC on the basis of the client list if you want to do FS.
Reply 14
Honestly there's v little difference.The pay's the same, the hours are the same and the firms all attract the same kind of people. I'd go PwC on the basis of the client list if you want to do FS.
Reply 15
Deloitte's got morgan stanely, meryll lynch, RBS, abbey and so....it's up to you..
With regard to salary I've heard that PWC and Deloitte pays almost same..so start thinking about holidays..holidays may be necessary because if you fail any exam and if the firm let you resit that you will have to use your own holiday...
With regard to car scheme offered by some companies= seriously r u gonna drive car in london? better buy a rocket, travel to moon everyday..that'll save both time and money....
With regard to salary I've heard that PWC and Deloitte pays almost same..so start thinking about holidays..holidays may be necessary because if you fail any exam and if the firm let you resit that you will have to use your own holiday...
With regard to car scheme offered by some companies= seriously r u gonna drive car in london? better buy a rocket, travel to moon everyday..that'll save both time and money....
Reply 16
It seems like PWC and KPMG are the ones that tend to produce the best people. I have been doing some research and I can say that majority of the CEOs and CFOs in major multinationals and smaller FS companies have some kind of background in these two.
The other one that I hear is that KPMG is considered as one of the nicer companies in BIG 4 and are known across the industry as the ' happy auditors'
The other one that I hear is that KPMG is considered as one of the nicer companies in BIG 4 and are known across the industry as the ' happy auditors'
Reply 17
10
psyexe
The other one that I hear is that KPMG is considered as one of the nicer companies in BIG 4 and are known across the industry as the ' happy auditors'
That was probably a result of the soft exam policy they have had historically which is now a thing of the past.
Reply 18
FS Audit do work long hours - they work with banks, bankers are very busy in the day and thus they have to do a lot of their interview work after the markets have shut etc. The hours over 'busy season' can be long in FS audit, you are probably going to be looking at 12 hour plus days for a few weeks of your spring, but in the summer it will quieten down. This is going to happen whether you go to PwC, Deloitte or KPMG, so just be aware of it.
To be perfectly honest in terms of the clients that you are on and the work that you will do, there will be no difference between the firms. Look for things that are more personal to you. Where are there offices located - would you rather work in the city or on the embankment (if you are in London). What are your holiday options like with each firm? Who's giving you the best bonus package. Its these types of questions that you should be thinking about, because you will be hard pressed to find a difference between them more generally.
To be perfectly honest in terms of the clients that you are on and the work that you will do, there will be no difference between the firms. Look for things that are more personal to you. Where are there offices located - would you rather work in the city or on the embankment (if you are in London). What are your holiday options like with each firm? Who's giving you the best bonus package. Its these types of questions that you should be thinking about, because you will be hard pressed to find a difference between them more generally.
Reply 19
I will very briefly address some issues here as i don't have the time at present to go to length;
(1). PWC has made ALOT of redundancies just lately, i'm sure this information willnot be hard to find on the net, i myself think i read it on an accountancy forum
(2). In regards to people saying PWC is the best
I know its opinion but it would help if you stated that it was such and not just say it for the sake of it
personally (i guess your working in FS audit) then i would say even though PWC has more FTSE market share it is loosing it FAST - now me personally i would rather work at a firm which was gaining market share then loosing it (KPMG btw had the largest increase in market share last year and also won auditor of the year etc etc)
in terms of who is friendly, unless people have actually worked there i don't think they can just comment on 'oh the INTERVIEWER was nice' as a qualification - again i would look at why KPMG has been in the top3 best big companies to work for in the last 3 years and has actually WON it this year - obviously tells you something imo
having done w/e at both PWC (embankment) and KPMG (CW) i would say easily without a shadow of a doubt KPMG >>>>>
there are alot of social events held and just generally the atmosphere is really welcoming and friendlier at KPMG to PWC - again i think though this aspect would come down to personal preference
in terms of prestige i would say it is SILLY to say one big4 is more prestigious to than the other - when other employers will look at it they will simply see the big4 firm, not 'oh big4 firm x is better than big4y'
i would say PWC is more developed in terms of the forensics side but with audit they have been loosing ground which is clear to see,
KPMG on the other hand is better at audit and WIPE THE FLOOR (100% completely on this aspect) with corporate finance - and as you are interested in banking i don't know whether you would wish to go into this
anyways i hope this helps mate
(1). PWC has made ALOT of redundancies just lately, i'm sure this information willnot be hard to find on the net, i myself think i read it on an accountancy forum
(2). In regards to people saying PWC is the best
I know its opinion but it would help if you stated that it was such and not just say it for the sake of it
personally (i guess your working in FS audit) then i would say even though PWC has more FTSE market share it is loosing it FAST - now me personally i would rather work at a firm which was gaining market share then loosing it (KPMG btw had the largest increase in market share last year and also won auditor of the year etc etc)
in terms of who is friendly, unless people have actually worked there i don't think they can just comment on 'oh the INTERVIEWER was nice' as a qualification - again i would look at why KPMG has been in the top3 best big companies to work for in the last 3 years and has actually WON it this year - obviously tells you something imo
having done w/e at both PWC (embankment) and KPMG (CW) i would say easily without a shadow of a doubt KPMG >>>>>
there are alot of social events held and just generally the atmosphere is really welcoming and friendlier at KPMG to PWC - again i think though this aspect would come down to personal preference
in terms of prestige i would say it is SILLY to say one big4 is more prestigious to than the other - when other employers will look at it they will simply see the big4 firm, not 'oh big4 firm x is better than big4y'
i would say PWC is more developed in terms of the forensics side but with audit they have been loosing ground which is clear to see,
KPMG on the other hand is better at audit and WIPE THE FLOOR (100% completely on this aspect) with corporate finance - and as you are interested in banking i don't know whether you would wish to go into this
anyways i hope this helps mate
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