I am curious as to the salary range in accounting/finance, specifically for Accountants and above, in various companies, such as MNCs, PLCs, private limited companies, etc, in Malaysia. Would appreciate it if you could contribute, as I couldn't find any relevant information from other sources, even in the "Let's Talk Salary" topic here. Yes, there are "reports" compiled by Robert Walters, Kelly Services, JobStreet.com, etc but I don't think these are reflective of the real world. Furthermore, these do not give breakdown according to geographical areas, and we all know that different geographical areas would have different salary ranges. And yes, I am aware that how much an Accountant (for example) makes is contingent upon the experience that he/she has, but would appreciate it if you would indulge me nonetheless.

1. Position: Assistant Accountant/Accountant/Senior Accountant/Assistant Finance Manager/Finance Manager/Finance Analyst/etc, etc...
2. Salary range: RMxxxx - RMxxxx
3. Type of company: MNC/PLC/private limited/etc, etc...
4. Geographical location: Which state in Malaysia if possible, region (northern, central, southern) if not possible to disclose.
5. Prior years of experience before joining as title in #1: xx years

Comments are welcome but please don't be abusive if you don't "like" this thread. Thank you!

Thanks for the information. At least I have some idea now and I can lower/increase my expectations accordingly and not grope in the dark trying to make educated guesses which may not be educated after all.

Fresh grad accountant without experience can get RM3.5k is considered high, even for KL standards. I'm interviewing for senior accountant position in an MNC soon - and RM5.5k to RM7k will be at the back of my mind IF I get that far (salary negotiation in 2nd or 3rd interview). Went for an interview with a private limited company before this for the position of Assistant FM and got an offer but rejected it because of too low salary - just below RM4.5k. Can you believe that?

Let's get our terminology aligned first. When I say "accountant", I mean "chartered accountant". In Malaysia, you need a recognised professional qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, CPA Australia, MICPA, etc) OR a recognised degree from a tertiary education provider, and 3 years of certified experience in an accounting/finance environment before you could apply to the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) to become a "chartered accountant". I'm sure there are similar requirements in other countries to call yourself an "accountant" in the true sense of the word. I bring this up because there seems to be a misconception among people who think that once you finish your Degree in Accounting or professional papers, you're an accountant. This isn't true.

So there is no "starting with accountant life". You either start being in audit, tax, etc or you start being an accounts executive and work your way up to accountant.

This is exactly the point of this thread.

[Edited for clarity.]

This post has been edited by Annoynimous: May 3 2012, 10:26 AM

USD150 million as in what? Revenue per annum? Profit per annum? Assets?

In any case, USD150 million is not big.

If you're talking about revenue, I know of a local subsidiary of a listed company with annual revenue of approximately RM1bil, net profit of approximately RM70mil, PPE of approximately RM500mil. One Accountant, reporting directly to one FM, who in turn reports to the GFC. I think Sean is talking MNC level here, where there are accountants who handle more than one subsidiary located across more than one geographical area.

Kind of agree with your point that you will have limited knowledge when you make the jump from external audit to commercial. I cannot comment more on this as I'm in this transitionary position as well but I personally feel that there should be teething problems initially and they can be resolved within weeks after joining the commercial company. Shouldn't be a major problem adapting if you've gained sufficient knowledge when you were in external audit (technically and in a supervisory position). In fact, technically in terms of reporting standards and accounting principles, shouldn't be a problem at all. The only major issues I see are dealing with people and familiarising yourself with the company culture, including practical aspects such as learning their software and tuning yourself to their "beat".

In the end, all finance and corporate functions are cost centres. It's about how to get the most VALUE from these cost centres.

How long does the TAS from the Big 4 monitor your performance in the company for? Contractual basis? Sounds like a good opportunity to get some exposure. You should try it out, IMHO.

Costing should be done the same way/method across all geographical areas, no? Or do you mean overhead costs? Lower selling price? Is it because you're selling in USD and it gets converted to RM at a lower rate (strengthening of RM against USD)?