For PwC - intake is 12 months a year, so apply as soon as you can

For IT grads with accounting minor - You can try for the IT auditor position..  SPA (Systems Process Auditor) in PwC

I'm not sure about the other big 4, but the starting pay ranges from RM2.1k - 2.2k for normal auditor (those with Masters degree freshie are paid higher) while SPA auditors gets paid slightly higher.. about RM2.3k

And about that dispeling the myth on working late nights.. cktwai, come on... i agree with you that it doesn't happen to everyone, but you got that 5% on the wrong side.  95% of auditors has at least once worked pass midnight before.  But this only happens during peak periods.  The larger the company you audit, the longer the working hours as more sections and responsibilities are given out. 

Large companies - Listed in KLSE, financial institutions, MNC

OF course, if you were to audit a medium sized or smaller firm, you'd be going home much earlier than the rest of the population.

hahaha... maybe coz you're in PWC or EY ? hehehehe 

I don doubt that Deloitte at times pay higher than the rest.. I have ex-Deloitte fwens in PwC that can confirm that.. Further more deloitte pays a handsome overtime and when accumulated, wah lau, like bonus on its own...  It's just that the workload.... among the four... Deloitte is the worst, muahahaha (but of coz, if u are senior in deloitte, then u won't do much field work as compared to the others, more on reviewing sections..)

Well, for those of you who are interested, PwC currently is split into three main lines of services; Assurance, Advisory and Tax.

Assurance is the audit arm of PwC, with a large client base ranging from Telekom to Maxis, Genting to CIMB, Shell to Esso. The Assurance practice is split according to industry, namely Financial Services (for banks and insurance companies), EUMI (for energy, utilities, mining, telcos), CIPS (for consumer industry products) and MMG (for small to middle-sized companies).

The requirement for fresh grads, simple put is for them to have at least a second class upper and good results in SPM to illustrate a history of academic achievement. But of course, results are just to pre-requisites. The potential candidate must also be an all-rounder, active in extra-curricular activities with achievements in sports being a bonus. The interview will gauge a candidates maturity and attitude, and is very stringent in the sense that they are required to sit for aptitude test which will result in a detailed profile of the candidate.

For Advisory, the practice is split into three main areas; Performance Improvement, Crisis Management and Transactions. Performance Improvement mainly deals in process type work, ranging from corporate governance, risk management, business process improvements, process transformation, human resource advisory, Sarbanes-Oxley and dispute analysis and investigations.

Crisis Management work mainly deals with business recovery, i.e. receiverships, liquidations, financial and debt restructuring, business reviews, divestment advisory.

And the Transactions is split into two main areas: Corporate Finance and Transaction Services. Corporate Finance's range of services include business planning, economic feasibility studies, structuring privatisation proposals and public-private partnerships, M&A, project financing, funding and capital structuring, divestments, business and asset valuations, financial modelling & analysis, and independent advisory. Transactions mainly do due diligence and deal structuring work.

The requirement for Advisory can be more stringent than Assurance or Tax as the recruitment is focused on experienced hires. However, fresh graduates are also recruited from time to time (but not in large numbers as in Assurance). For fresh graduates, the requirement is also 2nd class upper and above from reputable universities. The acceptable degrees would be of course in Finance, Accounting, Engineering, Business and Actuarial. The interview process differs from unit to unit, but expect to sit through a few short exams and case studies. The focus of the interview is to assess the candidate's thought process and ability to handle certain situations.

And of course, once you pass the interviews, be it in Assurance, Advisory or Tax, it's just the beginning. For Assurance especially, the nature of the work can be demanding at times, but that goes with the territory with working with one of the Big Four. The hours will range from time to time, depending on project and of course the famous peak seasons (usually from January till early March). The work itself is challenging, but to be the best, you have to work for it of course. The training and support is top notch, and as many people will tell you, Assurance is a good stepping stone if you would like to launch a career in Finance. However, please be come in prepared, too many new joiners come in expecting something else and won't last the distance.

auditor, those vulture eyes that come our company annually to dig for error/mistake. i belief the turnover rate for this industry is quite high as eversince my 4yrs in current company KPMG assign different group of people to audit our account.

currently at wisma sime darby on jalan raja laut...but the firm is planning to move to kl sentral in the near future

well, it ain't a too shabby place to work at, for now at least

been working for a few years in advisory...r u in the firm as well?

wahhh so many pwc ppl here - any managers around?  Hehe.  By the conversations here I can tell that none of you guys are from FS - most likely EUMI and CIPS

Lemme elaborate further then on Financial Services (audit). Roughly divided into three - Banking, Insurance and DLL (dan lain-lain - including fund and investment management).  Specialisation into these three branches are rare for new joiners - only when you are into the second and third year would you be segregated.  There's little you can do once you are designated into Banking or Insurance - so my advice is to speak to Managers from your desired line of choice and ask to be booked on their jobs (that is if you are not alredy booked). 

Travelling to PwC
To go to PwC via LRT - STAR LRT alight at Sultan Ismail station - walk accross the road using the overhead bridge (which ppl seldom use these days) - Wisma Sime Darby or WSD is the corner building on your front left.

There's lots of parking behind WSD if you're travelling by car.

Still on PwC..
agreed.. although generally most of the FS clients are within the Golden Triangle   - there are some clients in Labuan (offshore banks) and there's possibilities of being sent out for branch visits in other States.  CIPS - alot of them in industrial areas like Port Klang, Shah Alam, Bangi, Puchong.  Perhaps hikari can expand on EUMI?

Do you think that the move to KL Sentral soon is a good idea?  Where to park leh? But very convenient to visit MidValley during lunch time though especially off peak season, muahahaha!

mostly 2 months.. the most is 2.5... depending on lvl also.

then did u get 4 months?????????

i also in big 4...why our branch all the staff only get 1 month + (plus a bit bit only)
         

the KL office has 2 times of evaluation of promotion while in our branch only 1 time...    

There is rumour that PwC KL has revised its staffs' salaries effective January 2007.

Can anyone confirm this fact?

Is it mandatory for guys working in Big4 to have short hair?

Actually it's not limited to audit only, it's a firm wide initiative for ALL levels to re-align salaries to match commercial rates. This mainly arose due to the fact that newly recruited experienced hires were getting market rates when they joined the firm, creating a disparity between their base salary and those already existing. The re-alignment was creating to eliminate the disparity between the two, and was done on all levels. But the ones that will have a difference will definitely be those who have served the firm for a few years (i.e. AMs and above).

i feel kevinleng has been very just and objective with his reply to the rest here. however i would like to further add into his point. I agree there's not much difference between PwC, EY, KPMG and DKC in terms of audit. As such, it becomes rather tougher to choose which of these group should one join if given offers. However, I do feel we should take into rather smaller and personal factors while making such decision. The factors i am referring are such as, which firm is situated nearer to your hse, which firm has got better car park space infact. Basically which firm provides most convenience to yourself. I know ppl may laugh at my suggestion and said, "Dude, auditors go out of their office wan la".

My answer is, "so you dont go back to ur office at all wan la throughout your attachment with them?"

u'd be surprise the addion amount of petrol bill, tol charges, parking rates you may have to incurred as a result of choosing the wrong firm to work at. I know these figures may be relatively small, but i base my reason to the scenario of a junior/fresh grad coming into the accounting world. already you'd have to work 10-14 hrs a day, the last thing u really need is to drive further and back from office to home and bear more expenses in the midst.

Cheers 

actually i am currently working in KPMG under internship programme, so far i found it is good, perhaps i still havent experience how bad the life is during the peak period.

pwc interviews for audit today, pwc interviews for tax is tomorrow. i hope my interview went well, cos i got quite a tough interviewer.

hmm...not stressful being in tax? my sis works in one of the big4 and she's in taxation. it's stressing her out for the recent dateline(aug14th) and she worked till 1-2am in the morning for the past 2 weeks prior to that. i feel the 'stress' for her as well.

but it's a personal opinion of mine tho coz my sis told me to try NOT to go for taxation line after what she experienced personally as it would really cut down your time at home during the peak season ie.tax sub season

Hye guys,

Not exactly a 'Big 4 Recruitment Drive' post, but Big 4 it is.

FYI got an offer from one of the Big 4 in audit, salary RM2450(i don't bother, as long as it's not RM1500!..geewhiz, you should shoot them point blank..=)...). mula kerja after raya.

Been wanting to ask them this but i keep forgetting and had other more important questions to ask(eg "Are you sure it's me you're looking for? I got, like, a 3rd class degree??" okay kididing) , and now i just want to know... anyway...

Do you get to choose which exams you get to do?

An Aussie grad here, obv, and i don't want them to shove CPA up mine, you know? haha...no offense, mucho respect any member of MIA, and knowledge is knowledge whatever prof body you belong to, but i just sort of have to do ICAA bcos of personal reasons.

can you believe that, personal reasons??!! haha but really, i'm serious, no kidding.

Gracias.