I'm not sure about audit trainee. I went through an internship before with a Big4 firm as part of my uni requirements. It really depends, some of us worked harder, some of us had easier jobs. It really depends on your manager, if he/she has faith in your abilities as well as your ability to handle pressure.

But I heard PwC interns very fun wan. 5.30 the audit trainee kena halau by senior to go back home.

Lol. Perhaps. But it's standard procedure, I think. All the audit interns all kena halau at 5.30 wan. On a plus side, I think that most of the girls working in Big 4 firms are quite cute(at least my experience la)!

So if got hanky panky, then I don't mind working long hours liao!

If I'm not mistaken, and I seriously put a disclaimer on this, that Big4 auditors can be employed from a wide variety of fields. I had a senior during my internship who studied IT, and another who took mechanical engineering when applying to be an auditor. However, I believe that now they focus more on business related fields adi.

From what I know as a priority, you need to have a very very good level of English; being able to speak, read, and write fluently. I have friends who have had amazing grades in accounting, but with very bad English that were not accepted. I believe the interview will also help them cut out candidates that are not very good in communicative/thinking skills, as this is what they need as an auditor; to be able to talk to clients in a non-confronting manner. Big Four firms focus alot on your soft skills, as you'll be interacting with clients alot and have to show that you represent a Big Four firm and not a local medium firm.

But this is what I know from the intake for one of the Big4. The other three may have different requirements. Hope this helps.

It's a partial myth. In a Big 4 firm, if you are doing assurance you are placed into one of several service lines that are specialised for certain industries. Depending on the firm, you may have specializations in banking, telecommunications, etc etc.

However, not all service lines are as narrow as that. At EY I was in a line called Services, which meant rojak to us employees. I audited a OnG company, a GLC company, a company that printed books, and a food franchisee company in a span of 6 months. I'm pretty sure you can't call that 'specialised industry'.

Responsibilities also vary, depending on your competencies and how enthusiastic you are at work, as well as your manager. If you look forward to all your assignments, hand in good quality work, and generally don't be a douchebag, your manager will most likely give you more and more responsibilites, as we are generally understaffed and overworked.

Nah. I'm even newer. Just started recently, like last week. =D But I interned at EY before.

Yes, you can state your preferences. Or perhaps your manager might ask you. You can state that you do not want to do banking, etc. However, they may or may not give you the service line that you request if they think they need people elsewhere.

As an ex-intern, all I can say is show dedication. Always asking questions, and offering your help on matters that may not even concern you is a good way for your seniors to teach you. I was blessed in a sense that during my industrial training with a Big 4, I was assigned to 'shadow' a manager, meaning all my assignments for the 6 months would be under her. Thus, the seniors working under her (and over me) knew that I would be around for quite some time, and would most likely be working with them in two or three different projects. Thus, they taught me alot of stuff in the beginning, so I could help them do real audit stuff Month 3 onwards.

Of course, it matters that you show initiative, keep offering to help do things, even if it may seem it is over your head(Trust me. If it's too important, they won't let you do it. But if they think that you can handle it without screwing up too much, they'll let you do it. Less work for them ma.) Enthusiasm and competent work should win them over, and you can get whatever learning experience you wish.

Just be careful what you wished for.

Well, it's ... not a done deal, i think. I had my internship, and after that my employment was rather straightforward (phone interview for a while) compared to my other new joiners that had to have interview with partners.

On the other hand, I do know of ex-interns who didn't manage to gain employment with the Big4 firm they had interned with previously.

It's a mixed bag la, i guess.

EY Rawks! =P

Paid with work.

I suspect that is because of 'value creation'. Employees that create value, such as that of consultants or investment bankers which help multiply a firm's income through creative skills are move in demand. Auditors follow prescribed standards and techniques to do their job, which is why the salary does move slower.

This is only true when you're in the 'technical' phase of your career. When you enter the 'management' phase, then it is how effective a leader you are, and at that time auditors with the proper experience and mentality can make lots of money, having the experience to make good financial decisions that can save thousands for a company.

Another point I would also like you to ask your seniors, is that if those who leave a Big4 firm after 3 years to enter commercial only make RM4k+ in commercial line, then how much does a senior who never joined a Big4 firm but started commercial makes after 3 years?

3 years is also quite fast for a Big4 firm. You would only reach the level of Senior Associate. Working for 5-6 years, and you should be Asst Manager or Manager, which would net you a whole lot more than RM4k.

EY is RM9 a day.