Best Response

For Audit/Tax these firms are all very similar. The best way to choose which firm you want to work for is to figure out the culture of the offices in the city you are wanting to work in. The Big 4 have tons of networking events you can go to and meet their team so figuring out which firm you like the best shouldn't be too difficult. Remember that you will be around these people for 80+ hours a week during busy season so it helps a lot if you like your co workers, or can at least tolerate them.

Another thing to factor in is their client base in the city you wish to work in. Many clients hire their auditors after they have a few years under their belt, so if one of the Big 4 has clients that are companies you would like to work for then you may want to choose them.

I have no consulting experience so i cant really speak to that, but i do know that D&T was the only firm who didn't sell their practice after SOX which has given them a leg up on the other 3.

 

Audit is probably safer than tax going forward. People have always had to keep books and get independent confirmation of how safe their investments since the South Sea Bubble. They're probably going to reform the tax code in the next few years. Talk to most accounts who worked back then and they will start shuddering when they hear "Tax Reform Act of 1986"- worse than I do when someone says "Crash of 2008".

 

From what I know, Delotte and PwC are tied in terms of prestige and revenue. They say it's the Big 4, but it's more like the Large 2 and the Big 2.

Now, between Delotte and PwC, I like PwC's culture better. It's more relaxed, you will probably end up wearing business casual most of the time. The only time you would have to wear business formal is client presentations, which you will not participate in for at least the first 2 years (until you get your CPA).

If you're going on the MM investment banking side, KPMG is the way to go.

If you want to transfer to consulting, Delotte.

If you want to do audit, PwC.

Remember, you can make partner by 10-15 years, the work life balance is great, and the firms are well-known.

--Death, lighter than a feather; duty, heavier than a mountain
 

this whole ranking big 4 is dumb, i came from a big 4 firm myself

1 ppl in banking don't give a crap which one you came from, big 4 is big4, its called big 4 for a reason, the lateral process won't be any easier or harder

2 The so call ranking varies by region, and industry, but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter.

3 The notion of audit at Deloitte makes the transition into Deloitte consulting easier is flawed, at best you have more access to the people at the consulting side, but they almost operate as if they were two different companies.

Big 4's advisory ranges from IT advisory to real MM IB work If you would like to break into IBD, the best group to be in is the corporate finance group where they engage in MM IBD work, follow by valuation, where they run a lot of models. TAS is also a decent place to begin, you deal mostly with due diligent work, but at the end of the day you are still working closer to M&A deals

 

Check out goingconcern.com for some good information on comp, etc.

For example, here's one for PwC: http://goingconcern.com/2011/05/pwcs-new-compensation-structure-gets-th…

You really have to be more specific to get into the pros/cons of each. If you're concerned with your resume, unless you're hopping to another Big 4, I second J15's assertion that people outside of the Big 4 won't care between the 4. You'll see "Big 4 experience a plus" on job postings, but after that it is just your actual experience at any of those that counts.

I also agree with Cardinal, city is a big factor. Another factor is how easily the firm will let you rotate to another city or even line of service... but again that depends on the line of service in which you are interested.

I have work experience at one of these. PM me for more info if you have more specific questions.

 

Can anyone give some info on valuations at E&Y or Private equity at KPMG? Is PE at KPMG like it would be at an dedicated PE shop, or different in some way?

"There are only two opinions in this world: Mine and the wrong one." -Jeremy Clarkson
 
drnick175:
Nowadays, how difficult is it to get hired for entry-level positions at the Big4?
A hell of a lot harder than anyone on WSO will admit. In other words pretty tough, but much easier than BB banking or MBB consulting.
 
obscenity:
drnick175:
Nowadays, how difficult is it to get hired for entry-level positions at the Big4?
A hell of a lot harder than anyone on WSO will admit. In other words pretty tough, but much easier than BB banking or MBB consulting.
obscenity, Would you agree with this? "Think of it like this: the Big 4 is like bulge bracket for the masses."

More knowledgeable answers to this question here: //www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/getting-into-the-big-4-and-what-it-means…

 
obscenity:
drnick175:
Nowadays, how difficult is it to get hired for entry-level positions at the Big4?
A hell of a lot harder than anyone on WSO will admit. In other words pretty tough, but much easier than BB banking or MBB consulting.

It depends on the office location, how many accounting graduates are in your region, how much demand there are for the services in the region, etc.

I got an offer with okay grades, but a non-accounting Masters and Undergrad degree. Mind you, I've had good quality, decent work experience in broad industries.

I'm guessing As long as PwC and IBM keep publishing studies advertising their concerns about an ongoing skills shortage, there will still be demand for decent hires within their firms. Basic economics.

 
drnick175:
Nowadays, how difficult is it to get hired for entry-level positions at the Big4?

It depends what school you are going to. At University of Illinois, one of the Big Four is hiring over 80 full time and 50 interns this year.

 

Couldn't agree more with Level70Mage, if you're at a school that gets significant recruitment it's not actually that special to get hired by the Big 4. From my Master's Program (top 10 according to public accounting report), anyone who sounded smart and had a normal personality could get a Big 4 job through on-campus recruiting, even people with undergraduate degrees in non-business areas and no accounting experience. From what I've heard from people going at schools that aren't as recognized, you have to network to make it happen!

 

I agree with Level70Mage, it really depends on your university. I hear many universities in my area (southern California) never see a single big four recruiter, but at my school we regularly have three of them visiting and the fourth visits once a semester. Now, if only I could say the same about BBs visiting I would be set...

 

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