Career At Big Four | Downsides Of Audit

After reading positive aspects of audit, those who want to start their career quickly have inevitably dreamed of being an auditor. You generally get used to the negativities I will mention after entering the sector. However, it is necessary to measure and evaluate well. Maybe you are one of those who say, "I am a person who wants to be at peace all the time, I cannot absorb."

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Disadvantages of Career in Big Four

In the first part of the article series, I mentioned the audit industry, why Big Four companies are preferred by customers more often and the advantages of working in Big Four. Big Four companies add a higher level of knowledge and prestige to the sector, but there are also negative aspects for employees. I am of the opinion that a person who enters the auditing company and experiences that 6–7 month phase, which we call 'busy period', cannot be a normal person again.

I am not saying to scare you, but if there is someone around you experiencing this, you will understand what I mean.

We can briefly describe the negative aspects of working in Big Four companies as follows:

1-Intensive work tempo

2-Low salary compared to other potential jobs

3-A lot to be expected of you

4-Feeling of worthlessness

1- Intensive Work Tempo

The biggest problem in the audit sector is imperative to do a lot of work in a short time. It is worked on project basis. A project that can be completed in 1 month by working 8 am to 6 pm is requested to be completed in 2 weeks. In other words, while you are expected to work for an average of 18-20 hours a day instead of 10, you may not even have the opportunity to spend time for sleep and dinner. The percentage of employees who say “I have to complete the remaining jobs!” is very high, especially during the 6-month period between January and July. For example, during the last year of June (including weekends) my daily sleep time was an average of 4 hours. Apart from that, my average 6-month sleep time is 5-6 hours. These are not exaggerated numbers...

Of course, I cannot meet with my friends frequently, and I do not spend enough time with my family. In time, you can lose your friends. They can think: “He/she does not spend time with us. He/she don't care about us anymore.”, “He/she is a asocial person.” about you. There are comments I've heard very often. After starting audit sector, it is not easy for your social life to return to normal again. Everyone remembers you as "the workaholic and the person who doesn't care about his environment", even if you try to prevent it...

2- Low Salary Compared to Other Potential Jobs

I met several companies IK before 2018, starting at audit. A company I interviewed offered me a good salary as a starting salary in the financial controller department. It was a good company, of course, paying more than the market average. Apart from that, there were also banks that initially made this salary for the reporting and inspectorate departments. So if someone who graduated from a good university really made a lot of effort, he/she could start with a good salary in 2018. But I wanted to lay a good foundation in my career with supervision. As a result, I started with less than half of this good salaries. Unfortunately, Big Four companies do not offer you great financial opportunities.

3- Expecting Much From You

I have said that we work on project basis in Big Four companies. The overall operation is actually very simple. It explains which project you are in every week or every month. You meet the people you do not know on the first day of the project and start the distribution of tasks. Everyone's duty is already 90% clear. You collect data from the customer and try to finish your work with the data in the specified time. The task given to you here is of no interest to anyone else, of course you will ask your superiors for questions and support, but it is entirely up to you to finish the job. This is actually something bad for someone who doesn't know the job at all. However, your practicalness and self-confidence increase. But of course, you will experience great stress during that period.

4- Feeling worthless

It is what every auditor feels, although it is not spoken much. It is often spoken, at least in the environment of friends. As a result, those who work in a job that is so intense and does not have financially high returns, expect special gestures from the company. This is an involuntary expectation. We can say that it is like expecting nice feelings from a relationship that you have worked hard... However, companies are insufficient to keep their employees alive except for a few celebrations and a few gifts. The Big Four company I am currently working on is more sensitive in this regard, trying to balance it with emails and occasional small surprises, but I do not think any of the people who work this company regard these actions sufficient. This is not my opinion but the vision of general audit employees…

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