Audit Sector - Emerging and private enterprise (EPE) - please read before joining
Pros
- Exposure to a wide range of audit tasks and responsibilities. - Opportunity to work with a prestigious Big 4 firm. - Access to professional development resources and study leave.
Cons
1. Management Style and Intern Utilization: Interns receive one of the lowest stipends among the Big 4 (SGD 700). Interns are often required to perform substantial audit tasks, which can feel exploitative and demoralizing. 2. Recognition and Praise: Disproportionate emphasis on large or big engagement with little recognition for smaller jobs. If you are assign to small jobs means you are not good. Managers and partners praise only those who deliver high-quality work with minimal resources, creating a toxic environment. Expectation for staff to entertain partners and managers during office events is unreasonable and should not be a criterion for promotion. 3. Hiring Practices: Department tends to hire only at the audit executive level, they will not hire experience staff or seniors to join the department to cover the shortage. They will exploit new staff to cover any shortage. This practice may attract individuals who are desperate or lack experience, rather than those who are truly qualified and motivated. 4. Partner Practices: Partners often exhibit preferential treatment and ask unnecessary or stupid questions. Sometimes to boost their own ego. Excessive number of review points issued during reviews, especially, can be overwhelming for both staff and clients. Clients also will complaint why so excessive and sometimes it can be meaningless. I guess this is for our partner in EPE to boost to other sector partners how good they are ... 5. Promotion Criteria: Restrictive promotion criteria requiring passing two core professional papers (ACCA/ICAEW) to become senior. If you are a poly graduate, good luck you have a mountain to climb considering you need to juggle work, life and study. You will need to pass within 2 years (Jan till June) you are not able to take study leave. Employees who fail to meet this requirement are unable to complete the 2 core professional papers, regardless of their performance and contributions will never progress to senior. This policy can lead to underpayment and overwork, as staff are expected to perform higher-level tasks without appropriate compensation. 6. Managerial Expectations: Since partner has high expectations and exploitation. Managers can be unreasonable workload and expectations placed on staff. OT meal claims are often scrutinized and some managers expect staff to work on their jobs while on other manager's booking. This create a chain effect, you will working on multiple engagements at one go. It can be very chaotic. The managers and partners here all have small temper, it guess this it the culture they build. Culture of expecting immediate responses during study leave is overwhelming and counterproductive.