Big 4 Corporate Finance

hogue94

Hi All,

Just want to get people's opinion on the Big 4 corporate finance departments in relation to type of work they do, culture in the workplace, exit opportunities etc

Thanks

L.Jenkins

I too would also be interested in an answer to what you're asking. However, my primary degree is in Engineering, so I may not be taken seriously, even having only completed 4 CPA exams and a Higher Cert in Business and Accounting.

Jim2007

If you browse their websites you'll get idea that it covers a wide range of sins! In my time there and this was third years ago I was mainly involved in insolvency work, such as:

- Terminating staff: handling the redundancy process, application for funds to pay out etc
- Supervision factory operations in cases where we ran the factory for a while to use up raw materials
- Dealing with creditors in terms of ROT etc
- Selling off the assets of the company via tenders, auctions etc.
- Dealing with the guards in cases where former employees committed criminal offences
- Preparing all the various creditor and court reports
- Attendance at the high court when required
- Attendance at creditors meetings (can be a hairy experience, as people tend to get upset when they are not being paid)
- Packaging up parts of a company to sell of as a spin off to investors or management buyouts
- Debt collection: visiting debtors to collect the cash, instructing solicitors to sell of debtors assets, dealing with the sheriff, county registrar etc
- Dealing with personal insolvencies
- Dealing with the revenue commissioners in respect of unpaid taxes, inspections etc. (sometimes you even get to tell the IOT that he will not get paid :-))
- Dealing with some rather rather shady characters, who don't mind a bit of aggression!

It was always very interesting and you do come a way with a very good commercial sense of things. So entry into the commercial field is definitely an option.

But that said I know others who were there at the time with me and had a totally different experience working on floatations, valuations, raising capital etc..

In terms of exit opportunities, coming from a Big 4 firm puts you in a better position than most of your peers. As an accountant, it is never a bad thing to have worked in a Big 4 firm.