To accept a public sector job over a Big4?

[somewhereovertherainboww]

Job offer 1: public sector (finance), central London location so a fairly easy commute, 9-5 hybrid with 2 days WFH

Job offer 2: one of the Big 4, audit, regional office, a 1.5 hour (pricey) commute by train, very long hours and rarely WFH

I am returning to full time employment after years of being a SAHM to 2 DC(4&6 y.o.).

My heart says option 1 is more family friendly and “meaningful” but my head says a Big 4 in my CV can set me up for life, offers better progression opportunities and pay.
DH is not on six figures and my earning potential is definitely higher, which puts pressure on me to go for option 2. DH is happy to do school drop offs and pick up from clubs in the evening to allow me to work long hours but I worry I will barely get to see the children on weekdays.

Job 1.

Job 2 hours plus commute and travel to client locations are enough to put me off. I did it as a trainee and remained in audit but working 0.8 as a senior manager after DC1 then I made the move to FE sector (still as an accountant). The hours, pension and holidays once you have kids are invaluable. Audit just still isn't very family friendly.

If you try job 1 and don't like it or decide the higher salary of Big 4 would make life easier then you can always move. The big forms will always be open to hiring good auditors even when not actively recruiting as retention is so difficult. Think of that as your safety net.

This was my thinking too. Three hours a day commuting is essentially the minimum. If they were going to allow a couple of days a week wfh and that would be in the contract, might be different.

It’s exhausting a parent though. Doing a long commute with a stressful job is incredibly hard with children - especially when they’re younger and get ill a lot.

it’s not just the practical element but the emotional side too. There’s nothing wrong with feeling guilty, but be aware that the guilt can happen!

we made it work because we had a nanny as both of us worked. But I found it harder once they got to school although flexible working and wfh makes the world of difference

So qualified?
You will be looking at £120K minimum. What really each offering?

I guess it depends what you want longer term too. Taking a public sector job now would make it harder to move to private sector, whereas Big 4 experience will open more doors.

However a junior role in Big 4 would be very challenging to balance with family.

Tough one. Think of what you want 5 years, 10 years down the line.

Another thing to remember about the Big 4 job is that (depending on your level) you could be spending considerable amount of time at client sites rather than in the office. And naturally these clients will be regionally grouped around your office rather than your home. So whilst commute to office is 1.5hr by train, from say London, and for example the office is in Bristol - it’s likely the clients will be spread around Bristol and area which means you could be commuting to rural Somerset/Wales depending on the client.

I promise you that qualified accountants in audit at the Big 4 are not all on £120k!

I work at Big4 now. The work is interesting and my pay is good, but I really really miss my old job (had to move due to location move and general money needs) working with the public sector.

You won’t have to commute daily for Big4 (we are only actually allowed in a few days per week) and can plan travel and buy train tickets in advance to keep costs down.

Couple of things to think about:

• physical capability to lug a laptop and assorted equipment around on the commute?


• will you need to record time?


• is the office open plan and can you handle that?


• To avoid conflict issues they control what you are permitted to invest in, and if an audit client is taken on that causes a conflict you will have to disinvest regardless of whether it’s a good time/you will lose money


• IT is all outsourced - there’s literally no one at my place who you can talk to in person


• What level are you going in at? Higher levels get more control over their days.

I’d do Big 4 for 2 years to get it on the CV and then look closer to home. It will likely help you leapfrog into higher grades elsewhere and give you better options longer term.

You should be able to get a big 4 job in Central London no problem if you can manage to get one in the regions. They are always recruiting. Best of both worlds as the big 4 office and most clients will be based in London so you don't have to be constantly commuting out of the city?

If work/life balance is really appealing then public sector is good. I'm ex big 4 and public sector clients never seemed to work overtime. Often worked flexitime/compressed hours and of course there is a nice DB pension. I suspect it will be very slow paced/dull though.

Private sector industry role will get you better money than public and still have a better work/life than big4 in my experience too. So a bit of an in between option to consider too. Loads of finance/IA type roles around on my LinkedIn at the moment.

I started at a Big 4 and it set me up for life. I work in a different sector now, but having it on my CV is ALWAYS the talking point at an interview. I would say start there, even if only for a few months.

I've worked in public and private sector (not Big 4).

IME promotion opportunities for women are much better in public sector. I'm in my 50s and friends in public sector are still climbing the ladder. Most of my friends who work in private sector have stalled or dropped out.

I'd go for the public sector job. All Departments have finance directors and local government also pays well for finance roles.

I've not worked in the big 4 but I've seen them do audit in local government - and it's so rubbish it's embarrassing. Plus the people doing it don't seem to have a life!

Agree that promotion opportunities are likely to be better for women in the public sector.

You’ve been a sahm for years and say you want to be there for your children. Rather than focus on job specs I’d flip it over and look at various scenarios that will arise and your reaction.
Weigh it up. Child Sick, call from school to pick up, appointments, special assemblies, extra curricular activities, mealtimes - how does it look option 1 and 2. Option 2 with the commute you realistically aren’t going to see your children awake in week unless they relent on some wfh. Some people are ok with that, I wouldn’t have been.
I’ve gone from private 20 years to public sector and the difference in culture is astounding - my child is older but openly working around life commitments is accepted. Mentally it makes such a difference All my managers are female. Having got some experience in sector I’ve never been more in demand. I also didn’t realise how much the public service aspect would boost me.

Work life balance will be much better with Job 1.

I would actually go consultancy services later in your career when you have more clout so can push what you do and when you do it more. Public sector experience is invaluable, given the amount of work the Big 4 does for it. Plus shorter commute and you get to see the kids more with job 1.

I've just left Big4 and moved to a small regional firm and, honestly, the culture shock is killing me! There will be a huge difference between public sector and Big4, so think carefully about your personality type and what makes you feel energised and valued. I'm surprised you won't be able to WFH in the Big4 job - where I've come from there was absolutely loads of it and lots of other forms of flexibility too.

What would a person who loved themselves do?

Sorry but this is just not true. Who you work for is incredibly important if you want to get a job at a certain level. I’m a CFO in the corporate world so look at plenty of CVs. How it should be and how it works in the real world are completely different things. Perhaps I’m biased as I trained with the Big 4, but then nearly everyone else at my level did too as that is (in general) where the smartest graduates went.

OP - the answer depends on where you want to be in 10 years.

@MargotMoo i am in a similar situation as you (based on your brief description) and I have to disagree. I look at many CVs and have hired many ACA trained accountants from the Big 4 and in my experience NAO trained graduates are often better. Many of my colleagues share that opinion. So depending on where the OP is going in the public sector, it may not be a bad option.

To be fair I don’t disagree with you on NAO however I’d assumed this was a role within the finance department of a public sector org, which is quite different. If my assumption is correct, I’d strongly advise against taking that role if the OP ever wants a senior corporate career in finance.

Perhaps my bias is wrong, but it’s not unusual.

Hope OP makes the right decision for her.
Interesting reading. This thread. How different people see the Big 4.

My Ds1 has different offers for Uni or job, from the Big 4 and will soon need to make a decision.

@Oblomov22 I think for a new graduate at the start of their career with no caring responsibilities, the decision Big 4 or not would be a very different one as the travelling and long hours may be less of an issue at that age.

For me personally I would go with option 1. It would fit my life goals better. Option 2 might always be there once the kids are older?

Someone once said imagine being 70 in a rocking chair and looking back in your life. What would be your regrets?

job 1 is probably less money / less chance of progression but you would be around more with the kids

job 2 is more hours / commute, maybe more stress and not seeing your children as often. However it could be a good option from a career POV.

All depends on your motivation

I could tell as soon as I read it you preferred the first option. This is as good as a personality test. It's weird to ask such a question and not give the salary figures. Without them nobody can fully weigh and judge the relative merits.
As you are in finance is there scope for you to do the same work but freelance or contractor? I thought of an accountant I know who changed from employment to freelance for good money and a different, freer life. She could do a few months' contract (not working from home but going to a place of work) and then take off travelling or staying around home enjoying leisure or whatever. That could be your hybrid, compatible with having some stay at home / family interludes.