Any accountants gone/going back to work part time?

[kst101]

I am a recently qualified chartered accountant with a 4 month old son. I will be going back to work when he is 9 months and am trying to work out the hours I will work. I would like to worl 3 days a week but that doesn't seem popular with my my firm who I think would be OK with 4 days. They looked at people of my level in the whole country (at least hundreds of people) and found no one was part time!

Is there anyone who has managed this? I obviously have to give strong business reasons for it working and with no precedent having been set am finding this hard.

Thank you
Katherine

I work in the audit division of one of the big 4 firms of accountants . In my group there have been 3 part time partners (3 or 4 days a week) and several part time managers (again, 3 or 4 days). Fewer part time people at the newly qualified level in my group but I know of them in other parts of the firm. We all manage fine. All the big 4 have part time people I think. Clients tend to be very understanding, they are more used to managing part time people. Your firm should be able to make it work by giveg you a reduced client load. You need to be flexible if possible with childcare etc to cover very busy times and be prepared to be available on your mobile, check e mails etc on your days off if you are serious about it as a career. The firm have just spend 3 years trainign you, they would be mad not to consider part time work if that is a way of retaining you. I don't know what it is like where you are but we are loosing a lot of people to industry at the moment and part time would certainly be considered for anybody retruning after maternity leave.

I worked for one of the big 4 part time - 3 days per week as a director. I did move from audit though and did a desk job. My feeling there was that my career took a downward turn from then on!!Am now working 4.5 days per week at a Group A firm where things are much more flexible and feel more valued here.

I know plenty of people who make it work but you do need to be flexible, but then so do they and sometimes they are not used to this.

In my current firm we have lots of 3/4 day workers and some who work 10-2 to fit in with school and some who work full time but not in the holidays. All of these are client facing staff.

HTH

Don't see why you have to have strong business reasons for it working. Surely the onus is on them to have strong business reasons for it not working or they should be letting you do it.