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FP&A and accounting - nerves!

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    25

    I used to work in transaction services at a big 4 firm in HK. With the number of years of experience that you have, I would guess your salary would be in the region of HKD700k or so (total comp) if you were to work in a big 4 firm again.

    Regarding language skills, it is very difficult to work in a big 4 at your level with no cantonese or mandarin. Same with finance positions in most companies. The only exceptions I can think of are perhaps Financial services companies (eg private equity, insurance companies).

    MrSapSap likes this.

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    Hong Kong
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    I have a friend who works in one of the big 4. His description of salary and work conditions are dire. I wouldn't do it. Is your English native or close to it? Try teaching English... at least until you find something better. Gives you options anyway.

    MrSapSap likes this.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Jun 2004
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    HK
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    14,624

    I have a few friends at E&Y and Deloitte and it seems rather fine. None speak cantonese. Comp is below banking but better than many jobs in this town. Hours vary a lot it seems depending on where you are in the firm and what you do (and what boss you have).

    Btw, plenty of banks recruit big 4 type of profil in their entry/mid level position.

    MrSapSap likes this.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Nov 2014
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    458

    I think the resume dropping strategy for larger firms will make it difficult to find a job in HK. The market for those roles is very competitive so I think you'd probably best look for some sort of edge via networking.

    I used to do something similar and it was difficult to find work as language is quite important as you need to be able to effectively communicate in Chinese in most large companies in HK. When I first started working in HK, I wasn't able to get an FP&A job and got very lucky with finding an ER job that was intended for a friend of mine (PRC buddy had a job and asked them to interview me instead), where I worked with a team of Chinese people who covered for my language deficiencies. I was not given an opportunity to move up due to my language skills. I got lucky with an opportunity I found via networking and transitioned to senior management in a small cap and into somewhat of a different role. Now I'm looking to exit and since I've cultivated a very good relationship with my professional parties, all are putting me in touch with their friends pre-IPO companies in head of accounting/finance roles. So you can definitely make the move happen and live comfortably in HK, but in my experience I was never able to pass the HR sniff test due to my language skills.

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  5. #5

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    Jun 2004
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    HK
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    OP - Target as well the Audit department of the major banks.

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  6. #6

    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    2,112
    Original Post Deleted
    Why do you want to come back to HK?

  7. #7

    I have around 25 recently qualified ACAs in my team - all Big 4 trained, nearly all fluent in English and Cantonese and those who do not speak good Cantonese generally speak either Mandarin or another relevant language such as Bahasa. Salaries are between HKD 400-750k for recently qualifieds, plus benefits and bonus.

    Having worked in London for many years, I was shocked at the hours worked in the Big 4 during peak season - 2 to 3 am finishes seem to be the norm, while that would have been quite unusual back in the UK. PwC is the largest firm here by quite a distance and I know of a number of people who have transferred from UK offices, though typically they are senior manager level and above. The other firms are smaller, so while transfers still do happen, there are less opportunities.

    Regarding roles in industry, I'm sure you will already know that FP&A roles are much more popular wherever you are in the world than financial reporting roles, so there are likely to be more opportunities in financial reporting, though there is a demand for those with really good FP&A skills.

    Finding employment as a non-Cantonese speaking ACA is harder, but not impossible, particularly as you have PR. You say you were raised in the UK - was this as an expat or a local? If as a local, I would suggest brushing your Cantonese up if you can. If you do still have family and friends in HK, then see if there are any openings they know of - networking seems to play a much bigger part here than in the UK. Otherwise, try contacting the finance recruitment specialists - a lot of the ones we used in the UK, like Michael Page, seem to have thriving practices here in HK too and they seem to be always on the lookout for good candidates.

    You should be able to initial interviews by Skype, though if the recruitment process got serious and you were down to final interview, you could well be expected to come out here to undertake the final stages in person.

    I wish you well in your job search.

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  8. #8

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    Dec 2013
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    Original Post Deleted
    There is another thread on here about what returnees think of HK. We spent some time trying to understand what they meant by "excitement". Can you elaborate further?