By Aja Carmichael
From CareerJournal.com

The job: A tax or audit associate at a Big Four accounting firm.

The pay: Varies with region and educational background. Tax associates at KPMG LLP make $38,000 to $76,000, while pay for audit associates at Deloitte & Touche LLP is $41,000 to $50,000 a year.

The hours: Vary with client and practice; associates work 40 to 60 hours a week during tax season, with occasional work from home or a client's office.

Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, and 401(k) and pension plan. Associates receive about 25 days of paid time off a year.

Other incentives: Can include discounts on sports and movie tickets, electronics and gym memberships; fare deductions for employees traveling to work via public transportation; and in-house concierge service for dry cleaning.

Career path: Most associates advance to senior-associate posts within two years, and can move up to executive-level posts including manager, senior manager and managing director.

Best part of the job: "Getting exposure to how businesses work and interacting with the CFO and controllers for the company clients that I work for," says Rachel Oster, a 22-year-old audit associate at Deloitte.

Worst part of the job: The busy season's hours -- and working right up to the federal tax deadline. "Corporate returns are due March 15 and a lot of companies file a six-month extension, pushing the deadline back to Sept. 15," says Brad Hoffman, 23, a tax associate at KPMG. "Everybody has a lot of work to do before that deadline, but the work makes up for the remaining [slower] days of the year."

Hiring: For further details visit Web sites of the Big Four: PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Ernst & Young LLP, KPMG LLP and Deloitte & Touche LLP.

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