What is an accountants day and weekly work schedule like?

I agree with Julia's comment above, and I'd like to add a few things. While she is an Assurance (Audit) Associate at PwC, I'm a Tax Associate and it's largely the same except my "busy season" comes more in March/April and again in September/October when extensions and returns are due respectively.

Also, from what I've heard about accounting jobs outside of Public Accounting, they are more often a 9-5 job. So, they're less flexible than public accounting but rarely (if ever) as busy. However, if you go to work for a really big company (e.g. Disney or Amazon) I've heard they have demanding hours like public accounting does.

Hi Jack,

As I am from out of Country, I would like to discuss my weekly work schedule. I agree with the comments made above, depending on the kind of division you are in for Accounting, you could have various kinds of "Busy Seasons" in Canada our business season is roughly March to June. As our deadlines for Personal Tax & Corporate Tax returns are back to back. So depending on the kind of Accounting work you may do, you're work schedule may differ.

Hi Jack,

I agree with Julia's points raised. It really depends on which field you specialize in, your client portfolio, the time of year and the stage in your career.

I can share my experience if it helps as I am an experienced manager in the assurance practice within PwC. I have almost 9 years of experience.

Given my client portfolio, my 'busy season' is from November to April as this is when my clients are doing their annual reporting. There are also sporadic busy periods in April, July and October due to my clients quarterly reporting. During my busy months, as a manager, I rotate between my clients visiting my teams who are out in the field conducting audits. I respond to issues that arise and prioritize the pressing issues with more time at those clients to ensure it is resolved in a satisfactory manner. I spend my days reviewing the work that has been done by my associates and meeting with my clients to ensure we are delivering exceptional client services and I can hear any concerns first hand. They are long days during 'busy season'.

For the rest of the year, I spend time doing internal firm projects and so I am in the office a lot more. There is also a lot of flexibility during the summer months, especially August, which I usually take off completely. I find the trade-off between the long hours in the winter months and the flexibility in the summer months to be fair.

Most people in the Taxation practice spend more time in the office all year round with client visits happening infrequently.

I hope this helps.

Jimi

Hi Jack,

For some perspective, I am a first year audit associate with PwC. Like others have mentioned, the hours of the job vary depending on the time of year and the fiscal year end for your client. While "busy season" can be quite busy and demanding, other months of the year tend to be very flexible and you can control your own schedule. For any given week, you could be working on deliverables across different aspects of the audit, which means you get a great deal of exposure and learning opportunities.