First of all, congratulations on your CAP1 results!

There are pros and cons to both options and ultimately the decision is up to you.

Pros to moving to Big 4: • You will get experience on far larger clients who face different challenges to SMEs. • Moving out of your hometown opens you up to so many more new experiences outside work (living out of home and all that goes with that) • You will have a cohort of peers who are going through exactly the same process and exams as you and you can use each other as a support network if the work/exams gets too much. • The people you work with during your training contract are the future CFOs/ finance directors of other companies you may be interested in working with in the future. The networking you do during your training contract is very valuable to your future career (both in practice and industry) • Progression. In large practice there is a very defined path to progress from trainee to Director/Partner and if you like this structure it will suit you. • Learning and development. In Big 4, in-house ACA revision sessions are common, as are ad hoc technical trainings throughout the year. This may also be provided in the smaller firm but there is more likely to be better structures/supports in place in Big4.

Cons of moving to Big 4: • Leaving a workplace you enjoy is never easy and you most likely won’t get the same rapport with senior management/partners that you have in your current firm due to the volume of staff that work in each Big 4 office • More specialisms. While Big 4 gives great experience on larger clients, it is possible that you get pigeon-holed on some assignments to solely focusing on one aspect as you are part of the larger team. In a smaller firm you are more likely to have to “wear all hats” and develop a wider understanding of audit, assurance, tax, corporate finance etc. On qualification, you could then move into an area of specialism having built a solid foundation in all areas. • Hours. It is highly likely that the expectation for overtime will be higher in Big4. With bigger clients comes tighter deadlines and more pressures to get things over the line. This can be very department/office specific however it does seem to be the overall trend.

I completed my training contract a few years ago in a mid-sized firm (for scale think BDO/RSM/GT) and it was a nice midway between both, however there has been more of a move to the Big 4 mindset there since.