Minimum wage internship

  • Creator
    Topic
  • #172555
    Elaine
    Participant

    I am part-time interning in private accounting at a company, and I like the people I work with, and I am getting comfortable with what I do although I do want to go into public accounting if possible. But in order not to take additional classes after the 2014 change (in Cali), if I don’t get a public accounting job starting this year, I plan to get the 1 year experience in private accounting. My one complaint with this company is that they pay minimum wage with taxes withheld… I commute for 2 hours and just started Becker, and the pay is not quite enough. :/

    I saw a job posting for a similar position, and I applied for it because the pay was 4 dollars higher. This company is smaller and in marketing/advertising, and I am curious how the environment looks like. They called me back the day after I applied and offered an interview.

    Should I go to the interview and see how it goes? Endure the pay and stay? My current company has an active CPA that can sign off my experience and my internship ends in August; I don’t know if I am going to get a full-time offer yet.

Viewing 10 replies - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
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    Replies
  • #357155
    FindaJob
    Member

    I would say its always good to get interview experiences. if you like the new job and there is a CPA that would give you the experience you need and it is a shorter commute … you might consider it … at that time … you would ask people around here what would a proper way be to ask if they will be offering you a position. but that would be only after you have something on the table …

    I'm just trying to give u my thoughts … u probably had those thoughts as well … Good luck ! and wish me luck tomorrow 🙂

    two to go !

    #357156
    Herbieherb
    Participant

    Some internships don't pay anything…some fireman/police officers/all city workers in scranton pa make minimum wage now too…LOL. Keep what you got but keep looking.

    NEW YORK- DONE

    #357157
    jelly
    Participant

    Definitely go to the interview, b/c you can get a little bit of a chance to see what it's like, and find out if there is a CPA on staff (you can always ask about staff backgrounds, ask if they came from public accounting, and if they're licensed). If you like and vice versa, you can come back to your current job with an offer in hand and a chance to negotiate.

    With your current job, casually find out from people you work with or other managers/partners if there's new client work & engagements. It's a little quieter now in the summer, but that will give you a tiny idea if there's enough budget money to give you a boost for more pay, or into a full-time position.

    Couldn't pass again!

    #357158
    Elaine
    Participant

    Thank you guys!

    I went to the interview and I had a great time. They seemed to like me a lot and today called me to offer me the position.

    Here is my concern though. I can get my experience signed off at both places. Pay-wise, I prefer the new one of course. Company-wise, I like my current one because it is much bigger and well-known in its industry; the new one is in marketing/advertising. I really loved talking to them during the interview, I could see myself communicating better with them and being more hands-on on more things than in my current position. The upper executives (CFO, controller, or even senior accountants) are so busy as the company is growing fast, and I don't get to talk to them much; the new company's controller was so much easier to talk to, and the staff accountant seemed to be a better communicator than my current supervisor, although I like everyone that I work with. Also, during the interview, the controller said, since the staff accountant is not going to stay for ever, I will be the next one to work closely with her if he leaves. I myself am not sure if I'm going to stay since I want to work in public accounting to be honest. I am working in private accounting right now because I couldn't get a job in public, and I need to have a year of experience before 2014.

    My internship ends in August and I don't know if I'm going to get a full-time offer yet. Should I ask them if they have an opening or wait? I know I can't have everything but I'm trying to make a decision.. and I do appreciate your opinion. 🙂

    #357159
    ROACH
    Member

    $4 over min. wage is about $12-13 an hour? Goddamn

    BEC: 66 | 69 | 7/23/2013
    AUD: 8/28/2013
    REG:
    FAR:

    #357160
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    If you work in the big 4, and divide your annual salary by the number of hours you work, you MAY make minimum wage if you are lucky.

    MAYBE.

    #357161
    nfs480
    Member

    In order to make minimum wage in Big 4 at $50,000 per year (average starting in my city) you'd have to average 131 hours per week for all 52 weeks of the year. As bad as public can be, it's not that bad. At worst i'd say easily double minimum wage.

    FAR 93
    AUD 89
    REG 81
    BEC 87
    Ethics 100

    Becker 2012 Self-Study

    #357162
    Kim4
    Member

    Lemme sum up — maybe I'm missing something —

    Currently: an intern, ending in August, long commute, minimum wage, likes the company, CPA there to sign off on experience, may or may not be a job there in August (which is in like a week and a half)

    New offer: full time position, shorter commute, more money, CPA there to sign off on experience

    Dude, go for the sure thing with more money with a shorter commute.

    FAR -- 90
    AUD -- 95
    BEC -- 82
    REG -- 92

    DONE!

    #357163
    jelly
    Participant

    Congrats!

    When does the new place want you to start, i.e. in 2 weeks? When do they need to know your answer?

    With an offer in hand, you can go to your current workplace and explain that you have an offer from another company, and that you're deciding between your current place and this new place, and that you have 24/48/72 hours to reply (you'll want to time this so that you have some time on your own to think things through, so tell the current place a day or two before the actual reply deadline). No need to go into salary details about the new place with your current place, you can just say that it's competitive with your current experience level (let them go and figure it out on their own).

    Management in your current place will be having fast and furious internal discussions, b/c they now have a deadline they need to respond to. You won't be needing to ask them if they will offer you a full-time position or not, they will have to tell you in 24/48/72 hours.

    You can also just skip all of this and just tell your current place that you're giving them 2 weeks' notice, if the new place needs you to start immediately.

    Couldn't pass again!

    #357164
    Elaine
    Participant

    @Kim4, sorry if I didn't state this but the new offer is for a part time internship and the commute is about the same. 🙂 Sorry I wasn't clear.

    Thank you guys for your posts! My current boss told me he will let me know by next Monday, and I didn't have a chance to tell them I have an offer from other company yet. The controller from the new company asked me today when I'd like to start the new job. I have a feeling that there won't be an opening at this current job, there are lots of interns in and out every year. you have to be working on a specific project/department to get a full-time position for that part.

    As soon as my boss lets me know on Monday, I will submit my 2 weeks notice and tell the new boss about my start date. Thanks again :)))))))

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