CA Articling Student - Starting Salary?

[bedizz]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering what to expect in terms of starting salary for an articling student in BC.
I have had a co-op with a small firm, and likely will go back to article there, but I want to know what to expect in terms of salary before I forgo the CA recruit to sign on.

[iEyeCaptain]

$40k.

[Chigu]

More info needed. How many co-op terms have you had. If you were to leave to a big firm what level would they put you at. i.e. New Associate, Experienced Associate, Senior Level 1,2,3 etc.

How big is the 'small firm'. I remember back in 2001 my first co-op term with a small/mid sized firm was 35k. I suspect it would be much more now.

[Nucks]

Also location dependant. Ontario (toronto?) seems to have the higher salaries than average and Vancouver seemed to be one of the lower ones (hovering in the 36-40k/yr range).

[bedizz]

No idea what level I would be at. I have completed one 4 month work term with the company... Co-op was approx 28k a year.

[Chigu]

No idea what level I would be at. I have completed one 4 month work term with the company... Co-op was approx 28k a year.

So you only have 4 months worth of work experience (only 1 co-op term in your university career). When you mean by 'articling' is your 30 months of work experience before actually being called a CA??? Based on the assumptions above, you'd be considered a 'new associate' in Toronto and get maybe 50k - 53k. Given your location, and the size of your firm (based on salary). I'd say about 35-40K.

28k seems low, but I guess that's the going rate in Victoria (smaller town).

[bedizz]

So you only have 4 months worth of work experience (only 1 co-op term in your university career). When you mean by 'articling' is your 30 months of work experience before actually being called a CA??? Based on the assumptions above, you'd be considered a 'new associate' in Toronto and get maybe 50k - 53k. Given your location, and the size of your firm (based on salary). I'd say about 35-40K.

28k seems low, but I guess that's the going rate in Victoria (smaller town).

To clarify, I am going to start articling -- the 30 months before being called 'CA'. 28K was an annualized figure for my previous co-op with the same firm. I'm assuming there will be a raise, but I am not sure at what salary I should turn down the position. I am in a dilemma because if I accept the job offer, I can't go through the CA recruit and obtain a position with a larger firm, but at the same time if I turn down the offer and not receive an offer through the CA recruit, I have effectively crippled my chances of becoming a CA.

[mcmanus]

IMO 28K seems about right for a co-op position.... you should be somewhere between 38-42K as a new articling student with no CASB modules completed in western canada.

[bedizz]

Another question I have is about career prospects.
Since (if I accept) I will be working in a small firm in a small town, after receiving my CA I figure I would be at a significant disadvantage applying for jobs in industry going up against former Big 4 employees in a larger city like Vancouver.
Would it be worthwhile turning down a sure thing, in order to (attempt) to get a job with a larger firm? My GPA is only around 6.0/9.0 (between 75% - 79%) average, but I do have experience from my 4 month co-op term.

[Nucks]

Every person and their mom in accounting wants to get a CA so the competition is tough. I wouldn't recommend it. The big 4 advantage isn't worth potentially being unemployed and it's not like having that on your resume means it's a sure thing you'll end up in good jobs in industry.

If you really wanted to you could just qualify (or at least write the UFE) with your firm and then look for a senior position afterward.

[mcmanus]

I agree with Nucks. I know CA's who have worked at smaller firms and have received good positions. It's not worth it to risk not getting a job at all.

I know of a number of CA's who articled with small firms, received their designation then moved onto industry positions. The bigger challenge in getting a industry position is you are competing with CA's who already have industry experience. If you are really worried about that then you could always go the none-traditional CATO route, gain industry experience while completing CASB and the UFE.

Keep in mind this route would require you (Depending on province) to attain a set amount of hours at a public firm if you want to practice in public practice.