How hard is it to become a partner at a Big 4 company? (2024)

Yes, it's hard to become a partner at a Big Four company. Becoming a partner at a Big Four firm is highly competitive because of the perceived status, undoubted financial rewards, and an endorsem*nt of one's skills and experience in the accounting profession that comes with working as a partner in a Big Four company.

First of all, the Big Four accounting firms attract bright and ambitious people, and the competition for these positions is fierce. Most people take ten to 15 years to become a partner at a Big Four, which includes working 50 to 70 hours a week as a standard.

During this decade-plus journey, the path towards a partnership will be a long winding one that is complex and full of many hoops that will need to be jumped. Only one out of five senior managers make it to partner.

The main hoops that you need to jump through are:

• To keep performing in order to progress. If you're hitting or exceeding your targets, you will move up the ranks. If you're not - and we are talking about only one or two or quarters of lower performance after many years, this can be enough cause for termination.

• Develop a strong business case -- as you progress from manager to senior manager, you'll need to cultivate a winning business case that can demonstrate your value as a partner.

• Make it through the partnership admissions process gauntlet -- three or more partnership panel interviews at sector team and geography levels.