faqs
- As a new employee, will I be assigned to the tax or audit department, or will I have the opportunity to learn both areas? After graduation, we don’t expect you to be certain of which area of accounting, or which industry, you most like. Audit? Tax? Both? Until you have experienced real-world scenarios in various industries, you won’t have the information necessary to make the decision about which discipline is best for you. That’s why we assign our entry-level Staff Associates to our General Practice group. This position provides the opportunity to learn Tax, Audit and other Accounting disciplines right out of school. As a result, our Staff Accountants learn multiple accounting skills and build a solid foundation of expertise before identifying their long term career path.For those of you who have already identified an interest in Tax and obtained a Masters in Taxation, we do recruit from the MPAcc Taxation programs and hire entry-level Associates for Tax Accounting positions. See our Campus Schedule for dates, and view our Tax Associate job description.
- What’s the typical career path at Peterson Sullivan? Many professionals spend their entire careers with Peterson Sullivan LLP. They like the diversity of assignments in varying industries, the opportunity to work directly with clients, and the camaraderie and support of their co-workers. As a recent graduate, you would enter our firm at the Associate level. Most people spend 2 – 3 years as an associate before progressing to the Senior position. From there, the career path is Manager, Senior Manager, and then Partner. Peterson Sullivan doesn’t have rigid guidelines that dictate how many years you must be at each level before being eligible for promotion, nor do we limit ourselves to a certain number of people at each level. We recognize that each individual’s career path can be as unique as they are, and provide flexibility to allow you to progress at the pace most appropriate for you. Feedback is an important component of your career path progression at Peterson Sullivan LLP. You’ll receive an annual performance evaluation, based on your work performance, and also on other career development areas, such as your contribution to the firm, your professional development, and your involvement with firm activities.
- How many hours can I expect to work? What about travel? Peterson Sullivan’s office hours are Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our staff works 40 hour weeks during most of the year. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, we observe ‘flex hours’ that allow you to alter your starting and ending times, while observing the core hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During busy season, our staff generally works between 55 – 60 hours per week. You are given an overtime meal allowance on any day you work more than ten hours. Throughout the year, any time that you work in excess of 40 hours per week is compensated, either in the form of compensatory time (generally 80 hours) that can be used for extra vacation/days off; or in the form of payment (after the 80 hours of “banked” comp time – also note that unused compensatory time is paid to you at your straight time rate).Entry level staff can expect to travel approximately ten days per year. While most of our clients are located in the Puget Sound region, we do have travel opportunities for those staff who enjoy business travel.
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