If you make it to the top in an accounting job in financial services, the rewards can be great wherever you work in the world. But for rank and file staff, it takes years of post-qualified experience before you hit six figures even in the notoriously high-paying world of investment banking and capital markets.
So, in which roles and locations should you be considering basing yourself as an accountant in finance if you want to earn the big bucks relatively quickly? The answer, according to the Robert Walters annual salary survey due to be release next week, is New York, followed swiftly by Singapore and Hong Kong. Internal audit, product control and regulatory reporting are the hot sectors to work in.
London finance careers generally pay better than most other European nations and compare well internationally. However, no one position stands out as the highest paying, according to the survey figures.
1. Product control/pricing, SVP, New York – $175-300k
2. Internal audit, investment banking division and markets, Hong Kong – $127-230k
3. Strategic planning and analysis, financial services, Singapore – up to $225k
4. Financial and regulatory reporting (8 years’ PQE), Hong Kong – $120-220k
5. Tax specialist, New York – $100-200k
6. Audit manager, Switzerland – $167-200k
7. Deputy controller, New York – $150-190k
8. Management reporting (8 years’ PQE), Hong Kong – $120-193k
9. Vice president, product control, London (5-10 years’ PQE) – $120-180k
10. Vice-president, regulation, London (5-10 years’ PQE) – $120-180k
11. Management accounting (8 years’ PQE) in investment banking, Tokyo – $153-171k
12. Financial control/management reporting, London – $113-170k
13. Regulatory reporting manager, investment management, London – $128-150k
14. Financial planning and analysis manager, Hong Kong – $115-128k
15. Internal audit manager, Germany – $87-127k