PwC = $30K to start and my friend hasn't gotten a raise in 2 years
She works in tax

Another friend who is starting her audit at PwC is getting $32K or $35K
She's been there for 2 years and just transferred into the audit program

mr85 I don't know where you're getting your numbers from
PwC has been slowing down and laying off people, only to rehire fresh grads (slaves) at a lower salary

$30k? really? Why does everyone go into accounting then?

which firm offers you 45?

the most i've heard is 35-38 or about $20/hr

Everywhere is competitive, 36-38k to start. Firms usually pay for CASB fees.

I'd say the probability of landing a CA job is not very high, you need great networking skills. That means attending to every single networking event. They evaluate you right there, and start picking even though it's only supposed to be an "info session".

I am not in the industry, but I have friends in the industry and it's a mix bag of success/failures.

Recession proof? kind of, relative to the financial sector.

I've been in a Big 4 for just over 3 years. Recession proof - hardly. No profession is. Whether it be through increased competition for industry jobs, or shittier salaries in public practice, everyone feels the highs and lows of the economy. Average starting salary in Big 4 is 37-39k. Tax is a different beast. You don't need to be a CA to be in tax, and not all entry level positions in tax even set you up to become a CA. More and more people are taking the 'tax CA' route, however, in general, pass rates for the UFE are lower from this stream. I think there are a lot of misconceptions about 'slave labour', and being 'underpaid'..university grads often think that they're worth 50k+ straight out of school, but what the firms pay really is around market value for a fresh business grad. Pay your dues, and you'll get your payday.

As for replacing staff with 'fresh grads at a lower salary', that does not/cannot happen in the profession. It is a very specialized profession that takes time to become better at. New grads can crunch numbers, but there is so much more to the job than just that. Judgement is what clients pay you for, and that takes time to develop.

^ wow someone who can actually say that accounting is not just about number crunching!!

pwc, my sis works there 2nd year. 1st year she was co-op started with 30k and with second year she got a raise to 45k

It's about what you get after grinding it out.

And like I said earlier, accounting is not recession proof. I'm not sure why anyone would claim it is.

Considering that those casb modules are quite expensive the institute charges levy for each student plus the registration fees and what not, that should tack on a few grand on to the "salary"
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It's a perfectly respectable profession for the typical Asian kid who grew up in East Vancouver. It requires hard work, but it's nothing streneous like a job in health care. Salaries are perfectly decent (once you have a few years of experience under your belt), and prospects for mates are as well. :)

does anyone here have experience at the Big 4? KPMG in particular?

^ i have few friends who just started what did you want to know

i work at a midsized and i started at 40k

What is the typical path to becoming a CA? I heard that some firms prefer Arts students over Business students because they can pay them a much lower salary since they would be learning the same material and receiving the same designation. Can someone cofirm this?

Accounting Degree -> CA training office -> CASB -> UFE

Arts students usually have to complete UBC DAP to completed the required creidts before they're even considered.