The US economy and promise of opportunity is attractive to many young foreign accountants. This, as well as the fact that is recognized by AICPA which is the largest accounting body in the world, makes a CPA License a very prestigious accomplishment. This is why so many international students are interested in acquiring it. However, actually getting a visa and getting to the US is not always the easiest or most feasible thing to do, as foreign license holders may not want to leave their families, my not have the finances for it or they may simply enjoy the comfort of where they live. The good news is that there are accounting firms that have international offices. Many of them are happy to outsource to countries with a more affordable workforce. This also works for the local CPAs who are happy with the above-average income, even if it may not match what they would earn in the US itself.

The Big Four

The ‘easiest’ way to work oversees is to get an international position with one of the Big Four accountancy firms. Combined, these firms have the largest global presence with an estimated revenue that exceeded $15 billion in 2020. These groups comprise of Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG), and Ernst & Young.

  • Deloitte has offices in over 150 countries, with a workforce of over 330,000 employees. These countries include Luxembourg, China, Pakistan, India and the UK. Their overall revenue for 2021 was at around $50.2 billion.

Their job search page can be found here.

  • PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has offices in 156 countries and employees over 295,000 people and have a stated goal of employing another 100,000. These countries include Austria, Cayman Islands, Israel, Finland and Indonesia. In 2021 year, their overall revenue were at around $45 billion.

Their job search page can be found here.

  • Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler (KPMG) operates in 146 countries and boasts a workforce of around 227,000 employees. Their locations include the Bahamas, French Polynesia, Brazil, Japan and Belarus. Their overall revenue for 2021 was around $29.75 billion.

Their job search page can be found here.

  • Ernest & Young operates in 146 countries and boasts a workforce of around 300,000 employees. Their locations include Mexico, Egypt, Singapore, Ukraine and France. Their overall revenue for 2021 was at around $40 billion.

Their job search page can be found here.

Note that most companies have a country-specific website for each country that they operate from. So, if you do not see anything listed from your country in the above sites, try searching for the Big Four company of your choice in Google with your country’s name and “job”. For instance, “PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) jobs South Africa” will have their job listings as the first item on Google.  

Other Major Accountancy Firms with International Offices

While the Big Four might get a lot of attention, they are not the only major accountancy players in the international accounting market. Some others worth noting include:

  • Grant Thornton is a London-based firm that operates in over 135 countries and 51 US states. They provide employment to over 58,000 people globally. Their locations include Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Chile, and Korea. Their overall revenue for 2021 was at around $40 billion.

Their job search page can be found here.

  • Baker Tilly is a US-based firm that operates in over 146 territories from 742 offices. They provide employment to over 36,600 people globally. Their locations include the Dominican Republic, Croatia, Spain, Thailand, and Sierra Leone. Their overall revenue for 2021 was at around $4.04 billion.

Their job inquiry page can be found here.

  • Nexia International is another London-based firm. They are active in over 125 countries and 51 US states. They provide employment to around 34,000 people globally. Their locations include Gabon, Sri Lanka, Greece, Nigeria, the US and Isle of Man. Their overall revenue for 2021 was at around $4.5 billion.

The contact details for each country’s offices can be found here.

  • BDO is another UK-based firm with international reach. They offer their taxation, auditing and assurance, advisory and business outsourcing services in 167 countries, with 91,000 people working out of 1,658 offices worldwide. It has revenues of $10.3 billion. Some locations include the US, Panama, Iceland, the Philippines and Zimbabwe.

Each country’s current job listing can be found on their dedicated website.

There are many, many other similar accountancy firms, as well. You can find them with an online search.

Another approach

This approach is less reliable, but it is worth trying your luck anyway. Many regular US companies and international companies have global offices. For instance, IBM and Intel both have a major presence in Israel, India, the UAE, Singapore and many other locations. Although it is unlikely that they will list a CPA job on their career boards, it might be worth reaching out to them independently anyway with your credentials. The worst they can say is “no.”