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Travel › Re: How Many Countries Have You Visited In The World. by tos(m): 12:38pm On Oct 15, 2012

UK (Manchester, London, Ipswich, Leceister, Birmingham), Netherland (Amsterdam, Almere), France (Paris, Caen), Belgium (Brussel), Czech Republic (Prague), South Africa (Jo'burg, Pretoria, Soweto), Swaziland (Mbabane)

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Career › Re: ACCA Or ICAN: Which Is Better? by tos(m): 5:39pm On Jan 10, 2011

haykay2005:
@tos.wots your contribution to oxford brokke degree,it is tru is not reliable both locally and internetionally?pls i want your comment on this

Why do you think so many people are opting for it if it's reliable. OBU is a reputable university in the UK and degrees awarded by it is well recognised by employers in the UK. Employers believe that the award of OBU BSc degree shows that you have acquired the basic skills of a normal accounting graduate.

Also, CPA in the US consider the modules taken before acquiring the OBU degree as part of the 130 credit hours required before you can be allowed to write the CPA exams.

Career › Re: ACCA Or ICAN: Which Is Better? by tos(m): 2:17pm On Jan 10, 2011

scud:
@tos:

You must learn how to use empirical evidences in order to come to a conclusion. My statement of second class was made when compared to local accountancy bodies not that the certification is a second class (please read the spirit of what I am writing). I myself would not have sat down for a second class certification because I strive for the best.

My question are:

1. Which certificate is the most preferred (which commensurate with higher pay in UK)?- please use UK salary checker

2. How many years of working experience would you have had before you can be admitted to ICAEW?

3. How many accountancy bodies in the leading economy has relationship with ACCA ( i am not talking of ANAN equivalent)?

4. Which one is harder between ICAEW & ACCA?

5.If you have the opportunity to write ACCA & ICAEW, which one would you have written?

I asked the question so that you can see the shortcomings of ACCA and people should not just take it hook-line and sinker.

I am writing ACCA because I want to migrate and at least to have an Internationally recognized accounting certificate and of International Financial Reporting. However, I was shocked to know that the leading bodies in Australia, Canada and even South Africa does not just admit you like that (the way ICAN just admit ACCA) without writing exams.

As you said, I am preparing well o as I am already reading for June diet and I have Corporate Finance & Valuation by Bob Ryan (P4) for my P4 (just been sarcastic).

If you can answer my questions favourably, I will swallow my pride and follow you.

@ Scud - My reponse to your earlier post was based on fact and my experience of the UK accountancy job market. Let me respond to the question you asked above:

1. Which certificate is the most preferred (which commensurate with higher pay in UK)?- please use UK salary checker - I still maintain that ACCA is the most preferred certification in the UK. ICAEW, ACCA and CIMA are all CCAB bodies and are recognised for employment purpose in the UK. Though each of these CCAB bodies are relevant depending on industries. ACCA is the most relevant in the UK private sector, while CIMA and ICAEW are most relevant to the manufacturing and the public sector practice (accounting firms), respectively. Though in recent years, leading accounting firms such as KPMG and PwC have been encouraging their new intakes to take the path of ACCA instead of ICAEW.

2. How many years of working experience would you have had before you can be admitted to ICAEW? I dont understand the point you were trying to make here. However, affiliates of ICAEW and ACCA are required to acquire 3 years of relevant work exprience before they can be admitted as full members.

3. How many accountancy bodies in the leading economy has relationship with ACCA ( i am not talking of ANAN equivalent)? I believe I answered this question in my earlier post on this topic. ACCA has bilateral relationships with most major accountancy bodies in the world (about 57 to be precise). These relationships are either at examinations, CPD and professional levels. Like I poited out earlier, most local accountancy bodies will expect ACCAs to understand their local laws and taxations, hence the reason they are required to write and pass these subjects in most countries such as Canada.

4. Which one is harder between ICAEW & ACCA? This question is subjective. People assume a certification is difficult to get because they have attempted it. I therefore cannot give you a definite answer here.

5.If you have the opportunity to write ACCA & ICAEW, which one would you have written? I had the opportunity to write the two exams but opted for the one that was more relevant to my career path. That being said, do you know that most students in the UK prefer to write ACCA instead of ICAEW? I will suggest you visit some Kaplan or BPP and you will realise what i'm saying.

Pls dont get me wrong, I am not saying ICAEW is not a good certification to have but my argument here is based on fact.

Career › Re: ACCA Or ICAN: Which Is Better? by tos(m): 5:15pm On Jan 06, 2011

scud:
I will like to tell you that none is better. Each is just good.

I am an ICAN member and also writing ACCA and I will like to base my conclusion on this premise.

On ACCA- ACCA is a second class certification when compared to ICAEW & ACA in England & Wales, and in International level, ACCA is not recognized for membership by most of the leading economy withou firstly doing exams and these include USA, Canada, Australia etc. The reason is that ACCA is not really a local body but international accounting body.
However, with ACCA you are exposed to new methodologies because of its internationalization which has to do with International Financial Reporting Standards, Business Ethics etc

On ICAN- this is the most revered accounting institute in Africa. However, the problem that ICAN has cannot be isolated from Nigeria. It is based on the fact that if the macro is problematic, the component micros will be. I used 2 years to finish ICAN (and inducted in 2007) and it helped me to quickly get on with my ACCA (I have 2 papers to completion and I never attended ACCA lectures in Nigeria but using my ICAN notebook along)- there was nothing new in ACCA that I did not learn in ICAN-be it derivatives, international & local financial reporting, business valuation, Relational Database Management System. If Nigeria turns good today, there is now way for ACCA oo because all over the world, the most paid are those with locally recognized authority.

However, as of today, I will recommend that you should write ACCA so that you can use back door to join ICAN, but if you don't have money to pursue it, do ICAN- there is no discrimination when looking for qualified accountant in Nigeria

Whether na ACCA or ICAN just ensure that you are sound and can make money

You obviously dont know anything about ACCA. Why would you refer to ACCA as second class certificate in the UK. The most popular accounting certification in the UK is what you called second class? There is no country that will not prefer its own local certification to any foreign one. Even in the US, certifications differ from state to state and ACCA holders are allowed to write the CPA qualification exams.

I agree that knowledge gained when writing ICAN will definately help when writing ACCA but to an extent. They both have different ways of setting questions and most of the subjects in ACCA are scenario based. I honestly think that you need to study very well to pass ACCA. Though the oyinbos are more lenient in the ways they mark papers.

Career › Re: Did U Study The Course U Would Have Loved To Study? by tos(m): 10:16am On Jul 16, 2010

The course I started with was not what I wanted to study. I decided to do because there was no alternative and I didn't want to stay at home. Fortunately, I started at the Polytechnic (a certificate course) with the expectation to change to my dream course (medicine) at the university. When I got the university admission to study medicine, even a blind man was convinced that the course I got into by chance was what I was meant to do. I had to put in for another JAMB exams to study accountancy and the rest is history. I have two academic and two professional qualifications (ACCA and ICAN) already.

At times, we dont know what's best for us until we get out there and see things for ourselves. The professions that are very marketable today may not be that marketable in future. The least facied course today may become the dream course of people tomorrow.

Jobs/Vacancies › Re: KPMG Entry-Level Salary by tos(m): 12:16pm On Jun 22, 2010

korayday:
The salary is less than 110k after tax, if u're friend is already chartered then he mite earn more, plus I don't know if the rumour I heard about the pay reduction is true, if it is then it might have dropped to 80/90k a month

I disagree with you on this. I think you got your information from a wrong source. KPMG did not cut the salaries of staff. All they did was to freeze pay instead of the usual annual salary increase. The salary of entry level staff is about of N2.5million. I believe since they are no longer operating the DCP saving scheme, the whole of staff salary is now taxable. Using an effective tax rate of 25%, the net pay should be about N1.875million. Mind you, the effective tax rate has taken into account the employee pension contribution of 7.5% of basic salary (which is not really much in KPMG's case).

Based on what I have analysed above the monthly take home pay should be about N156K for entry level staff. Chartered accountants earn considerable more than those still studying.

I'll advise the OP to take the opportunity as it is a platform to move to a better place in the future. By the way, I dont understand why most people in Nigeria consider financial incentive as the most important factor when looking for jobs! What about prospects or jobs that provide unlimited opportunities?

4 Likes

Career › Re: Nigerian Degrees And Work Experience Are Disregarded In America. Why? by tos(m): 1:28pm On Jun 01, 2010

ednut1:
This is a lesson 2 nigerians. They wil nt recognise our degree cos its s.hit. Science students doing theory all day no practical/outdated equip. Accounting students still using paper to learn instead of computer. Etc. In my 3yrs in uk i once met a former bank md 4rm 9ja washing plate. If u gt your papers intact b4 going do any proffesional exam accredited 2 us or uk (acca, cima, marketing, security,catering,plumbing) etc b4 going or u go wash plate ,sweep floor tire

I dont agree with the above. I got a job in the UK with my Nigerian degree and I know of so many of my friends that did the same. And what do you mean by accounting students in the UK leaning with computer?

Pls stop misleading people for the sake of making a point.

Career › Re: In A Dilemma, Seriously In Need Of Help. (acca Or Should Go Back To School) by tos(m): 10:36am On Apr 28, 2010

deebsman1:
guess he should do well, he has at least an average cgpa from a science based course. so no word of discouragent accepted here. just words of advice

I personally dont think ACCA is a good option for him if he was unable to graduate from the university. Though the ACCA track is very open to him and if he thinks he can handle it, then he should give it a try. The assumption that he will pass the exams because he has an average CGPA from a science course is invalid because of my personal experience. I thought the exams would be a "walk in the park" because I had my ICAN qualification without having to resit any paper. I had to shelve that mind set when I failed P5 (management accounting was my favourite subject before attempting this paper) and P7 at the same time even though I had access to all the necessary materials because of where I was based. I even attended a day release programme at BPP.

I can categorically tell you that ACCA is not as easy as people are making it. There are things that you can get away with in ICAN or in school exams which you can do in ACCA.

Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 10:12am On Apr 28, 2010

blank:
I can answer this cos i worked in Pwc from May 2008 till September 2009. The advisory consulting arm is to consult mainly for companies that they are not auditing. They can still do consulting services for company that they audit for as long as the companies are not registered on the US stock exchange and they keep to certain rules.

I have my views on this. PwC recruits for mainly their audit practice. So, imagine a pharmacy graduate doing audit. He wont be feeling satisfied. KPMG takes forever to complete their recruitment exercise while PwC concludes everything in about a month plus. Thus, the pharmacy graduate mentioned above (who would have applied to the two companies) would accept the offer from PwC pending when KPMG concludes their recruitment exercise and puts him in consulting. I saw a lot of this with the August batch that were recruited. Its a pity really.

You are spot on, blank. It's going to be difficult to prevent any of the big firms to stop rendering advisory services to their clients especially as they generate most of the income from this area. Though these firms have stopped rendering this service to their audit clients in line with the requirements of Sebarnes Oxley Act. Also, the firms have no obligations not to make money from audit clients in this area as long as the clients are not registered on the US stock exchange.

I have my own theory on why people move from PwC to KPMG. I agree that the long recruitment process of KPMG is a factor, people also move because of salaries. KPMG was known to have a very robust salary package for new entrants and managers. However, this is no longer the case as other firms are now offering very competitive salary packages. Also, there are opportunities for diversification at KPMG as non-accounting graduates can work in practice divisions that suit what they studied in schools. For instance, an engineer can be useful in business advisory and so can an IT graduate and a lawyer in systems audit and business regulatory, respectively.

Career › Re: What Career Track Are You On? by tos(m): 9:50am On Apr 27, 2010

I always believe I am on the general track but with a bit of bias towards personal track. Before I started out some years back, I made up my mind that I was never going to work with any other firm except one of the Big 4 and this I set out to do without any one's assistance (if at all it was available). If there is one thing I hate most, it's office politics as I dont believe in being a servant to any "oga" because you want to climb the career ladder in a record time. I resigned from my first job in Nigeria mainly because I wanted people to see me as the best because of my ability and not because someone is pushing me up the ladder. I detest saying "yes sir" every minute to someone because of their fear that the person is capable of shaping your future/life.

Anytime I take stock of what I have done with my life since I left the university, I always give God the glory for making me a brave person. The fact that I created my own path without the assistance of anybody is always giving me the urge to push on. Though, presently I am still an employee but the desire to succeed on my own and make a name for myself is getting stronger everyday, which is why I stated earlier that I have an inclination towards the personal track. Mind you, I am not suggesting that people should not take the fast track if the opportunity comes their way but it is not everyone that is cut out to do that.

Rgds

1 Like

Career › Re: Tired With Ican Exams! by tos(m): 12:32pm On Dec 23, 2009

Bukittes:
I need to know what other professional exam i can write with my ICAN intermediate. Walahi i don tire for ICAN!!

I think you should look for another tutors to coach you. There are very good ones around - Wyse, Pye and the one at Surulere (I've forgotten the name). Please dont listen to Jarus on his tale about how simple the exams are. The exams can only be made simple by adequate preparation. Try to ask questions in class and partcipate in group discussions with your mates. This will give you the opportunity of identifying areas of the syllabus where you are weak and others will be able to help you out as well.

Please dont give up after passing intermediate. I am not sure which professional body will give any meaningful exemptions for intermediate level.

Also note that passing Costing and Auditing is not a prerequisite for passing FA or Tax (especially) as they are not entirely related.

Career › Re: Taking Up A Scholarship And Quiting Pwc by tos(m): 10:26am On Dec 16, 2009

Focusmind:
My friend got a scholarship through the OPEC FUND FOR INTERNAIONAL DEVELOPMENT(OFID) for a masters degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He currently works with PWC. He is contemplating whether to take up the offer and quit his job or continue with PWC. He is scared about the present rate of unemployment. I have already, adviced him to take the offer that I did same when PTDF offered me scholarship. I had to resign from my work. His program would be starting on 6th January,2010 and he has not made up his mind whether to call it quit with PWC. He is an engineer and have qualified as a chartered accountant with PWC.

It's a tough call especially now that your friend is a qualified accountant. Your friend needs to decide where his passion lies. If he's still very much interested in engineering, i'll suggest he takes up this offer as the opportunity may not come again. As far as i'm concern, passion is what drives one to do what he/she does everyday without moaning or complaining.

For your friend to be a qualified accountant, he must have been working at PwC for a minimum of three years unless he started writing his professional exams before joining the firm. I think three years experience with them should be enough to secure another accounting job if he cannot find an engineering job after his Msc programme. Whichever way it goes, being a chartered accountant is a big catalyst that will come handy in the future.

Career › Re: Pls Advise Me, I Don't Wan't To Make A Mistake That Would Affect My Career. by tos(m): 1:13am On Dec 03, 2009

madambini:
Since you work with a government parastatal, i believe u are entitled to a student leave.
You don't have to resign to go to school, most govt workers do both at the same time.
You should find out first from your parastatal tho!

As much as I wanted to agree with your point about doing both at the same time, I just thought generalising is going to be an issue here. We dont know if the OP is someone that is capable of doing both concurrently.

It will be wise if the OP analysed his priorities before making his decision. If money is the issue, them working and schooling at the same time will be a good bet. However, if you can do without the money (i mean the salary of 30K pm), i'll suggest you focus on the programme and run it on full-time basis.

It will be wise not to be influenced by money at this stage to avoid regretting any negative outcome such as graduating with a class of degree (thirdy or pass) that wont be enough to secure even a 20k job. I've seen this happened before. So be warned!!!

Career › Re: Which Is A Better Choice Of Career- Audit Or Tax by tos(m): 1:02am On Dec 03, 2009

tkb417:
wont touch any
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Cristalz link=topic=344632.msg5033729#msg5033729 date=1259745708:
@TKB
Why wouldn't you? Too risky?
There is no risk in starting out with accounting firm, especially the Big-4, irrespective of the path (tax, audit, financial advisory, business advisory, regulatory service, transaction servive, etc) you choose.

They will always open doors for greater opprtunities.

Career › Re: IBs,Stockbrokerage,Auditing Career Paths - Which Serves Best In The Long Term? by tos(m): 12:48am On Dec 03, 2009

T-Cann:
Hi all,
Av been away from the house for quite a while, story plenty, will come to that l8a.
This ques goes esp to the experienced,humane and truthful-with-d-answer persons in the house (eg TOS)
For an ambitious guy trying to ascend to higher realms later in his career,esp MNCs; will a job offering/audit experience (say some 3yrs and abv) in a medium size audit firm like Dafinone or some name like FH audit you ve probably not heard of, get him to progress on to MNCs or a path of say some IBs like Vetiva, Greenwich(doing research or CF) and some other known stockbrokerage firms, considering the economic weather and its unlikely nature to clear soon,as a consideration yardstick for both senarios.Which path will you advise and pls give concrete reasons.

Thank you in anticipation of your kind and well thought through replies.

NB
the guy is qualified for both senarios-ie for stkbrokerage, nigerian CIS and Auditing, ICAN ACA.

I dont think Dafinone is a bad place to start for an ambitious person, though one of the so called "Big-4" would have provided a stronger platform to do that. If IB is your area of preference, audit, transaction service, or anywhere within the finance service division of a promiment audit firm such Dafinone can give a headstart to working in the IB of any MNC.

From personal expeience, couple of my friends moved to different MNCs after spending 3-5 years with audit firms. Tbh, not all of them worked with the Big-4. Working with a good accounting firm would have given you an opportunity to have experience of working in different sectors including stockbroking and IB, unless the firm is so small that it does not have any MNC as client. Fortunately, the subject of your post is already qualified which is an advantage as far as employers are concerned.

Finally, I am not going to advise your friend to either choose IB or stockbroking as this should not be a decision for an outsider to make for someone. Only you know the area you are passionate about and what gives you satisfaction. No one told me to specialise in management accounting but I made that decision because i considered myself as a true strategist and not an auditor. Though I am not an auditor today but the experience of working in an accounting firm is something I will forever cherish.

I hope I've been able to help.

Travel › Re: Can You Drive With A Nigerian Licence Outside Nigeria? by tos(m): 4:31pm On Nov 26, 2009

busybody20:
You can use your International driving license to drive in Uk. Its only valid for 12 months after initial entry into the uk e.g if you entered uk in Jan 2004, its expires (Dec 2004) even if you got your international license in July 2004.

I used my International Driving License only for one year but got the Full Uk driving license after 3 failed tests though .

Pls note one bad point of using International driving license is that it costs more for Insurance

You dont need any international driving license to drive in the UK provided you have a valid Nigeria DL.

I agree with your point that you can only use it to drive for a year starting from the day you become resident in the UK. You can continue to drive after one year if you have passed both the theory and practical driving tests.

Career › Re: Ican Pls! by tos(m): 12:48pm On Nov 13, 2009

Ardunolarh:
thanks, but do u know anywhere i can take lectures?

You can attend classes at Wyse (located at Maryland), SAFE (located at Surulere) or PYE (located at Yaba). Those are the good ones, though there are other centres in Lagos.

FYI, I did mine at Wyse but some of my friends did theirs at SAFE and PYE.

Career › Re: Which Is A Better Choice Of Career- Audit Or Tax by tos(m): 1:33pm On Oct 30, 2009

t-luv:
If you had the opportunity of choosing to work in the audit or tax department of one of such accounting firms such as KPMG, PWC, Delliote, etc, which would you choose and why.

They are both good. However, if you are someone that is very ambitious, audit is a better option for you. From experience, audit guys have greater chance of moving to other multinational companies compared to the tax guys as only few organisations have tax departments.

Most of my former colleagues from audit division are now working in the oil & gas sector.

Travel › Re: Are Nigerians Abroad Really Better off Than Their Home Based Counterparts? by tos(m): 9:24am On Sep 18, 2009

Busy_body:
Hmmn, my dear you pay more than £11,000k per annum combined on tax+NI on an income of £30,000 abi you Nigerians don find a way round this one again Abeg fill me in sharp sharp

Haba, you wan collect all the salary finish!!! The maximum tax and NI you'll pay on a salary of £30k per annum is £9K.

1 Like

Travel › Re: Uk Marriage Visa- Pls Help. What Are The Info Needed Pls Help by tos(m): 8:56am On Aug 20, 2009

Seun - I posted a reply to honeydrop's post yesterday but surprisingly, cant say what happened to my post. Kindly help to retrieve the post wherever it is and put it in the appropriate place.

Thanks

Travel › Re: Is Tax Clearance Compulsory For Uk Visa? by tos(m): 1:25pm On Aug 19, 2009

joyli:
I think Tax Clearance is Important cos it helped during my own time

The fact that you submitted it does not mean it helped,

, tax clearance is useful particularly for immigrant visa

Travel › Re: Is Tax Clearance Compulsory For Uk Visa? by tos(m): 2:45pm On Aug 18, 2009

myspace:
Hello @all,

Please I wish to know if a tax clearance cert is mandatory when applying for a UK visiting visa.

Thanks

Travel › Re: Uk Marriage Visa- Pls Help. What Are The Info Needed Pls Help by tos(m): 10:22am On Aug 18, 2009

Nweddings:
Eriko2k2 is right. They are not looking for huge bank balances just regular deposits and withdrawals.

When my friend did it she only had £500 in her account and her husband was given the visa staight away. Another friend on the other hand had to appeal and get her MP involved even though her father had a big house in the UK.

They look at regular things and if something looks too good then alarm bells start ringing.

Start comminucating via Email or letters and keep phone bills if you can.

olu0:
oh thanks alot for your response, it was really helpful. yer my marriage is genuine. just that I'm new to this thing and I dont really have anyone around me who knows how the process works. (lol).

unfortunately we do no communicate by post, and we hardly communicate vai email. guess we better start doing that now.

but another thing im not sure about is how many months pay slip and bank statemet do i need to produce is it 3months worth or 6months?

also approx how much do i need to have left in my account after bills cos i heard they require the sponspor to have at least £600 left after rent and bills in a month for them to qualify, is that so.

i would be really greatful someone could help. thanks.

Hi OP - You do not need a significant savings to file for your hubby. The only thing you need to prove is that your marriage is genuine. However, ensure that you have minimum of £110 left over after all your bills and living expenses every month. You may send a statement of your monthly income and expenses to the BHC to prove that your hubby would not have any need to make recourse to public funds when in the UK.

My wife (who was my sponsor) only had 49p in her accounts and had no job when I did my interview. But fortunately I had a good job with a multinational coy and good savings. The BHC was only concerned about my ability to secure a job when I get to the UK and proof that I was not going to rely on public funds to survive. I presented all my academic certificates and my bank statements showing significant amount of savings. Fortunately you as the sponsor have significant savings and so your hubby does not have to show that he has money to bring to the UK as it was in my case.

You also need to show that you guys will co-habitate when he gets to the UK by presenting documents such as tenancy agreements in your name and a letter from your landlord stating that your hubby is allowed to stay in the house since you rented the house in your name only. Also send your letter of employment and 3 months pay-slips to your hubby to take along to the BHC. He should make attempt to start applying for jobs in the UK immediately and proof of this should be printed and presented as well.

Ensure that you send a notorised copy of the bio-date page of your passport to your hubby to take with him to the BHC and all the pages in your passport showing the entry stamps during all your visits to Nigeria. This will show that you guys knew each other very well before marrying and that the marriage is not one of convinience. I will suggest you do a civil marriage at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos as it is the most recognised Registry by the BHC. Also ensure that you take a lot of pictures during the marriage and you can identify all the invitees to the marriage by names. Note that you dont have to invite a lot of people to the Registry. A couple of friends and family members should be enough. I remember that we only invited 6 people (two signed as witnesses) to the Registry in our case.

All the documents you are taking to the BHC should be arranged in a folder and postit papers used to identify them as this will make it convinient for your hubby to present them to the ECO when they are being asked for. The form that you will use for the application is VAF4 for settlement.

Though it's a good thing to attend the interview with your hubby but it's not a requirement (I attended my interview alone). The sample of questions that may be asked at the interview are as follows:

- When did you get married?

- What is your partner's date of birth?

- When/where/how did you meet your partner?

- What does your partner do (what kind of job)?

- Where does your partner work?

- When was the last time your partner visited Nigeria?

- When was the last time you were in the UK?

- Where does your partner live in the UK?

- Mention two landmarks close to where your partner lives?

- Can you describe how to get to Central London from your partner's house?

- How many sibblings does your partner have?

- What are the names of your partner's parents? What do they do?

- Can you identify this person from your wedding pictures (note the ECO will point to anyone)?

- What do you do? What company do you work for?

- How much is your monthly income?

- Why do you want to move to the UK and not the other way round?

The list is inexhaustive. Please note that some of the questions that the ECO will ask are already in the application form that your hubby would have submitted. He should make sure that he does not forget anything. Also if there are things that you guys dont know about each other, this is a good time to start telling yourselves.

If you still have any question, i will be happy to help.

2 Likes

Travel › Re: Uk Marriage Visa- Pls Help. What Are The Info Needed Pls Help by tos(m): 10:21am On Aug 18, 2009

olu0:
oh thanks alot for your response, it was really helpful. yer my marriage is genuine. just that I'm new to this thing and I dont really have anyone around me who knows how the process works. (lol).

unfortunately we do no communicate by post, and we hardly communicate vai email. guess we better start doing that now.

but another thing im not sure about is how many months pay slip and bank statemet do i need to produce is it 3months worth or 6months?

also approx how much do i need to have left in my account after bills cos i heard they require the sponspor to have at least £600 left after rent and bills in a month for them to qualify, is that so.

i would be really greatful someone could help. thanks.

Hi OP - You do not need a significant savings to file for your hubby. The only thing you need to prove is that your marriage is genuine. However, ensure that you have minimum of £110 left over after all your bills and living expenses every month. You may send a statement of your monthly income and expenses to the BHC to prove that your hubby would not have any need to make recourse to public funds when in the UK.

My wife (who was my sponsor) only had 49p in her accounts and had no job when I did my interview. But fortunately I had a good job with a multinational coy and good savings. The BHC was only concerned about my ability to secure a job when I get to the UK and proof that I was not going to rely on public funds to survive. I presented all my academic certificates and my bank statements showing significant amount of savings. Fortunately you as the sponsor have significant savings and so your hubby does not have to show that he has money to bring to the UK as it was in my case.

You also need to show that you guys will co-habitate when he gets to the UK by presenting documents such as tenancy agreements in your name and a letter from your landlord stating that your hubby is allowed to stay in the house since you rented the house in your name only. Also send your letter of employment and 3 months pay-slips to your hubby to take along to the BHC. He should make attempt to start applying for jobs in the UK immediately and proof of this should be printed and presented as well.

Ensure that you send a notorised copy of the bio-date page of your passport to your hubby to take with him to the BHC and all the pages in your passport showing the entry stamps during all your visits to Nigeria. This will show that you guys knew each other very well before marrying and that the marriage is not one of convinience. I will suggest you do a civil marriage at the Ikoyi Registry in Lagos as it is the most recognised Registry by the BHC. Also ensure that you take a lot of pictures during the marriage and you can identify all the invitees to the marriage by names. Note that you dont have to invite a lot of people to the Registry. A couple of friends and family members should be enough. I remember that we only invited 6 people (two signed as witnesses) to the Registry in our case.

All the documents you are taking to the BHC should be arranged in a folder and postit papers used to identify them as this will make it convinient for your hubby to present them to the ECO when they are being asked for. The form that you will use for the application is VAF4 for settlement.

Though it's a good thing to attend the interview with your hubby but it's not a requirement (I attended my interview alone). The sample of questions that may be asked at the interview are as follows:

- When did you get married?

- What is your partner's date of birth?

- When/where/how did you meet your partner?

- What does your partner do (what kind of job)?

- Where does your partner work?

- When was the last time your partner visited Nigeria?

- When was the last time you were in the UK?

- Where does your partner live in the UK?

- Mention two landmarks close to where your partner lives?

- Can you describe how to get to Central London from your partner's house?

- How many sibblings does your partner have?

- What are the names of your partner's parents? What do they do?

- Can you identify this person from your wedding pictures (note the ECO will point to anyone)?

- What do you do? What company do you work for?

- How much is your monthly income?

- Why do you want to move to the UK and not the other way round?

The list is inexhaustive. Please note that some of the questions that the ECO will ask are already in the application form that your hubby would have submitted. He should make sure that he does not forget anything. Also if there are things that you guys dont know about each other, this is a good time to start telling yourselves.

If you still have any question, i will be happy to help.

Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 11:26am On Aug 17, 2009

mcgboye:
so oneONYX, what's d pay like at pwc? (take home & total package)
seems this tax issue is a problem for all multinational coys, they simply dont know how to go round govt. even where i work now, we have a cunny way of reducing tax.

So you really think they dont know how to go about it? Firms that help their clients to avoid/reduce taxes?

They just decided not to do it because of the likely consequences of doing it. Remember they are multinationals and they are indirectly/directly controlled by the head offices which are usually located in some developed countries. They believe in preserving their image and anything that will tarnish that is always avoided like epilepsy. I'm sure you are aware of the Andersen/Enron saga which led to the demise of Arthur Andersen?

KPMG recently cancelled their DCP scheme which was being used as an avenue for reducing PAYE tax of their staff. They realised the LSBIR was onto them and had started challenging the technicality. Staff of KPMG now pay taxes of more than 50% of what they used to pay before.

However, do no think they dont have other loopholes in the tax law that they can use to reduce these taxes. I believe they just dont want to use it.

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Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 11:29am On Aug 14, 2009

mcgboye:
thanks TOS & Emuejev. wish u all the best.
Never mind, God is in control.

meanwhile TOS, seems everyone is leaving pwc for kpmg. i think 3 friends have left pwc in recent months for kpmg, and i colected my letter alonghside another guy that works tehre. what could be happening?

That is the problem with most people as they made decisions abruptly without considering others that have been in the system. There is no doubt that KPMG Professional Services is a good place to work in Nigeria but PWC provides a greater especially when you want to have a feel of the world outside Nigeria. Their global mobility programme is so smooth that staff can move from one office to another anywhere in the world.

Though I agree that staff in both firms work for long hours, PWC still gives staff opportunity to do flexi hours. KPMG proposed this about 4 years ago but it was never successful. The only person that was allowed to do flexi was a foreigner and that was because they agreed in advance before she took the appointment.

KPMG's Tax Division is big and it's well known everywhere in the country but PWC has a bigger Audit Division. The only reason whey people move from PwC to KPMG is pay. KPMG's pay package is far better than PwC's but I cant really say much about what their take-home pay will be now since they cancelled the DCP (deferred compensation). Most Nigeria graduates dont want to know what the working condition is, they are only concerned about what will be in their pockets by month end.

Please note that i'm not discouraging in anyway cos I believe you'll enjoy your time at KPMG. You have also being placed in a position to move to any industry you like in the future. Best of luck once more.

Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 11:00am On Aug 13, 2009

Emuejev:
am an accounting grad actually,

So what is that statement about brushing off all about?

Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 12:14pm On Aug 12, 2009

Emuejev:
Congrats Mcgboye
am just tired of interviews, wish me luck tho,

Congrats mcgboye. I wish you the best.

Emuejev:
Guys i am honestly tired, the Hr people just got back tome, i was told i would have to undergo another interview , this time with their divisional head of audit, meaning i have to brush off on accounting and auditing.

Please has anyone been through this kind of interview,

Please i would appreciate any feedback

Emuejev - You dont need to brush off on accounting and auditing. The divisional head knows you are not an accounting graduate and wont bother to ask you accounting related questions. You only need to be prepared to answer some personal and career questions such as how many sibblings fo you have?, etc.

Career › Re: Pwc Or Deloitte by tos(m): 3:47pm On Aug 10, 2009

Emuejev:
@mcgboye
I dont know should we contact the HR person who usually calls, and you didnt tell me how long it took you from partner's interview to medicals, pls let me know when u can

The no general rule is especially bad, a company should have at least a method for conducting recruitments, anyways its nigeria, what can one do.Thank you.

I will advise you guys to call HR to find out what is going on. Though I dont think there is a problem as KPMG does not a time-table for sending KBAC letters to new entrants. Since KBAC is starting in September, I believe you should get your letters anytime soon.

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