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The differences between accounting interns and accounting consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounting internship, becoming an accounting consultant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accounting consultant has an average salary of $62,830, which is higher than the $30,642 average annual salary of an accounting internship.
The top three skills for an accounting internship include reconciliations, data entry and payroll. The most important skills for an accounting consultant are CPA, GAAP, and reconciliations.
| Accounting Internship | Accounting Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,642 | $62,830 |
| Hourly rate | $14.73 | $30.21 |
| Growth rate | -5% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 80,299 | 74,894 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 51 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An accounting internship is a trainee who reports to an organization's accountant in order to learn about the accounting field, complete financial projects and files taxes, and financial reports. An intern should be a graduate of a Bachelor's or Master's in Accounting and should have an aptitude for mathematics and proficiency with computers. In order to prepare financial reports, an intern should possess knowledge with bookkeeping software. An intern must also know how to handle sensitive information with honesty and integrity.
An Accounting Consultant is a person tasked to assist the accounting department of a company. The consultant advises businesses concerning the accounting system used by the organization. It is also through the accounting consultant's help that improvements in the accounting process are proposed, the determination of problematic areas in the workflow, possible issues in the future, and everything that needs upgrading. The accounting consultant also helps businesses conform to legal policies set about by State and Federal legislation.
Accounting interns and accounting consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Internship | Accounting Consultant | |
| Average salary | $30,642 | $62,830 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $45,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | BWX Technologies | Jordan Company |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an accounting internship and an accounting consultant in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Internship | Accounting Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounting interns' and accounting consultants' demographics:
| Accounting Internship | Accounting Consultant | |
| Average age | 51 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7% | Male, 49.3% Female, 50.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.4% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |