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The differences between audit interns and general accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a general accountant has an average salary of $55,043, which is higher than the $48,313 average annual salary of an audit internship.
The top three skills for an audit internship include audit procedures, risk assessments and CPA. The most important skills for a general accountant are financial data, reconciliations, and cash handling.
| Audit Internship | General Accountant | |
| Yearly salary | $48,313 | $55,043 |
| Hourly rate | $23.23 | $26.46 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 59,053 | 87,663 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
An audit intern is responsible for assisting the finance department in processing financial reports, analyzing account statements, releasing invoices, and conducting tax audits. Audit interns shadow tenured staff on the operation procedures to familiarize themselves with work processes. They are also tasked to do administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a direct supervisor, such as writing reports, ensuring the accuracy of financial statements, responding to clients' inquiries and concerns, and escalating high-level complaints to the supervisor for immediate resolution.
A general accountant is responsible for evaluating account statements, conducting data analysis with financial transactions, and generating reports on revenues, expenses, and sales forecasting. These accountants manage discrepancies on the company and clients' profiles, including bank reconciliations and processing of account receivables and payables. They also handle the release of invoices and petty cash, analyzing balance sheets, and updating accurate financial information on the database. A general accountant must have excellent analytical skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines.
Audit interns and general accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Audit Internship | General Accountant | |
| Average salary | $48,313 | $55,043 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $71,000 | Between $40,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | RSM US | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Automotive |
There are a few differences between an audit internship and a general accountant in terms of educational background:
| Audit Internship | General Accountant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Accounting |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between audit interns' and general accountants' demographics:
| Audit Internship | General Accountant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.9% Female, 48.1% | Male, 43.1% Female, 56.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 17.9% White, 60.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 13.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |