$20 an hour, clothing stipend, meals: How a Big Four firm is trying to get teens interested in accounting

cnbc.com:

By her own admission, Autumn Kimborough, 17, didn't have a passion for accounting. But the rising high school senior from Flossmoor, Illinois, heard about a well-paid summer internship at KPMG, which included a $250 clothing stipend, and got excited.

For the first time, the Big Four accounting firm organized a three-week session geared toward high schoolers with the specific goal of encouraging younger adults to consider a career in the field, according toJennifer Flynn, KPMG's community impact lead.

Nearly 200 teenagers are participating in the summer internship program, which pays $20 or $22 an hour plus clothing and transportation stipends, meals and a business etiquette class, among other skill-building tools.

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Students are also paired with mentors who track their progress. «We wanted to make sure our interns are getting a really full experience,» Flynn said.

«I had some preconceived notions that it's sitting at a desk,» Kimborough said, about being a CPA. «Now I've learned that with accounting you can travel and meet people and that drew me in.»

Accounting firms have been facing a significant staffing shortage.

Between the long hours, stressful deadlines and unflattering stereotype, more people are quitting the profession then going into it.

Instead, students straight out of college are choosing to pursue careers in related fields like investment banking, consulting or data analysis. The additional credit hours required to earn a certified public accountant license don't help either.

To tap the next generation of number crunchers, other