What are the benefits for an accountant seeking a job outside the major centres? We asked Elizabeth Mercier, CPA, a tax expert at Leblanc, Bourque, Arsenault Inc. (LBA), in Maria, a small town of some 2,500 inhabitants in Baie-des-Chaleurs. Originally from Gaspésie, she worked for eight years in Quebec City, then returned to her home town in 2014.
Rich career path
She was given important responsibilities faster than in Quebec City and quickly found that there were many opportunities for advancement within the firm.
“It’s a winning choice for anyone who wants to develop their career at high speed!”, she says at the outset. The proof is that she has just been appointed tax partner although she is only 30 years old!
A unique client relationship
Elizabeth appreciates the type of relationship she can develop with her clients. “We’re closer, we take the time to understand each other,” she says. She adds that these professional connections built close to hand greatly enhance trust in the relationship.
And just because she practises tax accounting in Gaspésie doesn’t mean she lacks clients. Thanks to fibre optics, her company can serve a client base throughout Quebec. “We work with companies that are flourishing across the province,” says the young tax expert.
Better working conditions…
LBA brings together some thirty professionals with an average age below 40. “You must not think that because you are outside the major centres you are doomed to work in small offices,” says Elizabeth Mercier.
She adds that overall pay conditions are higher than what she was receiving in Quebec City.
“I am far from having sacrificed my working condition – on the contrary I have improved them.” Quebec government statistics show that wages in some outlying areas are rising faster than in the major centres.
Better quality of life
On a personal level, the reduced stress of life in the city, ending time spent in traffic jams and opportunities for outdoor activities are among the great benefits for her. In fact, the geographic distance has a double added value: a region ultra-connected with the rest of the province and breathtaking landscapes!