To become a government auditor, you must first complete a number of steps. To begin, you must enroll in an accredited college or university accounting, business management, or financial recordkeeping program. Some colleges and universities have programs specifically designed to prepare you for a career as a government auditor. These programs can be associate’s, bachelor’s, or master’s degree programs, and they focus on government financial investigation procedures in great detail. Though some government agencies do offer entry level auditor positions, you will often need to have a certain number of hours logged working as an accountant or internal auditor for a private firm.
You can work for the federal, state, or local government as a government auditor. You’ll be in charge of gathering and analyzing financial records for the government agency for which you work, as well as records from private companies, charities, and other entities as needed. This necessitates a thorough understanding of accounting procedures, tax laws, research, financial analysis, and, in some cases, more specialized areas.
The amount of education you require is determined by the level of government for which you wish to work. In general, if you want to work for the federal government as a government auditor, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree, though a master’s degree and certification as an accountant will help you stand out. A bachelor’s degree may be required to work as a government auditor for a state government, but experience as a bookkeeper combined with a certification or an associate’s degree in finance may be sufficient in some cases.
A community college associate’s degree or certification is frequently the only education required by a local municipality. With a local government, you can usually work your way up to a position as a government auditor through promotion. You begin by working for that local government agency’s clerk’s office or as a record keeper in some other capacity.
To work as a government auditor, you’ll need experience, especially if you want to work for a federal agency like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). For example, the IRS requires prospective employees to have at least 30 hours of accounting coursework or equivalent experience in addition to a bachelor’s degree in a related financial field. You might want to apply for an internship with the government agency where you want to work before graduation. This will give you valuable experience and allow you to build a track record with the agency for the type of work you want to do.