Achievement First reviews

3.1

35% would recommend to a friend

(999 total reviews)
avatar

Fatimah Barker

39% approve of CEO

21% positive business outlook

Achievement First has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 999 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Achievement First employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

999 reviews
1.0
Jun 13, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good pay and the kids

Cons

This has been the worst job of my life. Leadership is 100% incompetent and are only satisfied with their version of perfection. Two quotes from coworkers that accurately sum up my experience at this school are, "If you're not perfect you suck," and "We need to move away from being a school that relies on compliance." Stuff like this causes student investment and teacher investment to be terrible. It is common at this school that if you're not perfect, you will be removed from the classroom and replaced by a leadership team member, instead of being taught the correct way to teach. Also, the curriculum is set up in a way that allows no creativity in how the content is delivered. If you dont follow the pre-written questions, then the entire lesson will be sidetracked. Next, the discipline system is not even close to being age appropriate. Students are expected to sit in perfect posture with their hands folded all day, which is especially problematic when their only time to expend energy is routinely taken away from them. Overall, this school has a long way to go in providing a consistently high quality education for students that need it the most. Also, work-life balance doesnt exist. P.S. all the ridiculousness that I just listed only scratches the surface of what is commonplace at this place. It truly sucks to have worked here and I feel bad that the kids have to deal with this on a daily basis.

2.0
Jun 4, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Getting to work with diverse children Good for someone straight out of college or a substitute teacher looking for full time stability.

Cons

No work life balance You are told you are in training to become a teacher, but all you really are is a full-time sub There will be days you are mandated to work for 12 hours, but only paid for 9 hours. Very little support from leadership Everyone is fairly young so it will feel like you are in a high school when it comes to adult culture. Not much support or understanding of your role. Little support from leadership, you are constantly treated like a child. A lot of the practices that are used are to control the kids, which made me uncomfortable for black and brown children

4.0
May 19, 2019

Academically driven, will grow as a teacher!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Achievement First prides itself in preparing scholars for college at an early age. Their lessons are academically rigorous and teachers continue to hold a high bar. All teachers I work with share a common mission, which is to provide each and every scholar with the skills needed to succeed in college as compared to their peers in more affluent districts. I highly recommend this place for employment if you are a new teacher because staff works to develop and help you grow.

Cons

This work is hard. The hours are very long and you will most likely bring the work home with you. It's essential to have a strong work life balance in order for this job to be sustainable.

Viewing 634 - 636 of 999 Reviews

Glassdoor has 1,021 Achievement First reviews submitted anonymously by Achievement First employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Achievement First is right for you.