Challenger School reviews

3.1

47% would recommend to a friend

(283 total reviews)

Hugh Gourgeon

39% approve of CEO

36% positive business outlook

Challenger School has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 283 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Challenger School 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

283 reviews
3.0
Jun 15, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I applied to this job because of the school's mission statement and philosophy, as well as the advanced curriculum. All are huge pluses. The teachers really care about the students, self responsibility is a big thing. The students *love* this school.

Cons

Pay is on the low side, benefits are not that great. The administration is truly terrible. None of them are on the same page, neither with each other nor the company handbook!! Besides that, they treat the teachers as if they are second class citizens, yelling at us in front of students, teachers, and parents. They also listen to random rumors going around, rather than either ignoring them or doing their own research into the matter.

3.0
Apr 24, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Challenger has some great students. They are smart and for the most part dedicated. Class sizes can vary, but at the smaller campuses they are terrific, with classes often below 20 students. Larger campuses have more students per class but are able to be choosier about students, so the quality of students and thus the classroom environment is higher. Compensation is good for a non-union school, though unionized public school teachers make a lot more after a few years. They have a philosophy that strongly supports individual effort and achievement, not a "feel good" focus on self-esteem through a lack of meaningful feedback.

Cons

Do not expect loyalty from management. Their philosophy is that the curriculum teaches itself and they can always replace a teacher. Management has a fearful attitude towards technology - teachers do not have company email or internet access while on campus. There is no option for video or a computer projector in class, and even when teachers are willing to provide their own they are forbidden from doing so. Benefits are limited and expensive. Fear of liability often leads to a great deal of control being placed upon students, which undermines the philosophy of individualism. The focus on curriculum time does not account for students' need to break focus or to just get outside and blow off steam. As a result, students will drop their focus when they need to, which is often in class. This seems to result in students not developing self-control and instead relying on control to be imposed upon them.

1.0
Jul 30, 2023

High Stress, Low Pay

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

*The students were the sweetest, most intelligent, and incredibly hardworking children you can imagine *Many of the parents are kind, appreciative, and supportive *Coworkers understand the immense pressure and stress you are under, and will go out of their way to be open, kind, and helpful because they know the administration will NOT improve working conditions

Cons

*Do not EVER expect to take time off, even if you have the PTO. There is no syb system, so even if your family member is on their death bed, that's your problem. *The administration will constantly spy, belittle, and undermine teachers *During the pandemic, as classes were held online - various admin would come into your virtual classrooms as invisible to you but the student would see them. The students then would become alarmed there were strangers in the class, but lo and behold it was the administration spying on teachers, *Teachers are never treated with any respect. When you listen you to your Program Director, you may inadvertently upset your Headmaster. This won't be chalked up to miscommunication at the upper level, but your fault for not being able to read both of their minds. *Teachers are expected to do many outside classroom duties. For example, you are supposed to chauffeur children into their cars after school. However, it doesn't matter if it 103 or 33 degrees outside, *Teachers are also constantly "corrected" in front of their students during lessons. * HUGE teacher turnover. Most teachers who stay long are here because of their children and sacrifice their mental health for the tuition discount. *Grossly low salary. Benefits are an absolute joke. There is no such thing as a PPO healthcare plan here. *Lastly, the school is extremely hypocritical. They espouse valuing individualism and those who make their own choices for themselves. If you even try to do something outside of what the school as dictated (including wearing ankle length trousers) you will be berated for it.

Viewing 22 - 24 of 283 Reviews

Glassdoor has 294 Challenger School reviews submitted anonymously by Challenger School employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Challenger School is right for you.