Does Smithsonian pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smithsonian employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smithsonian. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smithsonian?

66% of Smithsonian employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithsonian 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithsonian?

Intern (56) , Internship (13) , Explainer (10) , Retail Sales Associate (9) , Sales Associate (9) , Contractor (8) , Postdoctoral Fellow (8) , Research Assistant (8) , Museum Specialist (7) , Program Coordinator (7) , Security Officer (7) , Archivist (6) , Curator (6) , Education Specialist (6) , Program Assistant (6)

What are the pros of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"And you will meet so many great people (tourist) from all over the world." ((in 71 reviews)); "Benefits are great and the option to telework." ((in 34 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 20 reviews)); "Great coworkers and behind the scenes access to museum collections" ((in 18 reviews)); "Amazing opportunities to work on global projects and collaborate with internationally celebrated artists and scholars." ((in 18 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and no promotion oportunity" ((in 28 reviews)); "Lack of leadership and hard to fire" ((in 14 reviews)); "Unpaid internship where I was doing some of the same work that paid employees were doing." ((in 12 reviews)); "Low salary for DC metropolitan area" ((in 11 reviews)); "Long hours and very administrative at times" ((in 10 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Smithsonian locations?

Washington , Chantilly , New York , Suitland , Arlington , Chicago , Front Royal , Annapolis , Edgewater , District Heights , Falls Church , Herndon , Manassas , Sterling , Wisconsin Rapids , Tucson , Ann Arbor , Burlington , Saint Cloud , Shepherdstown , San Diego , Berkeley , Las Vegas , Ruston , Seattle , Catonsville , Columbia , California , Chevy Chase , Fort Washington

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Smithsonian

Smithsonian reviews

4.1

66% would recommend to a friend

(510 total reviews)

Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 510 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

510 reviews

4.0

Jan 8, 2018

Job satisfaction

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Respect for Institution from telling folks you work there even though they think of it only as a museum

Cons

General management disdain for employees

5.0

Jan 1, 2018

Explainer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great staff and leadership, work is distributed evenly amongst employees

Cons

i have no complaints about my time here

4.0

Dec 21, 2017

Great influence, Federal bureaucracy.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunity to see, touch, ad participate in amazing moments. Camaraderie (varies museum to museum and department to department) Institution reputation The name kicks all doors open.

Cons

Debilitating bureaucracy Departments in individual silos Little cross department/museum cooperation.

Viewing 343 - 345 of 510 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Other

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

Fred Hutch Cancer Center

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

DTE Energy

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

UNICEF

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Smithsonian

Advancement Assistant, IS-1001-07

Management Support Specialist

Associate Director, Information Technology

Audiovisual Production Specialist

Education Program Specialist (School and Teacher Programs), IS-1720-09