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 67 reviews)); "Smithsonian has pretty good benefits" ((in 34 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 21 reviews)); "Coworkers are friendly and well" ((in 17 reviews)); "Working NMAH was a great opportunity to contribute to a public facing organization and learn new skills." ((in 17 reviews))

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

"Low pay and no promotion oportunity" ((in 26 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

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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 category

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture & values

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Senior management

3.4

Career opportunities

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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

510 reviews

5.0

Feb 20, 2017

James E. Webb Intern

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great enrichment experience, wonderful peers, and a fun working environment.

Cons

I was working in National Museum of American history, so all your work tends to be a smaller part of the whole.

1.0

Feb 18, 2017

Not worth your energy!!!

Retail associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Co workers and metro transportation paid monthly.

Cons

No appropriate raise according to your hard work. For example (literally) would be getting a raise of 15 cents or less. No family life balance. No respect. Favoritism. Discriminatory with regard to race, maternity and age. Late night shifts. Working company events and staying late shifts until 10pm and getting home at 11pm or later and scheduled and early shift the following day.

5.0

Jan 25, 2017

Education Specialist

Education specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Access to wide range of cultural objects. The Smithsonian has a constant audience which is ideal for an Education Specialist.

Cons

The Smithsonian can struggle between being an museum for the nation and being a local museum for Washington DC, often the local audience is overlooked.

Viewing 373 - 375 of 510 Reviews

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Jobs at Smithsonian

Audiovisual Production Specialist

Exhibits Specialist (IS-1010-11)

Gift Officer (Supervisory), IS-1001-13

Management Support Specialist

Gift Officer, IS-1001-13