Does Sotheby's pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Sotheby's employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sotheby's. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sotheby's?

21% of Sotheby's employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sotheby's 2.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.3 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Sotheby's?

Intern (53) , Administrator (23) , Specialist (23) , Floater (18) , Exhibition Assistant (15) , Associate (13) , Internship (13) , Cataloger (11) , Coordinator (10) , Marketing (9) , cataloguer (9) , Manager (8) , Administrative Assistant (7) , Project Manager (7) , Art Handler (6)

What are the pros of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and working with art is amazing" ((in 55 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and you get to work with wonderful clients and artworks" ((in 54 reviews)); "Great team and intern class" ((in 19 reviews)); "Great opportunity to get to know the auction and private sale art market at a prestigious art auction house!" ((in 17 reviews)); "Great working environment in the office" ((in 13 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"pay is low and not appreciated" ((in 70 reviews)); "low salary and not much prospect" ((in 48 reviews)); "Long hours and weekends sometimes" ((in 16 reviews)); "Not very good compensation and no work/life balance" ((in 14 reviews)); "Nepotism is rampant at this company." ((in 13 reviews))

What are employees saying about Sotheby's layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Sotheby's layoffs and their outlook for job security at Sotheby's in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Sotheby's locations?

New York , Los Angeles , Miami , Charleston , Midtown New York , Margate City , Chicago , College Point , Port Chester , Lafayette , Sonoma , Aspen , Seattle , Atlanta , Upper East Side

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Sotheby's

Sotheby's reviews

2.5

21% would recommend to a friend

(651 total reviews)

Charles F. Stewart

12% approve of CEO

22% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

2.6

Work/Life balance

2.6

Career opportunities

2.3

Culture & values

2.2

Diversity & inclusion

2.1

Compensation and benefits

2.0

Senior management

Sotheby's has an employee rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, based on 651 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Sotheby's employee rating is 29% below average for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

651 reviews

3.0

May 22, 2021

Review

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Exposure to artworks, great team of specialists

Cons

Work life balance, company culture

4.0

May 15, 2021

Fun job and nice people but huge workload and low pay

Administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic art, nice enthusiastic people and a lot of fun

Cons

Very low pay and huge workload

4.0

May 2, 2021

Exhibition Assistant

Exhibition assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice food and beverages provided

Cons

Tiring, long hours of standing

Viewing 580 - 582 of 651 Reviews

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Jobs at Sotheby's