Pros
There is 'some' flexibility to manage your own workload. There are still some really great people left you might be lucky enough to work with.
Cons
1. Reorganisations are common place, and happen almost every few months now. 2. Pay is laughable, it averages about 30-40% below the market average (The same role in another awarding body like C&G or AQA pays at least £5k more per year!) 3. Teams are being 'outsourced' left right and centre, mad redundant in London then recreated in significantly cheaper areas (Such as South Yorkshire, or Manilla) 4. The people with the loudest voices are often the ones that get the best deals, if you end up in a team where your manager doesn't have a 'voice' then don't expect a decent pay rise/bonus/praise for good work or a job well done 5. 2016 pay rise was 1%. Bonus was 0 because the finance team over estimated our financial targets, not by 5-10% but by a massive 25%! As a result of THEIR incompetence the entire company lost out on a bonus. 6. After the debacle in 2016 over finance targets we were told that this year would be different and the targets were 'Much lower', we still missed them massively...... Yet our CEO was given more than £345,000 (44% of his annual base salary) whilst some in the business got nothing whatsoever even though they may have 'Met' or 'Exceeded' expectations 7. 2017 pay rise was 2% (Below the current rate of inflation at the time) despite being told all that 2017 would see ‘inflation beating pay rises’ 8. If you apply for a new role within the company, you are restricted to a 10% pay rise rule – This means that if you are on £40k per year, and the salary for the new role is £45-£50k, the most you could get would be £44k. However, if the role is offered to someone external, the MINIMUM they would get is £45k 9. If you are in a position of responsibility then you will be expected to work outside of your core hours, this is absolutely expected and your manager will make your life hell if you try to only work your contracted hours 10. If you’re asked to travel for work (Between offices in the UK, overseas etc.) you are expected to travel on your own time, e.g. if you are asked to go to Manchester from London, you will be expected to travel either at 6am (train) and start work when you arrive in the office, or if you are staying overnight you will be expected to work the full day in London then travel out of hours, the same is true when you are returning 11. NOBODY has any confidence in John Fallon, in 5 years as CEO we have had 4 profit warning; our share price has been as high as £15.50 per share but under him it’s barely able to get above £6.20 now 12. The company is not willing to invest in its products, instead it brings in 3rd party companies to build a basic platform and then we have to find a way to make it work, systems like examWizard or ResultsPlus haven’t been funded for years and they’re now planning to shut down ResultPlus Direct (this is the student results access portal) because ‘it’s not that popular’. IT’S NOT POPULAR BECAUSE YOU WON’T INVEST IN IT! I could write a dozen more points to highlight why this is the last place you should work, but what’s the point!? This is a company that lost its way when they decided to sell off the FT/Penguin, a company THAT short-sighted can’t be expected to do very well, I’ll just wait for the private equity firms to come and take us over and close us down for good…..
