What is the hiring process like at Primrose Schools?

An opportunity to connect with co workers.

Primrose review I worked in the Pre k 2 classroom from August’22-May ‘23. My experience and time at primrose was eye opening to say the least. I decided to leave Primrose to pursue teaching elsewhere (I have my bachelors in elementary education) after I had an unfortunate and disappointing experience with management in the spring of 2023. I am severely allergic to many seasonal allergens and during the course of a school day I started having a severe allergic reaction after being outside with the children. Once I realized my body was breaking out in a rash and my face and throat were swelling I made the decision to leave and drive myself to urgent care. When I informed the director Michelle, she didn’t take the time to look up at me and simply informed me that I would need to provide her with a doctors note the next day. I had anaphylaxis and was sent from urgent care to the ER because my condition was so severe. The reaction from my employer felt inappropriate and uncaring. This was simply the nail in the coffin for what had been a bizarre work experience for me. Primrose holds a high standard of premier education for early childhood education. Parents pay for this at a high tuition rate, while unfortunately, staff start out at $16 an hour. (Barely above Missouri minimum wage, just a few short miles down the highway.) I came in to primrose holding a high degree, but still the base wage remains the same across the board. Because experience and education does not seem to matter in the hiring process, Primrose had one of the highest staff turnover rates I have ever seen at a job. The curriculum provided at primrose is solid, however, because experience and education does not seem to be a hiring pre requisite, the implementation of curriculum as well as classroom management is sorely lacking, which seems unfortunate considering what parents are being advertised. Staff are expected to be at work at all times. My experience calling in sick was met with extreme feelings of guilt placed on me by management instead of feeling cared for by my work place. Time off is virtually non existent. Only 3 staff members (including management) can request off on the same day, and requests, even those made months in advance are not always granted, and management will keep you in the dark regarding their decision for days to weeks at a time. Primrose is advertised as a high quality program, but unfortunately many things in the building are far less so. First and foremost being the food served. When I was hired I was told that even the staff clammer for the wonderful food served, unfortunately nothing could be farther from the truth. I’m not sure how the menu is meeting state nutrition requirements. One meal that stands out to me, now a year removed, is the cold pasta (prepared in the morning, served at noon) with cheese sauce (not unlike nacho cheese, in the sense that it is almost certainly processed to death). Children with dietary restrictions (vegetarian etc.) are not accommodated for in an acceptable manner. On chicken nugget day, these children would be served cheese slices. Seconds on anything were rarely available. For the price of tuition I would hope my child was receiving a quality meal, but I’m not sure most parents are aware of the food their children are actually consuming throughout the day at primrose. As briefly mentioned above, the curriculum does serve the children well. The program in pre k is centered on kindergarten readiness and it achieves this goal. However, if your child is not typically developing, or has any sort of need, be prepared to never hear about it. When there is an educational or developmental concern about a child, staff are made to go through the office (management) before communicating this matter with the parent. In almost each instance where there was a concern with a child, management informed the teaching staff that they would handle the situation. Children needing IEP evaluations (for speech, OT, developmental delays, behavior issues etc.) were not served in a manner I, as a certified teacher, found acceptable. The overall feeling I gleaned from that experience was that management did not want to risk upsetting a parent, and potentially losing that tuition. The curriculum provided rich learning experiences that go along with hands on activities. These activities include a variety of materials. Unfortunately, the curriculum budget seems to be quite small. We were frequently unable to complete activities because the required curriculum materials were not provided due to expenses. These materials included such basic items such as markers. There is nothing quite as disappointing to a 4 year old as trying to color a picture with a dried out off brand marker. Again, for the tuition being paid I would expect more of the quality inside the program. As an educator I believe that the child’s best interest should be front and center to everything. That is not the experience I had at primrose. The environment was hostile to staff, some who left, and some who stayed out of loyalty to their students. Overall, as a teacher I cannot recommend working at this primrose location. As a parent, I recommend doing your research, and talking candidly with staff members about what a child’s day truly looks like at primrose.

An opportunity to connect with co workers.

Primrose review I worked in the Pre k 2 classroom from August’22-May ‘23. My experience and time at primrose was eye opening to say the least. I decided to leave Primrose to pursue teaching elsewhere (I have my bachelors in elementary education) after I had an unfortunate and disappointing experience with management in the spring of 2023. I am severely allergic to many seasonal allergens and during the course of a school day I started having a severe allergic reaction after being outside with the children. Once I realized my body was breaking out in a rash and my face and throat were swelling I made the decision to leave and drive myself to urgent care. When I informed the director Michelle, she didn’t take the time to look up at me and simply informed me that I would need to provide her with a doctors note the next day. I had anaphylaxis and was sent from urgent care to the ER because my condition was so severe. The reaction from my employer felt inappropriate and uncaring. This was simply the nail in the coffin for what had been a bizarre work experience for me. Primrose holds a high standard of premier education for early childhood education. Parents pay for this at a high tuition rate, while unfortunately, staff start out at $16 an hour. (Barely above Missouri minimum wage, just a few short miles down the highway.) I came in to primrose holding a high degree, but still the base wage remains the same across the board. Because experience and education does not seem to matter in the hiring process, Primrose had one of the highest staff turnover rates I have ever seen at a job. The curriculum provided at primrose is solid, however, because experience and education does not seem to be a hiring pre requisite, the implementation of curriculum as well as classroom management is sorely lacking, which seems unfortunate considering what parents are being advertised. Staff are expected to be at work at all times. My experience calling in sick was met with extreme feelings of guilt placed on me by management instead of feeling cared for by my work place. Time off is virtually non existent. Only 3 staff members (including management) can request off on the same day, and requests, even those made months in advance are not always granted, and management will keep you in the dark regarding their decision for days to weeks at a time. Primrose is advertised as a high quality program, but unfortunately many things in the building are far less so. First and foremost being the food served. When I was hired I was told that even the staff clammer for the wonderful food served, unfortunately nothing could be farther from the truth. I’m not sure how the menu is meeting state nutrition requirements. One meal that stands out to me, now a year removed, is the cold pasta (prepared in the morning, served at noon) with cheese sauce (not unlike nacho cheese, in the sense that it is almost certainly processed to death). Children with dietary restrictions (vegetarian etc.) are not accommodated for in an acceptable manner. On chicken nugget day, these children would be served cheese slices. Seconds on anything were rarely available. For the price of tuition I would hope my child was receiving a quality meal, but I’m not sure most parents are aware of the food their children are actually consuming throughout the day at primrose. As briefly mentioned above, the curriculum does serve the children well. The program in pre k is centered on kindergarten readiness and it achieves this goal. However, if your child is not typically developing, or has any sort of need, be prepared to never hear about it. When there is an educational or developmental concern about a child, staff are made to go through the office (management) before communicating this matter with the parent. In almost each instance where there was a concern with a child, management informed the teaching staff that they would handle the situation. Children needing IEP evaluations (for speech, OT, developmental delays, behavior issues etc.) were not served in a manner I, as a certified teacher, found acceptable. The overall feeling I gleaned from that experience was that management did not want to risk upsetting a parent, and potentially losing that tuition. The curriculum provided rich learning experiences that go along with hands on activities. These activities include a variety of materials. Unfortunately, the curriculum budget seems to be quite small. We were frequently unable to complete activities because the required curriculum materials were not provided due to expenses. These materials included such basic items such as markers. There is nothing quite as disappointing to a 4 year old as trying to color a picture with a dried out off brand marker. Again, for the tuition being paid I would expect more of the quality inside the program. As an educator I believe that the child’s best interest should be front and center to everything. That is not the experience I had at primrose. The environment was hostile to staff, some who left, and some who stayed out of loyalty to their students. Overall, as a teacher I cannot recommend working at this primrose location. As a parent, I recommend doing your research, and talking candidly with staff members about what a child’s day truly looks like at primrose.

easy to ask PTO good healthcare benefits

This place makes hiring far too easy. You're thrilled to have landed the job immediately, but you have unknowingly set yourself up for failure. You'll receive subpar treatment. This is an all women's workplace, so the drama is unreal. You don't receive enough raises, and the salary is terrible.

Nice people for the most part. Families were kind and generous at Christmas time.

At the time management was hiring bodies more than aptitude which led to frustration among long-time employees. I've heard there is new management so maybe things are better.

Since the new owners took over in September, the school has made many positive changes. Salaries have increased, and they are training teachers more. The assistant director who was disliked by many teachers has been replaced.

New policies and procedures have added more work. A few staff members left which caused some disruptions.

Loved the kids, sometimes we'd get lunch, co-workers were nice

I got about one week of training before I was put in a classroom. I repeatedly asked for support in this classroom and I was told I would get this specific support. It rarely came (if at all). I was constantly sick, the kids were constantly sick, my coworkers were contantly sick. We got shut down by the state because of an RSV outbreak. I would be told to do something by one administrator and then told to do the exact opposite by another one. This happened from the start of me working here right up to the end. We were told that we could be fired for discussing our wages which is illegal in the state of New Hampshire. When I pointed this out they told me it didn't matter because it was a "rule" in the employee handbook. When I finally quit and put them down as a reference they told potential employers that "it got too difficult" for me when I told them multiple times that my commute was the largest issue regarding my employment. This comment cost me multiple job opportunities. Unprofessional, rude, gossipy, innapropriate. Would never work here again.