"All about making money, no concern for student's future."
StarStarStarStarStar
Work/Life Balance
Culture & Values
Career Opportunities
Comp & Benefits
Senior Management
Former Employee - Instructor in Lancaster, PA (US)
Former Employee - Instructor in Lancaster, PA (US)
Doesn't Recommend
Negative Outlook
Disapproves of CEO
I worked at Porter & Chester Institute full-time (More than 5 years)
Pros
Working with students to help them achieve their dreams. Management is so disconnected that they never bother to check in on you to make sure you are actually doing your job.
Cons
Since money is their bottom line they do not invest back into the company. Continously cutting back on employee benefits and wages. Not keeping up with computers and lab equipment. Senior management that is out of touch. Working here is like living in the wild west, people are constantly quitting or being let go for no apparent reason.
Advice to Management
Follow through on promises. Make employees and students(your customers) a priority.
Former Employee - Instructor in Rocky Hill, CT (US)
Former Employee - Instructor in Rocky Hill, CT (US)
Doesn't Recommend
Neutral Outlook
Disapproves of CEO
I worked at Porter & Chester Institute (More than 8 years)
Pros
If you care about helping students succeed and can ignore management it is a great place to be.
Cons
Everything else: -Long hours without thanks -Low pay with no reviews -A CEO who doesn't have a clue about education -Management imported from all of the schools that failed -No matching on 401K -Terrible health plan -Training and professional development a low priority -No opportunity for advancement
Advice to Management
Take care of your employees or you will soon be without them. Your instructors can make much more money in their respective trades.
Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Boston, MA (US)
Current Employee - Anonymous Employee in Boston, MA (US)
Doesn't Recommend
Negative Outlook
Disapproves of CEO
I have been working at Porter & Chester Institute full-time
Pros
My job is constantly a struggle between helping the students who are getting screwed by the school and helping the employer that I absolutely loathe. The students are great, and the opportunity for them is great, which makes the job somewhat worthwhile.
Cons
Higher management has no clue what they're doing, and think that being fiscally prudent means cutting any incentive for staff to care at all about their job. These are the same guys that have been pushing for-profit education at those fantastic schools like Salter, ITT Tech, and Corinthian Colleges, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise they invest as little as possible into staff and education. This place is a sinking ship; stay away. I'm just buying time until I'm finished with school to get a job somewhere that cares about its employees.
Seriously, don't walk-- run. No 401k match, no education reimbursement, you can take classes at PCI for free, but they design your schedule so that there is no way you could ever actually attend. You will never see a raise, and the only time reviews come out is before they do a layoff (like the one they did the week before Christmas, a few years back-- to give you a taste of their care about their employees). Basic accounting/finance principals don't apply to management here-- if enrollment is down 15%, they lay off 20% of staff to cover the losses, and frequently realize later on that they cut too many people and beg former staff to come back part-time so they won't have to dole out benefits. Not only this, in departments with only 2 people, they'll cut that in half, not recognizing that in the same process that means the person left has to pick up 70% more work, without even a pat on the back.
The only people management cares about is admissions, and they'll throw money at them if they threaten to leave, because they are the ones that bring in profits. If you do anything else, you may as well be viewed as a parasite by management that's just draining profits. I wouldn't recommend my worst enemy to work here.
Advice to Management
Literally no one wants to stay employed at the school, and most of us haven't left because we don't want to screw over our colleagues. Bring back the 401k match and offer even a cost of living. Coming to PCI has been the worst career move of my life.
Porter & Chester Institute
"The frontline staff, mostly great people that work very hard to make a difference for the students" (in 3 reviews)
"The staff and faculty work hand in hand to really see the students make the best of their education" (in 2 reviews)
"No raises and benefits are horrible" (in 10 reviews)
"Upper management does not value the staff that works on the campus level" (in 3 reviews)
Employee Review
Employee Review
Helpful (4)
"All about making money, no concern for student's future."
I worked at Porter & Chester Institute full-time (More than 5 years)
Pros
Working with students to help them achieve their dreams. Management is so disconnected that they never bother to check in on you to make sure you are actually doing your job.
Cons
Since money is their bottom line they do not invest back into the company. Continously cutting back on employee benefits and wages. Not keeping up with computers and lab equipment. Senior management that is out of touch. Working here is like living in the wild west, people are constantly quitting or being let go for no apparent reason.
Advice to Management
Follow through on promises. Make employees and students(your customers) a priority.
Porter & Chester Institute Response
seconds ago
Edit • DeleteOther Employee Reviews
Other Employee Reviews
Helpful (5)
"Run! Fast! The other direction!"
I worked at Porter & Chester Institute (More than 8 years)
Pros
If you care about helping students succeed and can ignore management it is a great place to be.
Cons
Everything else:
-Long hours without thanks
-Low pay with no reviews
-A CEO who doesn't have a clue about education
-Management imported from all of the schools that failed
-No matching on 401K
-Terrible health plan
-Training and professional development a low priority
-No opportunity for advancement
Advice to Management
Take care of your employees or you will soon be without them. Your instructors can make much more money in their respective trades.
Porter & Chester Institute Response
seconds ago
Edit • DeleteHelpful (5)
"The definition of 'let them eat cake!'"
I have been working at Porter & Chester Institute full-time
Pros
My job is constantly a struggle between helping the students who are getting screwed by the school and helping the employer that I absolutely loathe. The students are great, and the opportunity for them is great, which makes the job somewhat worthwhile.
Cons
Higher management has no clue what they're doing, and think that being fiscally prudent means cutting any incentive for staff to care at all about their job. These are the same guys that have been pushing for-profit education at those fantastic schools like Salter, ITT Tech, and Corinthian Colleges, so it shouldn't be much of a surprise they invest as little as possible into staff and education. This place is a sinking ship; stay away. I'm just buying time until I'm finished with school to get a job somewhere that cares about its employees.
Seriously, don't walk-- run. No 401k match, no education reimbursement, you can take classes at PCI for free, but they design your schedule so that there is no way you could ever actually attend. You will never see a raise, and the only time reviews come out is before they do a layoff (like the one they did the week before Christmas, a few years back-- to give you a taste of their care about their employees). Basic accounting/finance principals don't apply to management here-- if enrollment is down 15%, they lay off 20% of staff to cover the losses, and frequently realize later on that they cut too many people and beg former staff to come back part-time so they won't have to dole out benefits. Not only this, in departments with only 2 people, they'll cut that in half, not recognizing that in the same process that means the person left has to pick up 70% more work, without even a pat on the back.
The only people management cares about is admissions, and they'll throw money at them if they threaten to leave, because they are the ones that bring in profits. If you do anything else, you may as well be viewed as a parasite by management that's just draining profits. I wouldn't recommend my worst enemy to work here.
Advice to Management
Literally no one wants to stay employed at the school, and most of us haven't left because we don't want to screw over our colleagues. Bring back the 401k match and offer even a cost of living. Coming to PCI has been the worst career move of my life.
Porter & Chester Institute Response
seconds ago
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