THINK Together Employer Reviews

The majority of the people that you work with are cool. A lot of times people seem to be stressing out too much though.

Working at think together is no cake walk but each site is different my site is really great even though sometimes the kids can be a handful but over all I do look forward to going to work. My coworker work together to make each of our jobs easier.

A typical day at work was organizing the floor settings, and assisting customers. I learned new customer service techniques; Managers always gave feedback on my work performance; coworkers worked as a team; the hardest part of the job were sales; the most enjoyable part of the job was floor settings.

I really enjoy my job. The hardest thing is probably not having enough prep time to get ready for the day. After a daily 5-10 min staff meeting to go over things, that leaves only about 5-10 minutes to prepare. However, they start you off at $11 an hour which is nice, and you don't need to make your own lesson plans. If you get a good school, it is – more... pretty organized. – less

I feel like the students at my site were like show dogs, made to go through rigid, nonsensical motions. It's really simple, after-school programming should not mimic "real school," that's incredibly exhausting for students and Think Together expected us to work magic like teachers.

Yet, no student is going to take a program leader's high academic and – more... behavioral expectations seriously when we are unable to seriously voice concern to parents and staff about a student. The only sort of help/feedback you got was how to put them in straight lines or proper ways to circulate around a classroom while not having your back turned. Ridiculous. Also, very very rarely did I ever receive praise.

There were days when I got the class to be quiet and do homework, and to me that was a miracle and I felt proud to show that my site coordinator. Yet she did not care, she already had her favorite and would always just talk about her.

Rarely does homework get done because program leaders are not allowed to tutor one-on-one and occasionally a volunteer will come.

Also, program leaders are supposed to act like teachers who are constantly engaging students with last minute things they do want to do (for ex: snack time used to be 20 minutes where the kids just eat and chat with friends, hear announcements, all of the sudden 2 months in my site coordinator asks me to start implementing competitive games during snack and tracking points between each group all before recreation time).

Doesn't THINK TOGETHER understand it's an after-school program? AKA - Not school. Making them do math or vocab activities for 45 minutes is unrealistic. Why not just focus on allowing the students to finish their homework, play, and rest a little until their parents come to pick them up?

There's this fake "savior" mentality and ineffective, unprofessional, and unhelpful staff and rules. God this place was awful. My site coordinator insulted me and I feel was manipulative. For example, it would be nice if the site coordinator disclosed who was special needs. I don't have a PH.D in Psychology, so what appears to be bad behavior/inattentiveness is really ADHD - would be helpful to know! – less

When I get to work I sign all the children into the program (around 25 children) Then usually we do an opening (play some type of game with the other students) after that we pick up and then walk to class in a single file line . The children work on there homework , have time to play outside and also receive some sort of activity to do for the day. – more... The hardest part would be sometimes when the children have bad days and you just have to try your best to keep them in order the best that you can without getting frustrated. Time management takes a big part of the day because usually every hour or so they are assigned to do something different. The most enjoyable part of the day is working with the children and everyday coming up with a different story about them. – less

It was very fun to work with students after school and help them to do homework. I help them to do homework first and then do physical activities. After finishing do home work and the fun paying outside they were able to used the computer to read or do math. It very challenge to work with kids but at the same time vey fun because every day they thought – more... me something. – less

I can not say it enough...terrible place to work for. Under paid over worked and no appreciation what so ever. I've worked for after school programs for over 12 years and this is by far the most immoral unjustified place I've worked for. Biased HR, retaliation if one speaks up....let's just say there is a reason why there is such a HIGH turn over rate!!! – more... The kids at my site and other sites all created and signed a petition for the previous program to come back. Very unprofessional management. – less

I learned how to work in a fast paced environment where I had to apply a lot of common sense and learn how to except constructive critic. I wore many different hats in order to successfully complete any task. The most enjoyable part is interacting with the kids and planning lessons around their academic needs.

The pay ($11) is great but everything is incredibly unstructured. I worked as a program leader for the summer program (not the regular after school program) which is a bit more challenging. For the summer program, you have a class of 25 children but you are with them for 6 hours Mon-Thurs from 8am to 2pm. If you have never worked with children and have – more... not had experiencing teaching then I would not recommended this job. It is a bit overwhelming especially when the kids do not want to behave or do their work (which happens A LOT), and they are easily distracted.

Many of the children I worked with (1st graders going on to 2nd grade) did not know how to read or write so it was nearly impossible trying to get them to do their course work as I couldn't individually help each child. The parents, particularly for this summer program, treat this as a "drop off" day care for their children and are not invested in their children's education as it shows by their inability to read and write.

If you're looking for structure, this is not the job for you. Your supervisor gives you crates of worksheets for your students and it's all up to you how you want to teach. They do not provide materials for projects (they have a very limited supply in the office) so you have to request your materials a week in advance before each lesson you teach otherwise you will not be able to do the projects that are required.

This organization has good intentions but they need to perfect how to run their program more effectively and have more structure. As far as the supervisors go, they seem visibly frustrated (at times) and don't provide sufficient support when it comes to finding ways to manage your class beyond the "tips and tricks" that they train you on. Most of these tips don't work especially if you have a class that misbehaves. Some of these children are amazing and follow rules and are willing to help but others just want nothing to do with this program and learning. So overall, it's 50/50. You might get a great classroom, students, supervisors, etc. OR a class that does not want to learn nor care to. – less

This was a part-time job. It was an after school program and typically we provided homework assistance to the kids in the program. Everyday is a learning experience for me especially with 20 kids in my class. These kids were amazing. Patience is tested and at the same time respect is built as I dealt with them. My supervisor was cool. She was very supportive.

Create a safe environment for children to attend an after school program utilizing the core agreements: Be safe, be respectful, be responsible, and have fun. I've learned to be a good role model for these children to grow up and be proactive individuals in their school and personal life.

I started volunteering in Think Together during the summer of 2010. While participating in Think Together, I went to three beach clean ups, recycled, made blankets for sick children, and made treats for dogs in animal shelters. All my service I did in Think Together made me feel proud of myself. Just by picking up trash in the beach I know that I helped – more... the environment, and probably saved a fish or a bird’s life. Making our own custom blankets covered with our ideas for sick children made the children happy to see different kinds of drawings everywhere. Also, the dogs in the animal shelter had to love the treats we made for them. Just by participating in Think Together, I know I made a difference to the environment and to people. – less

Help students with homework , teach about healthy living character education, math, physical activity all co workers get along fun and challenging days with the students

A typical day includes working with about 25 students, guiding and monitoring them during snack, assisting with learning skills and homework, directing them to leadership of activities themselves, and helping them learn social/peer skills that will last a lifetime. I have learned to step back and watch, assess how the students are behaving and to teach – more... students to work through interactive challenges with each other rather than solving all the problems myself. My co-workers are valuable individuals with unique talents and abilities which blend with mine to form a great leadership team for our students. The hardest part of the job is that we have many days off, and I truly enjoy working with the students; I would like to be able to work with them more. The most enjoyable part of the job is when I see students' smiles and realize they are learning skills that I taught them or enabled them to develop. – less

A typical day consisted of an opening at the very beginning which consisted of a quick, fun activity, attendance, and a review of the 4 basic rules. We then would give the children their snack. From there we would transition to a bathroom break and then a curricular activity. We would then transition to a second bathroom break and make our way to the – more... bathroom. From there we would have an hour of homework after reviewing the rules once again. After homework we would transition to a bathroom break and proceed to the subject of the day (Math, science, etc.) After an hour of the subject of the day we would have one final bathroom break and proceed to closing which consisted of a fun activity for the children before their parents came to pick them up. – less

Company lacked vision and thus was not effective. Nonprofit company that ran like a corporation.

Tutor students various ages with a curriculum that Think Together helps with.

Loved working with children. great experience if you are going to be a teacher or work with kids.
negatives- the pay rarely gives pay raises

-Typical day is a total of four hours. Multitasking of maintaining line of sight of students and managing numerous agreements, company policies, and provide enrichment to the students.
-I have learned a great deal about people, education, management, and multitasking.
-The co-workers were good to get along with, teamwork was the philosophy of managing – more... the students.
-Hardest part of the job was the amount of multitasking within each forty five minute enrichment activities.
-The most enjoyable part of the job was getting to know the students. – less