YMCA
YMCA Employee Reviews
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Ymca
Assistant Camp Counselor (Former Employee) – Ashburn, VA – October 11, 2017
I was able to fit into the culture at the YMCA well. The managers were nice and very understanding. If a coworker had any problem they were able to take time out of their day to answer questions and concerns.
Good entry level job
Director (Current Employee) – YMCA of the Triangle – January 15, 2019
I’ve worked at the Y for several years (10+) and have seen it through the good and bad. Recently the company has moved towards a more corporate approach and has lost their community feel. As a full time director I work 50+ weeks often. The demands are high considering the pay. For a company that used to pride themselves on caring about their employees it’s become a very thankless job.
There are fun elements. Kids are fun, programs are fun, mentoring staff is great, career advancement is easy considering most people quit from stress & low wages. You’ll get a free membership, earn good amounts of PTO, retirement plan is excellent and as a young professional you’ll learn a ton. It’s a good enough entry level job but they will burn you out & move on.
There are fun elements. Kids are fun, programs are fun, mentoring staff is great, career advancement is easy considering most people quit from stress & low wages. You’ll get a free membership, earn good amounts of PTO, retirement plan is excellent and as a young professional you’ll learn a ton. It’s a good enough entry level job but they will burn you out & move on.
Pros
Free membership, Retirement plan, Time-off, fun elements, good for young, unattached professionals
Cons
No work/life balance, low pay, thankless, some management
Its about who you know
Member Engagement Representative (Former Employee) – San Antonio, TX – January 19, 2019
I love the culture at the Y, and that is why I like working there. Unfortunately, management does have the skills necessary to lead nor to provide the excellent services that our members deserve. Much of this is due to people being in these positions because of hook ups, not qualifications. Its unfortunate because the Y is an amazing organization, and they have very qualified people walking away to other organizations. Despite these potential improvements that could be made, its still a very positive place to work.
Pros
positive environment
Cons
advancement is merely based on who you know
Very fun job with great people.
Program Instructor, Coordinator (Current Employee) – Colebrook, CT – November 8, 2018
A typical day of work is very long. You are on a salary, so you work as long as they need you; however you get free room and board, so it pays off in the end. You do anything from working in the office to going outside and teaching outdoor education. The management was good, I am a member of our leadership team as well during the summers. The hardest part of the job is the time commitment because you get can very burnt out from the number of hours you work. At this job, though, you will meet your best friends and build relationships with people from all over the world. I love working along side my best friends and getting to see them all the time.
Pros
Free meals, free rooming
Cons
Long hours
Not worth it in my area
Aquatics (Former Employee) – Davenport, IA – January 7, 2019
In my area the YMCA is poorly managed .
worked under 5 different aquatic directors
worked under 6 different center directors
watched mission driven employees leave because of lack management and organization
They want quality employees but does not give enough compensation to gain and retain great employees.
Little career advancement
expect your part time position to be your life
unreal exceptions
you pay for all certifications
corporate employees are sexist
.
worked under 5 different aquatic directors
worked under 6 different center directors
watched mission driven employees leave because of lack management and organization
They want quality employees but does not give enough compensation to gain and retain great employees.
Little career advancement
expect your part time position to be your life
unreal exceptions
you pay for all certifications
corporate employees are sexist
.
Pros
you meet great people staff and memebers
Cons
unorganized not family oriented does not follow mission statement
I love my Y
Fitness Specialist (Current Employee) – Austin, TX – December 19, 2018
I love the YMCA for so many reasons. Mostly, because they put family first. They do not turn anyone away. They have incredible programming to help area families. They care deeply about community. The only hard part about working at the YMCA is the impossibility of creating an income that will support living in the Austin area. The pay is ridiculously low, and the full time opportunities require beyond full time hours, making it very difficult to have a career there and maintain a family life.
Pros
work culture
Cons
compensation
very unproffessional
assistant site director (Former Employee) – Austin, TX – October 30, 2018
I loved that the ymca was flexible but they had alot of problems when I was there. They asked you to relocate alot because they didn't hire employees to stay long term. They didn't give any raises no matter how long you were there because it would be more simple just to hire somebody at the rate of 10.00. Management needs help we would do meeting for 3 hours straight just to learn about games! I honestly think they should have taught how to sanitize the sites because some where so filthy and disorganized and new ways to handel child behavior in appropiate way.
Lifeguard
Lifeguard and Fitness Floor Staff (Former Employee) – Stuart, FL – December 30, 2018
Work revolved around providing safety for visitors and maintenance with the facility. I Learned patience, and excellent customer service. Along with seeing potential within myself to grow, and mature. Looking for an opportunity where I can trust and respect my management and follow their word. I did not feel that at the YMCA so I challenged myself with a better career path and became a Personal Trainer.I believe trust and compassion run a successful business. The hardest part of the job was being limited to 29 hours a week. The most enjoyable part was forging lifelong memories and friendships. Now as a Personal Trainer, I look to better myself and others. As well as working for a company/business that can respect my potential and can lead by example.
Pros
Flexible Hours
Cons
Limited schedule (less than 40 hours a week)
Difficult Place to Work
Member Services Representative (Current Employee) – Santee, CA – October 26, 2018
Members are great but there are next to no advancement options. Management is more about advancing friends instead of more qualified candidates. Lucky to work 20 hours a week. No vacation days but still only allowed to ask for 16 days a year off at no pay. No benefits besides a free membership and 20% off programs. Schedule is inconsistent and most times will come out on a Friday for the next week (scheduled work weeks start on Saturdays).
Pros
friendly members
Cons
no benefits, no advancement, minimal hours
Productive and Family-Like ATmosphere
Sr. Counselor (Former Employee) – Gainesville, NY – September 2, 2018
A typical day at work would be taking and leading activities for my campers that are in my cabin. I would help lead camp culture, by encouraging kids to participate in songs and the many activities throughout the day. I learned that although challenges may come your way everyday, but you can impact lives though even the toughest of circumstances. The management that I had at YMCA Camp Weona was amazing. I had a very personal relationship with them. They motivated me and inspired me to go for my dreams. The workplace culture was very much like a family atmosphere. I made some of my best friends this past summer and we helped each other out. The hardest part of the job was the long hours and the feeling that you are not doing enough. The most enjoyable part of the job was having a child come up to you and telling you that you changed your life, and that your influence on them, and helped them through the toughest times in their life.
The Y is a fun place to start working, but no chance of advancement
Customer Service Representative (Former Employee) – Webster, TX – November 24, 2018
I worked nearly full-time (39.5 hours per week) at the Y for 3 years and enjoyed my time there. However, there was almost zero room for advancement, and pay compensation was not good. I always struggled to pay my bills and while I would love to continue to work for the YMCA, it is just not feasible to work from them and afford the cost of living.
Pros
Company culture
Cons
No overtime, poor compensation, no benefits
Excellent organization with and endless opportunity
Health and fitness coordinator (Current Employee) – Syracuse, NY – October 3, 2018
leadership support For self development & career development opportunity for long-term success. Awesome culture with many opportunities for department and organizational group collaboration as well as organized organized funded events for employee engagement.
Pros
Flexible work hours, great benefits
Cons
Management organized on boarding process improvements needed
Solid part time job that provides opportunities to gain experience leading and deescalating children.
SEM Monitor / Office Staff (Current Employee) – Lincoln, NE – January 18, 2019
I started working at this job as an internship opportunity for the completion of my college requirements, as well as for an opportunity to become more familiar with working with elementary age children. Within the particular area which our CLC program is located is a large refugee / immigrant population as well as a low income population so as a staff member you will have to become familiar with working with children who maybe living in adverse circumstances; thus making it more vital to take the time to understand, converse, and lead the child through virtue rather than strict discipline alone.
Pros
Comforting and cooperative work environment.
Cons
Low career advancement opportunities as well as benefits.
Active enviorment with mostly positive members.
Wellness Sales Representative and Coach (Current Employee) – clearwater ymca – October 30, 2018
Mostly nice people to work with. Personal Train & coaching, maintaining clean enviorment for all. I've learned how to sell products & promotions very well & I've learned how to commuinicate well with a wide set of personalities. Management is decent. Culture is based on healthy living for mind body & spirit. The hardest part about the job is communicating with staff. Most enjoyable part is when you know you've helped a member succeed in a goal.
Rewarding
Lead Infant Teacher (Current Employee) – Bellingham, WA – December 26, 2018
I really enjoyed working in the childcare department at the Whatcom Family YMCA. I received thorough training for my position, I was given opportunities to further my education and to move up in the company, and I truly felt like I was making a difference in the children's lives. Like any childcare position, it is physically and emotionally demanding so it is important to take time for yourself to recharge outside of work. The management is some of the best management that I have ever worked for. I felt like I could come to them with anything and they would listen. They work really hard to make sure that their staff are happy and comfortable.
Pros
supportive management, positive work environment, paid education, rewarding
Cons
salary, high staff turnover
Great kids, poor workplace
Kid Zone Attendant (Current Employee) – Goffstown, NH – February 7, 2019
I worked in the Kid Zone at two different locations. I left the first location because they would hire anyone with a pulse. People would constantly call out and the manager refused to come in herself if no one else could. I was left alone many times. They also never cleaned the toys, structures or mats and kids were always coming in sick.
The second location I worked at, was much better at hiring. Should someone call out (which was rare) the shifts would always be picked up and we were very rarely short staffed. However we were the department at the very bottom of the totum pole. We were always out of supplies, extremely underpaid for the job we did (the lowest paid in the whole company), which is a scary thought considering we were required to care for and keep safe children ages 6 weeks through 10 years
The second location I worked at, was much better at hiring. Should someone call out (which was rare) the shifts would always be picked up and we were very rarely short staffed. However we were the department at the very bottom of the totum pole. We were always out of supplies, extremely underpaid for the job we did (the lowest paid in the whole company), which is a scary thought considering we were required to care for and keep safe children ages 6 weeks through 10 years
Pros
Short shifts, kind parents
Cons
Compensation, poor management, unsanitary, poor coworkers
Coworkers and the kids are why I stayed as long as I did
Childwatch Staff (Former Employee) – Hannibal, MO 63401 – January 13, 2019
Overall I really liked my job at the Y in child watch. I loved the kids I got to spend time with and my coworkers. I was blessed to become close with a few kids and parents. Each day was always something new! The hours were flexible especially if you had another job. The free membership was a great offer as well. However, we never received much positive feedback from our bosses. The meetings began to be more negative and less positive and left us feeling like we weren't doing a good job. We were essentially told that we needed to do more work with less people available since minimum wage went up. Our staff had already been cut short and we were stretched thin. The women I worked with did a wonderful job each and every day. For more to be expected out of their already outstanding performance was a surprise.
Pros
Free membership, flexible hours
Cons
No benefits, poor management sometimes, low wages
Exemplary Non-Profit
Before/After Care Site Administrator (Current Employee) – Bedford Hts, OH – December 2, 2018
The work atmosphere and culture is amazingly supportive, it challenges you to do your part as a team member and encourages professional growth. Non-profits are expected to do the most with what has been given and are always endeavoring to raise more to work with. This is true for the YMCA as well. It challenged me to be innovative with what was at hand and creative with what I could get my hands on.
No Advancement and Poor Management
Head Lifeguard (Former Employee) – Olympia, WA – January 16, 2019
As a non-profit, management is very poor as nobody there gets paid enough to do the job. This trickles down to the individual workers and they never see raises. I worked there 5 ears and had 2 pay raises that totaled LESS than $1 and one of them was only because minimum wage went up in the state. Semi-rewarding, easy scheduling but not great work.
Cons
Constant schedule changes week to week
Absolute horrible place to work
Child Care Giver (Floater) (Former Employee) – Auburn, IN – November 21, 2018
This was one of the worst jobs I have ever had. After working there for almost two years, I was continuously told that I would have a job review and a raise, yet never got one.
Everyone of the upper management staff were simply petty. They walked around just "looking" for a reason to call you into the office. The turnover, and the employee moral was terrible.
Everyone of the upper management staff were simply petty. They walked around just "looking" for a reason to call you into the office. The turnover, and the employee moral was terrible.
Pros
I enjoyed working with the children
Cons
Everything else
terrible place to work
Associate Teacher (Former Employee) – Evanston, IL – January 22, 2019
the mcgaw ymca children's center should be a great place to work because of the kids, but the management was and remains clueless as well as totally inept at providing the staff with the resources needed to flourish there
Pros
excellent retirement benefits
Cons
low pay, long hours, uncertain hours for part timers, incompotent management, poor communication between staff & parents
Overall rating
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2.8Family Support
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