Pros
Work from home anywhere in the country
Cons
I have worked for ETS for more than a decade as an online rater and scoring leader. When I was first hired, I was so grateful to the company for providing decent wages for a flexible job that can be done from home. Over the years I have encouraged many friends in the education field to apply for various scoring positions. After the recent despicable pay-cut to longstanding raters, I no longer hold any respect for this company and will certainly never recommend them again. Several months ago, ETS hired 100s of new, unsuspecting raters at $15/hour, a significantly lower rate of pay than the other raters were making. SLs were told that we weren’t allowed to discuss compensation with any raters. Then in early January, raters who have been with the company for years at the higher rate of pay were notified in an insulting email that their pay was going to be reduced to $15/hour and they could either accept this pay-cut or quit. I already thought that hiring all of those new raters at lower wages was despicable, but I could never imagine that ETS would sink so low as to cut pay by 20-25% for their longstanding workforce. This is an unconscionable slap in the face to 1000s of people who have committed years of their life to this company. There seems to be a perception in the higher echelons of ETS that most raters are just doing this part-time, but that could not be further from the truth. I know 100s of raters who depend on ETS as their primary source of income, sometimes working for several different programs and working any possible shift so that they can cobble together a livable paycheck. During the times of year when tests are plentiful, I know many raters work 7 days a week, 10 or sometimes even 12 hours a day. They know they have to save up every possible cent so they can survive the lean months when hours are few and far between and shifts get cancelled frequently with almost no notice. This work, sitting in front of a computer grading tests, is mentally demanding and extremely isolating and yet these highly educated raters (BA minimum, often much higher) continue to work for ETS for so many reasons including the flexibility of working from home and setting your own hours. I am saddened beyond belief that their wages have just been REDUCED. How will they survive? My pay as an SL was spared in the recent cuts. ETS knows that if the Scoring Leaders were to quit en masse or go on strike, their whole operation would fall apart. While I am personally grateful that I dodged a bullet for the time being, I certainly wouldn’t put it past ETS to hire a new slew of SLs who will work for less and then dock my pay as well. I am actively seeking other employment because the writing is obviously on the wall that ETS doesn’t care about its employees and will do anything to boost profits.
