City Year: Putting idealism to work while having your own sucked out of you. - Program Manager City Year Employee Review

2.0
Jan 2, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

It's an organization doing great things for people who need it most. You wake up and you go to work and you know that what you are doing is just and noble

Cons

Sadly, as is often the case with work that is just and noble, the rewards beyond that are limited if existent at all. The pay stinks in comparison to other nonprofits. They overload you with work and unreasonable deadlines and before you know it whatever dreams of a personal life work life balance are gone and you are fighting just to stay ahead of the curve and often times failing to do just that. They have very poor communication and rarely recognize a job well done.

Explore other reviews about City Year

5.0
Apr 13, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Well-organized/structured Transportation, healthcare, and AmeriCorps benefits Lots of teambuilding

Cons

Long days Uniforms A lot of professional development

1.0
Feb 3, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

if you put up with a year of lies, burnout, empathy fatigue from working with kids you can’t save, below minimum wage, then you can get a lot of money at the end.

Cons

they use the fact that you care about these kids to get you to put up with any and everything. that 900 something dollar check is basically 10 dollars an hour while you have to be an english and math tutor to multiple students, emotionally support them. mind you majority of these kids are experiencing poverty, several grades behind their reading and math level, extremely syndications home lives. these kids go through more than the average adult and you didn’t sign up to be a therapist. they are vague during the interview about the task and what you’re actually doing for a reason. so many other task and responsibilities. mangement does not care about you at all. they won’t care if you get injured, they won’t try to defend you to outside sources. i won’t ever get over how my school had teachers telling them kids they would never amount to anything, wouldn’t graduate, got called slurs, yet we stayed there, basically had to “turn the other cheek” and “be the lights” in the school….. majority of the people you work with WILL QUIT because who would want to stay in an environment like this. but majority of the people that leave will be black. that’s very telling.

2
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