Don't do it. - Corps Member City Year Employee Review

1.0
Sep 4, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The kids are amazing. You get to spend a lot of time with the kids, before school, during school, and after-school. You get to know students, their abilities, and their interests. The intention behind the organization is great: to tutor students to bring them up to grade level (gradually, with consistent support) and to provide enriching extra curricular experiences for them after school.

Cons

The work hours are too long and the constraints are stultifying. Corps member wellness is neglected, inviting problems that the staff are unequipped and unwilling to provide support for. Creativity, enthusiasm, and compassion are stifled, while disciplinarian, authoritarian, and regimented attitudes are imposed. The program is exploitative. You can make more money, work fewer hours, and have a better quality of life working at a minimum wage job. You can contribute more effectively to a classroom or group of students by volunteering regularly on your own time.

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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