Does First Student pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, First Student employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at First Student. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at First Student?

69% of First Student employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated First Student 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.5 for culture and values and 3.5 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at First Student?

School Bus Driver (493) , Graduate Student (365) , Software Engineer (195) , Bus Driver (165) , Driver (124) , Student Worker (67) , Data Entry (63) , Software Developer (59) , Internship (51) , Working Student (45) , Intern (43) , PhD Student (33) , Web Developer (30) , Bus Monitor (25) , Mechanical Engineer (25)

What are the pros of working at First Student according to real employee reviews?

"Pay was good and it was consistent" ((in 164 reviews)); "Worth ethics is good and people are supporting" ((in 120 reviews)); "Good Workplace and good environment" ((in 59 reviews)); "They give you great training." ((in 44 reviews)); "Good Work life balance all time" ((in 42 reviews))

What are the cons of working at First Student according to real employee reviews?

"Bad management but now its good" ((in 106 reviews)); "Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefitNot enough hour No benefit" ((in 77 reviews)); "Low salary compared to industry average" ((in 76 reviews)); "Long hours and boring work" ((in 53 reviews)); "Our location experience a very difficult 1 year period of changing managers 3" ((in 25 reviews))

What are employees saying about First Student layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about First Student layoffs and their outlook for job security at First Student in 2026.

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First Student

First Student reviews

3.7

69% would recommend to a friend

(3,730 total reviews)

John Kenning

70% approve of CEO

65% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.9

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.5

Culture & values

3.5

Compensation and benefits

3.5

Career opportunities

3.3

Senior management

First Student has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 3,730 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The First Student employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Transporte y logística industry (3.5 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

4K reviews

2.0

Jun 10, 2015

Shape it up

Monitor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The inbetween shift breaks leave you with enough time to take care of business and appointments.

Cons

Bus are in horrible conditions engine wise , no heat or air or both and the childrens behavior.

2.0

Jun 4, 2015

Mixed Emotions

Driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good hours and wages. Benefits are decent

Cons

Management makes it a difficult place to feel wanted. New rules daily. Favoritism. Pd snow days would be nice because they all are not made up at end of school yr.

4.0

Jun 2, 2015

Low pay, but great workplace!

Driver/trainer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The company demonstrates genuine concern about safety, both on the road and in the workplace. They are great at backing up their employees when a safety concern needs to be addressed. At least at my location, the managers and dispatchers are always ready and willing to help with any concern, whether safety related or not. Also, advancement for motivated and talented individuals is readily available.

Cons

The pay is well below standard for class B drivers, subsequently they lose many of their drivers to other companies such as trash collectors or dock trucks which have a starting pay of up to $20 plus benefits. First Student offers very expensive health care options, which are not clearly presented to employees. I had to go searching for the information. Also, the summers pose a problem as driver's hours, especially drivers who have less than a year with the company, suffer greatly. Charters and routes are given out solely based on seniority. Anyone with less than a year with the company stands a good chance of having their monthly income cut in half or more. Additionally, even for drivers that get work during the summer, most of it is lot work (cleaning buses, etc) which pays $2 less per hour. Not a great motivator.

Viewing 3571 - 3573 of 3,730 Reviews

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