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 is good and they are flexible with hours" ((in 163 reviews)); "Worth ethics is good and people are supporting" ((in 112 reviews)); "Good Workplace and good environment" ((in 59 reviews)); "Work life balance is good" ((in 39 reviews)); "Free training for a CDL." ((in 37 reviews))

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

"Bad management but now its good" ((in 110 reviews)); "Low salary and no retaining of interns" ((in 81 reviews)); "Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefitNot enough hour No benefit" ((in 78 reviews)); "Hours are long and do not let you sleep." ((in 52 reviews)); "Our location experience a very difficult 1 year period of changing managers 3" ((in 24 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

3.0

Mar 28, 2015

Lots of nice people work there

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible work hours. Hours off in mid day

Cons

Not enough runs for everyone

2.0

Mar 24, 2015

Cheapest company ever!!!

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Co-workers are generally very kind.

Cons

They try to get away with as much as they can without paying you. Very little benefits, low pay, no PTO. Just an overall crappy company.

3.0

Jan 8, 2015

Challenging and a rewarding experience all at the same time. It was great while it lasted.

Dispatcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The knowledge of knowing that I helped to ensure students made it to school and back home safely is what I enjoyed about First Student. First Student puts their best foot forward to ensure the safety of students. The pay was very good for a part time job. I worked as a driver first. Then I moved to dispatch which was a full time position with a little less pay. I enjoyed working with my fellow bus drivers and dispatcher. We were like a family. We had our good days and bad days. Most of all we worked together as a team regardless of differences to make sure we met the ultimate goal. The transporting of students safely.

Cons

Some of the challenges that you will encounter are buses breaking down. The mechanics are great, but the buses go through a lot of wear and tear. Also, children getting on the wrong bus. As a driver the worse thing you want to hear come over the radio is that dispatch is looking for a child.

Viewing 3634 - 3636 of 3,730 Reviews

Jobs at First Student