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 3% 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 (125) , 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 168 reviews)); "Not a bad place to work the people are great and hours are good for moms." ((in 115 reviews)); "Good Workplace and good environment" ((in 52 reviews)); "CDL Training for later use in life" ((in 44 reviews)); "Good Work life balance all time" ((in 39 reviews))

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

"Bad management but now its good" ((in 106 reviews)); "Low salary not a permanent job" ((in 79 reviews)); "Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefit Not enough hour No benefitNot enough hour No benefit" ((in 79 reviews)); "Long hours and boring work" ((in 58 reviews)); "Very difficult company to work for umess you have a good manager." ((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

(3,733 total reviews)

John Kenning

71% approve of CEO

65% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

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 3,733 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

1.0

Jul 21, 2017

Great job, bad company

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Paid weekly, nice co-workers (for the most part), co-workers care a lot.

Cons

Horrible management (We don't do it unless it's safe....or it costs any money - we don't do it then, either), unsustainable business model (they lowball to get contracts with schools and when it's time to renew, they give a realistic cost and lose the contract), benefits are horrible and expensive for workers, high turnover, fairly unprofessional attitudes, cheap, cheap, cheap.

3.0

May 26, 2017

A meaningful and challenging job

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A meaningful job transporting children to and from school. You get to know the kids a little which makes it interesting.

Cons

Can be stressful when driving conditions are not good, or when the kids are too loud.

5.0

May 21, 2017

Berlin terminal

School bus driver

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

This is a great job with a lot of flexibility for people who have kids or for someone who just doesn't need/want a full time job. The office staff in Berlin is fabulous. I have NEVER had an issue with my paycheck. The hourly wage isn't bad and this might be the only bus company that puts your safety before deadlines. Most bus companies want you to rush around if you are running behind. That puts you, the kids on your bus, and all drivers or pedestrians at risk. First Student understands that sometimes things do not go exactly as planned, and you can get held up at schools which will then make you late for all the others. It's nice to not have to stress and worry about being disciplined for things that are completely out of your control.

Cons

It's HOT in the summer. Unbearable really. Those busses hold heat like an oven. Not the companies fault though but schools should make air conditioning mandatory and then bus companies would have to buy air conditioned busses.

Viewing 205 - 207 of 3,733 Reviews

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