Appealing company but doesn't care about their employees - Kinderpfleger Infanterix Employee Review

1.0
13 Oct 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice working places (a lot of them are brand new) Helps foreigners get a job easily when never worked in Germany Easily accessible if you don't speak German but French or English only Lots of facilities, so you can potentially choose between a few options when you are hired

Cons

Some facilities lack of space dedicated to the children (like all the rooms being exclusively classrooms, no space for other type of activities inside). Some of the staff rooms are very small for a big amount of staff and also serve as working rooms (computer room), so no real relaxing room if someone is trying to work there at the same time. Lots of "administrative" tasks with a report per week, a weekly plan, ordering materials, and more. All of which having to be sent via email. Takes a lot of time that the staff just doesn't have. Lack of staff is a MAJOR issue. They hire you promising 3 employees per group PLUS floaters when needed, well reality is hardly 2 per group, floaters almost never come (and for having met some, they have a horrible job...), this meaning that any vacation, sick leave or whatever brings your group to extreme understaffing. You end up running for everything you want to do, having very hard times when new kids come because you are simply not enough staff to take care of all when one of the person has to focus exclusively on one child (when it's not the both of you in that case and then, what do you do of the other 10 in the room?). Pay is lower than most other places in Munich. They did not give us the full amount of the München Zulage for years, came in full for the first time this September 2021 ... (what did they do of the rest of the money that was given to them by the city and not distributed to us??) Communication is very difficult and slow with the main office. They refuse to give you your personal documents like your Anerkennung (certificate recognition), B1 certification (they send you a PDF but never give you the original...) etc. they answer always half of your emails, avoiding the more complex questions. No transparency about their wages: a lot of German staff is recieving higher pay than the foreigners. Some people with exactly the same level of studies, same recognition, same job, same working times are payed differently. Some people get more vacation days than other (not necessarily following a "getting more with years" type of policy, just at random); nobody knows how the wages are calculated as nobody has access to their "tabelle". No care for their staff whatsoever. Most of us are exhausted because of the constant understaffing. A lot of people are on the verge of burn out. Complaints are not taken seriously and no changes ever happen however much you may ask for it. Bilingualism is very often just NOT there, with only English speaking staff or French speaking staff as they struggle so much to find Germans willing to work for them (make of it what you want!).

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3.0
25 Jul 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working in a Good environment

Cons

Money, Organization, a big company that you get a bit lost

1.0
4 Dec 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The parents and the children

Cons

Salary is bad. Benefits are inconsistent amongst staff. Some staff have their train tickets paid for and if you stay quiet and don’t cause a fuss then they will let you believe that your travel cost is only covered based on the cost of fuel/kilometres you live from your facility. You constantly have to check your salary as they often “calculate” it wrong. The conditions are so bad that the staff turnover is through the roof which then means that those who do stay are constantly overworked and burnt out. There is no Christmas bonus just government funded bonuses (eg. Corona bonus, Inflations bonus) which are then given as a “Christmas bonus” despite the fact that these are bonuses which workers are entitled to and the money is given to the company from the government. The area managers are unprofessional. During Conception days (professional development) they can be seen arriving late and whispering and laughing at the Educators who are giving presentations. The two female area managers have a general air of disinterest and are known to bully the facility managers which they are meant to support. Do not work for this company. You will find other Bilingual Kindergartens that are paying up to 10,000€ gross a year MORE for qualified English teachers. Plus, benefits, plus fully staffed groups. The free German course is conducted in the basement of one of their larger facilities and it is one teacher trying to teach up to 3 different German levels at one time. Do not let them sell that to you as a benefit or as a reason why you aren’t entitled to a salary increase. This German course is a joke. The exam is also conducted at a small school in Rosenheim where old Goethe Institut practice exams from online are used as an “official” exam. There is nothing official or legit about this. The staff events are pathetic. In 2019 the Christmas party was held in an old strip club in Ottobrun and the staff were fed food from the children’s food caterer on paper plates. This year the Christmas party is held in the canteen of the catering company… Cleaning people only come 3 times a week and when they are on holiday there is no substitute. Some facilities also only have a kitchen lady a few hours, twice a week which means Educators are required to clean and do kitchen duty. Who suffers in the end? The children who have less time with their teachers because they have to clean and prepare food.

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