employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

General Assembly

Is this your company?

General Assembly Reviews

3.5

34% would recommend to a friend

(622 total reviews)

Daniele Grassi

43% approve of CEO

25% positive business outlook

General Assembly has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 622 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The General Assembly employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

622 reviews
1.0
6 Oct 2015

The Retail Chain of Startups

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Competitive benefits (dental, vision, medical, gym, subway) computer & cell phone, beautiful office space, coworkers will likely be your friends. Generally, everyone there is good at what they do. You don't feel like you're dealing with idiots. Very lateral structure - there is limited bureaucracy and things move fast. Few, if any, people you have to go through to get an answer. You will get a lot of experience and you have a lot of responsibility.

Cons

They will burn you out; Don't expect to stay longer than a year. There is no work life balance and you are nothing but a battery to be exhausted. You will have a managers, but not a leaders. Laughable pay, especially considering how much they ask of you. Things to keep in mind: If you don't work in NYC, don't expect do move up much, especially in a newer office. Typically people quit after 1-2 years in exasperation and lack of vertical growth opportunity. If you see it as a stepping stone, you'll be fine. The hiring process takes months. Don't be surprised to go in for 4 or 5 interviews over this time and then be approached you with a different position. Hard work is irrelevant - either you produce results or you're out. Don't expect a bonus, even if they tell you you're getting one. The excuses are as wide as they are diverse, especially if your salary raises were in the form of a bonus. Inappropriate sexual misconduct is common and so too is inaction or mismanagement of these cases.

2.0
23 Apr 2015

Where are the grown ups?!

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You definitely feel empowered in a way that's expected in a startup. The people you work with are also incredibly fun and their energy and ambition is inspiring. Though there are walls and tons of unnecessary red tape, there is real desire to be as transparent as possible. (Not saying it's fully transparent, but the attempt is really appreciated)

Cons

I have very little faith in the HR department. The management team is essentially uneffective. This is redundant in many of the reviews you read, but they either promote untrained employees into strategic and managerial roles, or worse, they don't provide support for some of the most influential and experienced managers and they are let go or forced to leave. Second, veterans of the company are starting to leave in droves. This isn't a good sign, and it weakens morale. Third, this company has so much red tape. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm in a corporate maze (wihtout the amazing 401k and the six-figure salary). Lastly, I think the company is now struggling to see what makes them enticing for an IPO or what they can possibly sell (if it is looking to sell).

2.0
26 Apr 2017

Potentially Trump University 2.0

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice offices and free coffee. Ability to take classes/workshops/courses for free. GA used to be an amazing place to work with really smart, motivated people focused on changing lives. Excellent benefits

Cons

The experiences that you have at will largely depend on what part of the business you are in. If you are on the "campus" side of the business (you directly interface with students) you're going to have a bad time. GA has raised way too much money and has incredibly aggressive goals to hit. As such, the focus on quality and delivering on our promises has nosedived as the C-suite scrambles to make a return for their investors. Pay is very low on the campus side and hours can be tough. With "admissions" (AKA sales) compensation stemming from the number of students they can enroll, GA is rapidly approaching Trump University levels of moral ambiguity. HR is extremely involved in everything, (more so than anywhere else I've ever worked) and unfortunately they're largely incompetent. Young, inexperienced managers and no real upward growth on most teams.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 622 Reviews

Glassdoor has 901 General Assembly reviews submitted anonymously by General Assembly employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if General Assembly is right for you.