Pros
KI has a lively international environment and some great people who work there. The atmosphere is often lively and positive. The organisation is very inclusive and can be very supportive of its people at times. There's a real focus on customer service and the quality of delivery at school level is really high. There is a lot of internal promotion, too (however, as noted below they very frequently make roles redundant shortly after promoting someone into them, so internal promotion paths are very high risk).
Cons
Overall, everyone lives in fear of redundancy now. About 35% of head office staff lost their jobs in November - the latest of many rounds of redundancies (I survived, but still want to leave). This is now being used to 'motivate us' to work harder. We are being told to work like it's a startup and that if we don't the parent company will close us down. 'Macro-economic factors' are apparently responsible for everything that goes wrong with the company. But poor management and poor treatment of people are also to blame. - Senior management / company culture One day the company might be pouring money into a department, hiring new people for it etc, the next they'll be closing it down. There seems little logic or strategy involved. One minute developing a certain new product is a priority, and money must be spent developing it. A few months later 'macro economic factors' will mean that everyone hired (internally and externally) will be let go and the product axed or sold off. One month, a department might represent the companies best chance for growth and be a key part of its long term strategy. Then next month, that same department might be called a detractor or unnecessary cost and closed down. People get sucked in and washed aside every time the company changes its mind. There's little official communication as to what (or who!) might be next under the axe . This culture/approach of constant secrecy trickles down to every level. People are often told to hide things from other department managers or senior managers or 'keep things in the team'. I've even heard of people being told by their manager's boss to hide things from their line manager. No one can really be trusted and a number of political factions and childlike rivalries amongst department managers make the situation even worse. A good few of the senior managers can be found in the bar, telling everyone who is likely next to go, who or what is out of favour with the CEO etc. The constant speculation makes life very stressful for people like me with families and other financial commitments. - Treatment of people during recruitment / with HR If you are thinking of taking a job with Kaplan, you should understand their record with recruitment. In one example, someone gave up a good job and moved their entire young family over from abroad for a senior position, only to find the department they were supposed to manage was closed down a few months later. They had to return, jobless, to their home country weeks after their children had started school in the UK. In another example (with many similar stories), someone with a great and secure job accepted a better job with Kaplan, and handed in their notice at the old company, only to be told a week before starting that the project manager job she applied for no longer existed. Kaplan also frequently promotes people internally then makes the new position redundant less than a year later, leaving the person jobless. In every case above 'macro-economic factors' were blamed. But this is unlikely to be of much comfort to you if you are left jobless. I would think carefully before trusting anyone at Kaplan about a new position. The record shows that they have no problem with recruiting someone, then making them redundant a short time later, and this is company wide. I definitely would not give up a stable position at any company to come and work here. - Work/life balance In the summer particularly, people are simply expected to do huge numbers of hours. A lot of people work 60+ hours for 37.5 hour salaries over the summer months - managers and HR turn a blind eye or say its the 'nature of the business' or use the new phrase 'start up mentality'. Staff cuts run deeper each year leaving existing staff harder and harder pressed.
