Pros
City Year is a non-profit organization that serves in eighteen cities in the United States and in Johannesburg, South Africa. The work is very challenging and forces you out of the normal comfort zones of other jobs. Though this can be considered horrible to some, being removed from comfort causes a cataclysm of change. City Year is an excellent opportunity to grow as a person while also providing you the opportunity to do something incredible that will help heal the problems this country is facing now in the future. The work is extremely satisfying in most cases and the atmosphere, while sometimes discomforting, helps you find friends in places you never would have thought to look. You are never alone in City Year, and this is by no means a bad thing.
Cons
There is no opportunity for advancement within the organization through the year. Unless someone in a position higher than you decides to leave the organization or move to a new site, there cannot be any advancement. Coupled with the fact that City Year is supported heavily by AmeriCorps funding and retention rate is of severe importance, members of the organization sometimes fall into a position where they feel they can skate through the year without giving their fullest. There is no incentive for self-improvement, though it is encouraged. Also, due to the retention rate pressure, the disciplinary system within the organization is very weak. Many people who do not do their duties can get by, and this often causes issues within the teams they are working in.
