Pros
- You'll have dedicated, passionate AmeriCorps colleagues - Increase your confidence in your ability to lead a complex program, navigate pressure from multiple stakeholders, tolerate a stressful environment - Experience learning to manage volunteers and learn to tutor well (and a strong curriculum is provided) - There are opportunities to expand public speaking/facilitating skills, if you want them - Make personal connections with students and see growth in their skills and confidence - Give back by serving your community
Cons
- This is the biggest issue: AmeriCorps members (likely management too) are incredibly under-supported and over-worked, especially given the very limited training received and the low compensation provided. The organization relies on the nature of the mission to motivate their employees to constantly figure out how to do more with less, rather than addressing the lack of resources or time or volunteers at the institutional level. - While managers are generally kind, caring people, there is a problematic culture of avoiding difficult conversations, constructive feedback, and honest assessments of what can be achieved with the resources available. AmeriCorps members are asked to take on more duties or meet increased goals with less support, and performance issues go unaddressed by the organization. - High expectations and low support lead to a huge amount of turnover, so consistency is scarce. - Lip service is paid to work/life balance, but it is not actually modeled