Pearson reviews

3.5

60% would recommend to a friend

(7,750 total reviews)
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Omar Abbosh

60% approve of CEO

49% positive business outlook

Pearson has an employee rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, based on 7,750 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Pearson employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Media & Communication industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

8K reviews
1.0
Nov 9, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

A great many people are able to work from home. And they do provide good bennies, particularly the health plan. (The health plan got a little less good while I was there, but it was still quite good. That erosion may be a harbinger of things to come.)

Cons

Lots of managers who have risen to their Level of Incompetency. (Read the book The Peter Principle.) Good chance that'll be your manager. True story: During my time there a close relative passed away. I searched out Pearson's bereavement policy to clarify how much time off I was allowed, and I discovered that when it's a close relative Pearson will also, upon request, either send flowers or make a contribution in memory of the person who passed away. Sounds nice, right? But wait. After I came back I asked about getting that contribution made. My department told me to take it up with HR (even though the policy says it's done through the department). HR sent me back to my department, in accordance with the policy. You'd think somebody would manage to step up and see that it got taken care of! But no.... Also, be aware that Pearson has a crappy reputation, and they're shedding people and selling off business units to try to turn things around. But based on what I saw, I don't think it will work. Pearson will circle the drain for years to come till they finally disappear.

1.0
Oct 22, 2019

No one is happy

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Co-workers were smart, hard-working, interesting, dedicated

Cons

People are overworked and underpaid. I worked there for more than a year without one day of vacation. A coworker said she hadn't had a vacation in four years. Another said she hadn't had a vacation in five years. Content management system takes six months to learn, and no one has time to explain it. There is no manual. Supply closets are empty. They don't trust employees. If you want even a pencil, you have to order it from department staffer. There was one pencil sharpener on the entire floor. No one has time to eat lunch in lunchroom. Everyone eats at their desk. The place is eerily quiet. No one talks. Everyone is too busy at their screens. A joyless place. Turnover is high, but management doesn't care. The product is hastily thrown together without concern for quality. Then they teach sales reps what negative things to say about competing products so theirs will sell.

2.0
Jun 6, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits and work-life balance.

Cons

Pearson has great ambitions, but consistently undermines them. They stress that "our people are our greatest assets," but are incredibly quick to solve budget problems (i.e., poor management choices) by "reducing headcount." You would think an education company would value people more, but countless reorganizations, about-face decisions, and inconsistencies leave employees feeling uncertain and unengaged. It's hard to believe in a company that says one thing and does another, and it's hard to succeed when you worry that the ground could open up underneath you at any time.

Viewing 247 - 249 of 7,750 Reviews

Glassdoor has 9,542 Pearson reviews submitted anonymously by Pearson employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Pearson is right for you.