Does Smithsonian pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Smithsonian employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Smithsonian. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Smithsonian?

66% of Smithsonian employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Smithsonian 4.1 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Smithsonian?

Intern (56) , Internship (13) , Explainer (10) , Retail Sales Associate (9) , Sales Associate (9) , Contractor (8) , Postdoctoral Fellow (8) , Research Assistant (8) , Museum Specialist (7) , Program Coordinator (7) , Security Officer (7) , Archivist (6) , Curator (6) , Education Specialist (6) , Program Assistant (6)

What are the pros of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"And you will meet so many great people (tourist) from all over the world." ((in 67 reviews)); "Good benefits and bear transit" ((in 36 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 17 reviews)); "Coworkers are friendly and well" ((in 16 reviews)); "Amazing opportunities to work on global projects and collaborate with internationally celebrated artists and scholars." ((in 16 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Smithsonian according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and no promotion oportunity" ((in 28 reviews)); "Lack of leadership and hard to fire" ((in 13 reviews)); "Low salary for DC metropolitan area" ((in 12 reviews)); "Unpaid internship where I was doing some of the same work that paid employees were doing." ((in 12 reviews)); "Long hours and very administrative at times" ((in 9 reviews))

What are the top reviewed Smithsonian locations?

Washington , Chantilly , New York , Suitland , Arlington , Chicago , Front Royal , Annapolis , Edgewater , District Heights , Falls Church , Herndon , Manassas , Sterling , Wisconsin Rapids , Tucson , Ann Arbor , Burlington , Saint Cloud , Shepherdstown , San Diego , Berkeley , Las Vegas , Ruston , Seattle , Catonsville , Columbia , California , Chevy Chase , Fort Washington

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Smithsonian

Smithsonian reviews

4.1

66% would recommend to a friend

(508 total reviews)

Dr. David J. Skorton

75% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.3

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Work/Life balance

4.0

Culture & values

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Senior management

3.4

Career opportunities

Smithsonian has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 508 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Smithsonian employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Nonprofit & NGO industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

508 reviews

5.0

Oct 29, 2017

Intern

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great people, looks good on your resume, respect and appreciate the interns

Cons

You only get to do very limited work.

2.0

Oct 27, 2017

Poor Poor Leadership

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Love Hate Relationship with the Smithsonian as well.

Cons

The Smithsonian's higher level leadership has absolutely no accountability. They are poorly trained, if they have the title they are pandered to shamelessly, they don not have a 21st century skillset to lead and manage highly functioning teams. The Institution has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars training the ranks between grades 11-14 preparing them for higher level leadership as the old guard hangs on and when there are opportunities to promote they hire from the outside , don't support staff succession and disenfranchise those who can move the Institution forward. It's a dead sea for real growth.

5.0

Oct 23, 2017

Great work place

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Intelligent people, great benefits, challenging work

Cons

Slow to make change happen, limited upward mobility

Viewing 352 - 354 of 508 Reviews

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Jobs at Smithsonian

Museum Specialist (General)

Collections Move Coordinator

Museum Specialist (General)