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 70 reviews)); "Good benefits and bear transit" ((in 33 reviews)); "Great staff I enjoyed my time there." ((in 24 reviews)); "Great coworkers and behind the scenes access to museum collections" ((in 18 reviews)); "Amazing opportunities to work on global projects and collaborate with internationally celebrated artists and scholars." ((in 17 reviews))

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

"Pay is low but definitely no lower than industry standards." ((in 26 reviews)); "Low salary for DC metropolitan area" ((in 15 reviews)); "Lack of leadership and hard to fire" ((in 14 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

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 demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

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).

Reviews by job title

508 reviews

4.0

Feb 25, 2023

Good place to work

Museum specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting work, decent challenges and good opportunities.

Cons

Underpays for the amount of work some staff do and is understaffed.

5.0

Feb 16, 2023

Great Place to Work!

Executive assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The Smithsonian is a great place to work. The compensation and benefits are competitive, and there is generally a positive and collaborative atmosphere among all the departments and museums.

Cons

There are bureaucratic hoops to jump through that can slow down routine work.

2.0

Jan 25, 2023

Would not recommend

Assistant editor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Location - Content is interesting - Good insurance options - Decent retirement benefits if you stay long enough to get them

Cons

- Daily publishing quotas (3/day) - Monthly writing and reporting quotas (2-4 features) - VERY LOW rates for freelancers - Low salary for DC metropolitan area - Underpaid, overworked - Low to no paths to promotion - Raises issued in 5-10 year intervals—if that (Team is small but expected to do the work of a team 3x their size) - Expectations are outside of staff capacity and compensation - Very little meaningful mentorship opportunities in media with current staff issues - Daily morning meetings and 2-3 additional check in or team meetings weekly - Senior to CEO leadership out-of-touch with media landscape - Senior leadership is not open to competitive salary negotiation - Near constant staff turnover - Extremely slow hiring process - Very tangled bureaucratic culture overall

Viewing 118 - 120 of 508 Reviews

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Jobs at Smithsonian

Museum Specialist (General)

Collections Move Coordinator

Museum Specialist (General)

Smithsonian

Smithsonian reviews

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Reviews by job title

Good place to work

Great Place to Work!

Would not recommend

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Jobs at Smithsonian