Pros
I mean, at least you can tell people that you have a job.
Cons
If you are in the office: The owner doesn’t understand what an apology means. He will often say “I’m sorry you feel that way” as a means to deflect his responsibility in the situation. This is a great example of his poor communication skills. He will openly admit that he is bad at communicating but will do little to improve on that important aspect. In fact, he will often bring up past mistakes or instances that have nothing to do with the matter at hand to demoralize employees. He cannot separate issues in an appropriate or constructive manner. This comes as no surprise as he admitted that he doesn’t know the difference between praise, criticism, and feedback. Expect to have no clear sense of performance if he is involved; he will say great things about you in front of everyone and then tear you apart in an email within minutes. Deepak is happy to call out employees with absolutely no evidence, often blindsiding employees. He has talked poorly about employees behind their backs, said comments that could be considered prejudice, and has made inappropriate comments about the way the females at the company dress. Good luck following protocols. This is one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situations. You follow the rules, you get chewed out. You don’t follow the rules, you get chewed out. This entire company is a losing game. The office pay is abysmal. No person in the office is fairly compensated for their work. People in leadership to those working entry-level jobs are just getting by. It is hard to find a person in the office who isn’t making it on their own or without assistance. Asking for a raise is a long, difficult process and rarely comes out in favor of the person asking for the raise. Additionally, office staff are required to take on multiple hats with no increased compensation. For example, the IT position at the company has not been filled for many years, and with no plans to fill that role, the president is making other employees take on IT tasks unrelated to their job descriptions. The rebuttal could be that the company uses a friend for tech services, but that friend is rarely in the office and will often call to instruct employees with little to no technical training to troubleshoot issues. The company president believes that people leave the company because they can’t hack it. Rarely does an employee leave on good terms, and it is almost certainly the president’s fault. The company will try to entice new employees with a bunch of incentives, such as a meal on the company or a party here or there. If you are the kind of person who values the amount of pay you receive, then these trivial morale boosters are meaningless. The only way this company is going to hire and retain a staff that is not a revolving door is by fairly compensating people for their work. Certain employees at Cram Crew are infallible, and it’s not going to be you. It is truly ridiculous that Deepak will call out employees for being friends—implying special privileges because of that relationship—and then in the same breath, speak about members of his family at the company as just that and not employees. Employees have been called out for texting despite the fact that they are texting their children or parents and then are witness to Deepak’s family bending company rules to meet the needs of their families. Additionally, given his familial relationships, some employees have a direct line to him that is inappropriate in a work setting. It is unfair for one of his family members to walk out of a meeting and directly text him or call him and expect him to jump into action rather than relying on the leaders at this company to perform their responsibilities. Word to the wise, don’t work here. There are better companies out there that will value your work and time in a respectful manner. If you are in the field: Expect to drive a lot. More than what was originally told to you. In fact, expect to drive your car to it’s limits. And who are you doing this for? Rich families who think of you as “the help.” Most of the children that are helped are studious and genuinely trying to succeed. However, their parents expect miracles and overnight success. If their child doesn’t achieve, it is your fault. The pay in the field “seems” great, but when you break down the amount of time working (including driving, doing paperwork, actual sessions) and divide that by the amount of money you are making, you really are not pulling in more than minimum wage. Don’t expect to make a living out of this experience. And what an experience it will be. If you are thinking about becoming a consultant, don’t! There is little value that you are gaining from the experience in the field at this company. There are plenty of tutoring firms out there, so find one that will value you because this one certainly won’t.
