Pros
Great colleagues, good opportunity to gain entry-level study abroad experience. Nice location and work hours. People are passionate and IES Abroad has a bit of name recognition in the full service provider landscape.
Cons
There are very limited opportunities for growth. It's a super flat organization with some top-down business decisions that do not fully align with the mission (from CEO, Board and Senior Executives). They have a number of entry-level positions like Program Advisors (Recruiting and Advising), Enrollment Management Specialists (Admissionsl) and Program Associates (Academics Department). These are the employees that generate value and revenue ($80+ million annually), they manage applicants and students (5,000+ annually), carry the IES Abroad brand, face the public and interact with candidates. With no place to grow, they are forced out and the organization loses historical information, relationships built and a qualified workforce. With the high turnover, everyone suffers. I can't even count on my hands and toes how many people have left and the training is not adequate so progress is hard because there are some weak links. The next step up are Director, Dean and AVP positions. Well, there are College Relations Manager positions (account manager/outside sales) but hiring decisions are based on maintaining business relationships with member institutions so a Master's degree, position at a hot target university and a higher ed referral is essential. They used to promote from within more when it was smaller but now ain't nobody got time for that (coaching).