Pros
- The location (in SoHo) and facilities (rooftop cafeteria and "Red Bar" cafe) can't be beat. - Flexible work environment (casual dress, remote work, etc.), especially for those with children - Some really nice, smart people in the ranks - Creative environment - Opportunities to create products that make a difference in the lives of teachers and their students - Some good managers who recognize talent and hard work - Pay is decent
Cons
- A very high percentage of people are contractors. They work the same work week as full-time employees, but they're not given benefits (no paid vacation/sick/personal days, no health insurance, no 401K, etc.). These aren't short-term positions; Scholastic will just keep renewing contracts every few months for years. Because they dictate the hours, location, and direction of your work, not to mention provide equipment, I believe the IRS would say these people are W2 employees, not freelancers. (Kind of surprised Scholastic hasn't found itself in legal trouble yet.) - Many workers count having gone through K-12 public school and/or having a child in school as their experience in education. For being an educational company, very few people have extensive training in education (ed degrees, classroom teaching experience) or a deep interest in truly understanding the education landscape. - As a result of the above, some departments are well behind on trends in the education community. The products they generate are reactionary. And by the time those products are created and sold, the trend is on its way out. - Divisions are silos. Very little cross communication. And when there is, it's more bickering and competition than collaboration. - Semi-closed door environment. Many middle-level managers are constantly in meetings, and you only hear about changes/decisions second-hand or through gossip.