Pros
Seton is a Catholic inspired non-profit that works to provide quality, accessible, and vibrantly Catholic education in America's inner cities. Although it is orthodoxly Catholic at its core and in its inception, it does seek to serve people of any background and creed, and many people who work for Seton or its various programs are not Catholic, or even Christian. From an evangelistic perspective, I care that Seton is seeking to be authentically Catholic, but not doing so inside of a socio-cultural bubble. It is an organization that works to improve the lives and well-being of every person they serve, solely because all people posses an inherent and undeniable dignity--and I do think Seton's practices align with that purported belief. Considering the American and global zeitgeist, it's pretty much necessary for companies and organizations (for-profit and non-profit alike) to claim that they prioritize people (whether their employees or stakeholders) before anything else. I believe that rarely happens. I do believe, however, that Seton Education Partners actually strives to live out their mission by intentionally honoring the dignity of their employees and stakeholders. From the perspective of an employee who has held multiple positions within the organization, I feel honored, respected, and cared about as both an an individual person and a member of a larger mission. I love my team. I love my managers. I love our mission. The work we do can be extremely difficult, but it's done for good reasons, and Seton does its best to ameliorate the difficulties of mission-aligned work. Part of this includes what I believe to be a competitive salary, thoughtful and varied employee benefits, robust professional development, strong team-based and organizational culture, and intentional time for spiritual and personal well-being. It should be clearly stated that Seton Education Partners firmly stands alongside Catholic Church teaching, and from a hierarchical standpoint, does everything it can to make sure that its practices, the professional development it provides for employees, and the education it provides for students, is (when not explicitly Catholic due to religiously neutral public spheres) at the very least in accord with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. As a practicing member of the Catholic Church, I work for this organization solely because I see it to be orthodoxly Catholic to the fullest extent of what is legally possible. This is a pro for me, perhaps a con for others; however, it should be stated again that many, many people who are not Catholic work for this organization and its programs because they feel strongly about it's general mission, and because they believe it to be a good organization to work for. You don't have to be orthodoxly Catholic to work for Seton in any capacity, but some people do not appreciate the organization's Catholic founding because of their own personal beliefs, and employees should know this before accepting a job with them. I firmly believe Seton has never breached what is appropriate or legal while existing as a Catholic organization within the sector of public education, but it holds values that are in tension with political ideologies and certain world views. A pro for some, a con for others. Overall, it's a good place to work and I certainly value the time I've spent with Seton.
Cons
Nothing is perfect and I think Seton still has a lot to work on. However, nothing is a huge detraction as Seton is also intentional about receiving critical feedback from employees, and earnestly works to address that, either by making necessary changes, creatively rethinking processes, or defending necessary stances in an open way. This, of course, does not stop people from disagreeing with or finding tension within the organization's mission, Seton's response to cultural and socio-political events, other employees, or varied practices in the organization. This is expected within any workplace, and while unavoidable, I do believe Seton tries to address these issues by actually listening to their employees. Furthermore, from what I've seen, there are procedures in place within every team, department, and program, for employees to voice their feedback and concern regarding any aspect of the organization. Something that can be difficult for employees is that Seton is an organization working within the realm of extremely politicized, socially divisive, and controversial fields. Specifically, the realms of education and religion. For the most part, people are able to put aside their personal beliefs to work towards a common goal: quality education for children in underserved communities. However, it's a polarizing sphere and Seton is a young organization, which means that it has been struggling to find and define its identity. It risks alienating members of its work force to do so, but I do wish Seton and it's constituent programs could more clearly define their origin, as well as the core of their mission: providing accessible and vibrantly Catholic education to students in neighborhoods where Catholic education is neither quality or accessible. Ultimately, it's an institution that exists to help students get to college (a good thing), but more importantly, to also get them to heaven (a believed imperative for many people who work at Seton).