Great place to work - Anonymous employee Smithsonian Employee Review

5.0
17 Apr 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great locations, good facilities, great network of professional support, great professional development opportunities, great benefits, fun place to work, you will work with a variety of experts as your co-workers, and there is pretty good job stability.

Cons

There are highly paid federal employees sitting in their jobs and performing the bare minimum. However, no one will ever do anything about it or fire them because that is nearly impossible to do. Budgets are tight so offices are often understaffed.

Explore other reviews about Smithsonian

5.0
8 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great mission. Strong benefits including health insurance and 403b contribution. Many people stick around for 5, 10, 15+ years.

Cons

Things are sometimes slow due to bureaucracy.

4.0
6 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There is a strong community and network in museum and natural science collections and support.

Cons

Working conditions have a standard of museum environment settings, not ideal for those that desire to be outside all day.

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