GL Education Group Reviews

3.6

51% would recommend to a friend

(36 total reviews)

Mary de Sausmarez

Not enough data to show CEO approval

67% positive business outlook

GL Education Group has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 36 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The GL Education Group employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

36 reviews
2.0
1 Dec 2015

Standard PE owned company

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Education is an interesting field to be in, and there are some talented people working there. Location of office is good for London. If you are looking for short-term experience its a good place to learn, as you'll certainly be given a lot of responsibility.

Cons

Very focussed on short term returns, so can be a frustrating environment with excellent product development opportunities ignored. Staff well-being and career development don't match the internal rhetoric, leading to a high recent turnover and internal disenchantment.

1.0
1 Dec 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very talented and versatile people at the lower levels.

Cons

If you value job security, give GL Education/GL Assessment a wide berth. They issued redundancy letters to an editorial team twice in two years. The second time, the CEO and CFO decided to close down a branch of the business during lockdown at a time of peak usage. A month later when affected staff had come to terms with redundancy and started planning for the future, the CEO and CFO changed their mind, withdrew the redundancy option and decided to sell the company instead, leaving everyone in limbo for two more months. The fact they didn't see enough value in an online learning platform in 2020 to pursue the sale option first, and save their employees and customers a huge amount of anxiety at an already difficult time, shows that they are not fit to be leading an educational publishing company. They are incompetent and out of touch with the needs of teachers and learners at a time when schools are in and out of closure. One of the Directors lied and made false promises throughout the redundancy and sale process, which broke down all trust and led to an environment so toxic that multiple members of staff were signed off work with stress. It got so bad that most people wanted to be made redundant in the middle of a nationwide recruitment freeze, because unemployment was better than working for GL. The company has a chaotic way of working, developing mediocre products in unrealistic timeframes. Evidence of their low standards can be seen by searching 'GL Assessment blunder' online. To any prospective applicants, I'd check who the senior leaders are and think carefully before applying. While Greg Watson is CEO and Alastair Brooks is CFO, steer clear. The CFO seems particularly inept: he should have known to explore the sale option first and save closure as a last resort. Dealing with the consequences of their dreadful leadership and decision making is just not worth the stress.

1.0
1 Dec 2020

One to avoid

Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Some of the people are truly talented and lovely, and you get a day off for your birthday.

Cons

I worked here for two years after they bought us out, and in that time, GL gutted everything that was great about working there. I was sad to leave but relieved to have got out when I did: things have only got worse since. When senior staff leave, inexperienced managers are promoted and then put under immense pressure to deliver, which results in awful decisions and poor morale. It's not a big company but it's got the faceless corporate culture of one. The HR team are very much there to protect the company, not its employees. This is a place with an admirable mission that's been thrown under the bus in the name of profit. Think very carefully before working here.

Viewing 1 - 3 of 36 Reviews

Glassdoor has 42 GL Education Group reviews submitted anonymously by GL Education Group employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if GL Education Group is right for you.