National Aviary Reviews

Too many to list. I have an eight page essay on the cons (literally). Pay is garbage and you’re expected to do easily 2-3x the amount of work that your job actually entails. No one talks to each other in any of the departments - it’s EXTREMELY clique-y and feels like high school. Employees are ignored and so are the guests by most staff! Suggestions were basically thrown in the trash. And secrets are everywhere. I had a manager “move on to other prospects” out of the blue one day and I wasn’t told until the end of that same day. Then I didn’t have a manager for weeks! And I was told not to tell anyone she had left... as if no one would notice? Turnover is EXTREMELY high which is always a red flag. You’ll find the average staff member has either been there for 10+ Years or only 1-2 years and there is a reason why. They also treat the whole volunteer force like unpaid employees and expect them to do paid employee work... for free. Sick days and vacation days are the same. There is no differentiating between them. Overall I thought this was my dream job going into the Aviary. It was what I always wanted to do. It was so terrible I still have nightmares about it and I’ve even changed medication dosages because of the physical and mental strain it put on me. Now I am completely disillusioned about the whole field and can’t see myself following this career path anymore. Oh, when the virus hit, they also completely dissolved multiple positions immediately. And then held other employees on “furlough” for months before eventually just letting them go. They nuked the whole visitor experience/education team!

Terrible marketing, terrible workplace, terrible management, terrible wages. Paid next to nothing for positions that required tons of experience. My supervisor “left to pursue other goals” and no one told me until her last day after she was gone and I was not allowed to talk to anyone about her no longer being there. No one I know knows of this place - the marketing is lackluster and poorly managed. Employees are treated like second rate citizens and expected to do much work beyond their pay grade and positions. Watched the volunteers get slowly pushed out because of how poorly they were treated. Witnessed the most breakdowns and crying I’ve ever seen in my professional life. The reason there are full time jobs is because of high turnover. In about a year I watched at least 8 full time employees either quit or mysteriously disappear (like my boss) and were never mentioned again. All in all it’s a really sketchy place to work. Definitely would not recommend to anyone who is looking for a career that will support them mentally and financially.