Does Sotheby's pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Sotheby's employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sotheby's. This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sotheby's?

21% of Sotheby's employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sotheby's 2.6 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.3 for culture and values and 2.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Sotheby's?

Intern (53) , Administrator (23) , Specialist (23) , Floater (18) , Exhibition Assistant (15) , Associate (13) , Internship (13) , Cataloger (11) , Coordinator (10) , Marketing (9) , cataloguer (9) , Manager (8) , Administrative Assistant (7) , Project Manager (7) , Art Handler (6)

What are the pros of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"The people are great and working with art is amazing" ((in 57 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and you get to work with wonderful clients and artworks" ((in 56 reviews)); "Great team and intern class" ((in 18 reviews)); "Great opportunity to get to know the auction and private sale art market at a prestigious art auction house!" ((in 15 reviews)); "Great working environment in the office" ((in 13 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Sotheby's according to real employee reviews?

"pay is low and not appreciated" ((in 73 reviews)); "low salary and no break time" ((in 46 reviews)); "Not very good compensation and no work/life balance" ((in 16 reviews)); "The culture is absolutely toxic." ((in 16 reviews)); "Long hours and weekends sometimes" ((in 15 reviews))

What are employees saying about Sotheby's redundancies in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Sotheby's redundancy and their outlook for job security at Sotheby's in 2026.

Sotheby's Reviews

2.5

21% would recommend to a friend

(649 total reviews)

Charles F. Stewart

12% approve of CEO

23% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (649 reviews)

Sotheby's has an employee rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars, based on 649 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Sotheby's employee rating is 29% below average for employers within the Retail and wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

649 reviews

2.0

26 June 2026

Great art but limited mobility and low pay

Client liaison

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Great art and opportunity to work with great collections

Cons

No upper mobility and low salaries

1.0

19 May 2026

Beautiful art and interesting people, but company declining fast

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Beautiful art/objects. You meet some really interesting and wonderful people through working on various teams.

Cons

This company is going downhill fast. Lots of drama and gossip likely due to dissatisfaction with work, pay, and overall treatment by the company. People are very unhappy here because they are acutely aware that the company they work for does not care about them. They value money over everything, even so they often do clients wrong as well (withholding payments, refusal to admit wrongdoings, etc.) The only thing saving them is their legacy and even that is holding on by a very thin thread.

3.0

4 May 2026

Slow & steady decline

Associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Legacy Industry with access to unique products (art, books, jewelry etc)

Cons

Low pay Lots of work Bad company reputation Revolving door

Viewing 1 - 3 of 649 Reviews

Jobs at Sotheby's

Temporary Associate Cataloguer, Private Sales & Middle Market Auctions

USD 60K - USD 70K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Associate Specialist, Furniture and Decorative Arts

New York, NY

·

USD 60K - USD 80K /yr

USD 85K - USD 100K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Sotheby's

Sotheby's Reviews

Company ratings over time

Reviews by job title

Great art but limited mobility and low pay

Beautiful art and interesting people, but company declining fast

Slow & steady decline

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