Working at University of Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ: 35 Employee Job Reviews by Real Employee working in Phoenix, AZ Area

"It started out good and ended abruptly without warning, notice, or explanation."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"The other instructors and direct supervisors are good, caring people."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Don't bother. They won't support you when poor performing students complain. They are customers first, students second."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"After teaching more than 60 classes over 4 years, I stopped receiving requests to teach more courses at the University of Phoenix online. In addition, they sent me notices that future classes I was scheduled to teach were cancelled. After a month making numerous phone and written inquiries, I was told by email that I was now terminated because my Educational and Work Experience no longer met their criteria. They apparently made this decision in early January while I was simultaneously teaching 2 online classes and one on campus class. I was fired retroactively in late January, yet they never bothered to explain the circumstances to me. My peer and student reviews were excellent, usually around 9.5 on a 10 point scale. This termination wasn't for cause or poor performance. They did not specify what was now missing (after 4 years) from my resume, work history, and academic record that no longer qualifies me to teach there. When I was hired, my resume, undergraduate, and graduate school transcripts were confirmed and found completely acceptable. My termination only applies now to the online courses I was teaching (online and on campus are separate divisions within the parent company, Apollo Group Inc.). I am still on the brick and mortar payroll and teach on campus, yet now feel like just a temp employee. I expect that after my next Content Area Review concerning my academic and professional experience outside University of Phoenix, my final on campus termination will be forthcoming. In addition, only after repeated phone calls and emails, it takes two to three months for simple expense reimbursements to be processed. Several instructors told me this is standard operation procedure. They wear you out and hope you give up asking and eventually stop submitting expense forms. Open enrollment creates a student body with a range of writing, reading and study skills far below standard college level. If you are a student, don't depend on your cohorts to proof read your papers. They might write worse than you. I do not recommend working for University of Phoenix or any subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. This is just a for profit corporation dressed up as an academic institution. Their profit motive is more important than creating a good working or learning environment."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Join an oil company for the big bucks. At least they sell a tangible product with a known value. Do you think you'll get close to a $5,000,000 retirement bonus and a $70,0000 per month annuity? After all, this is a for profit company and to the victor go the spoils. Are you high enough on the food chain to get the big payoff"

"Great entry-level position."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"It was a great place to work, especially for my first 9-5 job."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"University of Phoenix is a very large employer, and there should be opportunities for advancement."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Just the way the job was more of a sales position than it was advising students."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"To become more involved in placing the right student as opposed to anyone that can pay."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"There is no incentive to enroll students. People do just enough not to get fired. There is no room for growth."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"This is not a career of choice. This is a dead end job and do not think differently."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"You will not be rewarded for your production. There is almost zero room for growth or a promotion. Morale is horrible and management is doing nothing to fix it. Upper management is hoping more people will quit."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I would be honest with my communications to my employees. I would not tell them that we need to hold down salaries while I take a 20% raise."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Building relationships with students, colleagues. I enjoy the level of autonomy that my manager allows. I appreciate being able to have my own projects within the company."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Use the tuition benefit, get a degree, improve whatever skills possible, and find what you want to do with your life."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"There is no room for advancement in the company. It is unclear whether the company will lay off another group of employees. Pay increases are not based on merit, so everyone in the same position gets the same percent increase no matter how they do their job. Many people ride on the backs of few."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"I would follow-through on promises made to employees. Higher standards of academics would be the focal point rather than increased marketing."

"5 years of hell. Do not recommend this company to others."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"I love the people that I worked with and the students that I got to enroll and build relationships with."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Role play! Practice pretending that you are on a phone with a potential student. Go over you name and the agenda of what you do. Also, remember that this is a sales job even though you don't get commission for any of it. But it is a sales job."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Management had no idea on how to manage the new vision of the University of Phoenix, no room for growth, no promotional move, and leadership did not care about employees."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Know what the true definition of what leadership is because people don't care what you know until you show that you care. That is the bottom line."

"Great learning experience. Have a great understanding of sales and closing."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"I like being in sales and controlling my own fate. I like the challenge every day of closing accounts."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Ask questions. Make sure that this is the right fit for you and your future."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"My commissions, opportunity for growth and advancement was capped. No potential for growth within the company."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Be transparent. Let the sales reps understand what their potential is - be a support system."

"This organization has given me an opportunity to grow and develop professionally."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"The opportunity to change the lives of the students who need our services. I work with educators across the country obtain their professional development requirements."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Be centric focused on wanting to reward yourself through touching the lives of others."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Opportunities for advancement of my career have stalled as the organization is currently not growing."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Change is good, change is needed to reinvent the business, too much change can be a hindrance. The right amount of change is a tough balancing act."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Team oriented, people I work with, location, vision, service to customers."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Stress that you enjoy collaborative teamwork and possess a desire to help students succeed."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Micro-management by executives, rising costs of benefits, declining business model due to increasing competition."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Let VPs run their divisions without so much interference and micro-managing."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"I like helping my students be successful and coaching and mentoring them toward completing their goals."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"You must be highly motivated and have a lot of self-discipline because working at home (particularly for 10 years in a row) can be really stressful, particularly for someone who is a people person like I am."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"I am classified as an employee, yet treated as a contractor."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"Treat us like employees and not like contractors. We don't receive any benefits at all, and the only time we ever really hear from anyone is when the policies have already been changed. Be more proactive, rather than reactive."

"Sales, sales, sales... business, not a school."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Good benefits, 9-5, cool people. Opportunity to advance if you're a shady salesmen."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Get ready for a sales role play."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"It's just another sales job, don't let the job description fool you. You're not a counselor, you're a telemarketer selling education. It's a business not a school, any legit school wouldn't need to hound students and try to sell them to come to their school. Talking students into class any which way you can, whether it is good for them or not. Why else would you be able to start student without their credits transferring in first or knowing what level of funding they'll be, and get them in class before they actually get their Financial Aid. If you have any morals and ethics at all and follow them you won't succeed in this job. They are all about the $, doesn't matter what is best for the student. You get paid on enrollments, they try to cover their a$$ by working some other stuff in there so the Dept of Ed doesn't come after them since it is illegal to do so, and 98% of the students use Financial Aid and they would lose that funding and be screwed. Ask any rep who works there and the will tell you it's all about the REGs aka registrations. There are sales boards hung up everywhere counting the REGs for every team. The students are called LEADS. if that is not sales I don't know what is."

"7 out of 8 stars."

What do you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"The ability to assist students with their educational goals."

Do you have any tips for others interviewing with this company?

"Having multiple interviews and 6 weeks training."

What don't you like about working at University of Phoenix?

"Was not able to voice issues with co-workers with upper management."

What suggestions do you have for management?

"More open door policy."