guest service agent

host/hostess

instructor

horticulturist

senior engineer

Arizona Center for Nature Conservation

What is the best part of working at the company?
Best atmosphere in the world. The animals and special events enhance your world.


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The core values that are stressed to lower level staff are not followed by the higher administration .

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Best environment in the world
 The culture is great because you are working with fellow employees who are there "for the animals."

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Checking exhibits and watching a wonderful arrangement of animals from all over the world. Assisting employees and guests, 1st responders before 911 comes in
 Lots of guest interaction. Be prepared the zoo is open all year round which means you don't spend holidays with family.

Honestly, I used to love working here and there are still a lot that I enjoy. My coworkers and employees are great, but there is no accountability. Immediate management has favorites so they get away with doing no work. I felt like the only one held accountable for my work AND the work of others because I actually did it. I barely make a livable wage and raises are extremely rare. Last raise I got only added $10 to my paycheck. 
I understand that working at a non-profit means sacrificing pay, but it's the people working extremely hard and basically making sure the zoo runs smoothly (keepers, guest services, event, guides) that get low pay and are not appreciated while the CEO and Execs are making $300k+ per year. It would be laughable if I wasn't too broke to laugh.
For quite a while I have felt over-worked, underpaid, and disappointingly under appreciated.

All focus is on guest coming in everyday, some guest you become familiar with because they come often. 
When there are issues or problems to be solved you do not have to worry about figuring it all out yourself. If you are not sure radio a team member with your question, as a last move you can radio your supervisor. If you already know who can assist you with the current problem you can radio that extension directly.
On slow days it is very slow so find something to do but always be ready to greet any guest that walks up. On busy days, it is none stop moving; great guest, give them the rules (even though they are written down to see), be polite.
The best part of the job is seeing the smile on the peoples faces as you make their day that much better.

If you're coming to the zoo expecting a positive work environment with caring management, you need to think twice. And don't you dare go to HR with issues expecting help if you're being treated poorly by management; they'll ABSOLUTELY hold it against you in the future. Pay is terrible, almost insulting. Yes it's a non profit, but the executives pull in a decent pay - there's no reason why the hourly people who keep the business running should be paid so little that they often wonder how they'll afford their next few groceries. There are 2 positives about this place. 1. The animals and the benefits which are surprisingly decent.

This place has so much potential but the management  could be better with development of the staff. Upper management should guide and help middle management but it would appear as if they don't. The turnover rate in most departments is something that should be looked at and seriously considered. It is appaling.  Something is not right.  This is not just that its hot or that it does not pay the best issue, this is a management issue. 
This is a non-profit Zoo, the pay discrepencies between upper management and the rest of the people who work so hard, show up everyday and keep the zoo running is also very unbalanced.

Everyone was pretty much miserable. Over worked, under paid, under appreciated. You're constantly reminded that you are expendable. Volunteers are better cared for than the staff. Management often lacks actual people management skills. Most of them are not leaders and have no clue how to engage their staff. They constantly tear you down, rarely build you up, and if you want to advance within the company - forget it - they would rather bring in someone with less experience from the outside than grow their own employees. Staff are constantly expected to make sacrifices, with no appreciation for it. Most management would throw their staff under the bus in heart beat to preserve themselves, and bad decisions run rampant in many aspects of the zoo.

A typical day consists of a lot of heat and a lot of faces. Constant contact with customers as you're giving them directions or showing them where the animals in a certain exhibit are. You learned something new about the animals everyday. Management is really easy going, since it was self-scheduled you only showed up when you wanted to. Co-workers were really nice, since it was volunteer, only people who wanted to be there were there. The hardest part was dealing with the heat, in the summer it was really difficult to walk all the trails constantly. The most enjoyable part was just being there, seeing all the animals, learning about them and the general atmosphere.

Fun place to work with excellent benefits and flexible schedule. Unfortunately, there is no opportunity for advancement and therefore, in my opinion, is a waste of time. Low pay for type of work performed and little to no raises/bonuses. I wish I could make a career here because I truly enjoy the work I do however, after 5 years of working for the Phoenix Zoo, there is no future here. It is a dead-end job with no hope of advancement. Management can be very poor at times. Overall, an OK place to work but employee compensation and development can be vastly improved.

I loved my time at the Phoenix Zoo and wouldn't trade it for the world. I wish that more full time opportunities had been available when my new supervisor took over. A change in management was exactly what our department needed, but by that time, I was burnt out from working two part time jobs, that I needed to part ways. I would also like to see the zoo offer some benefits to part time employees. However, every zookeeper know the sacrifices we make to take care of these animals and it's one worth making.

Great people, amazing work environment, free zoo membership for your family, satisfying job. It's the best place I've ever worked, and I've worked there twice now (both times doing wonders for my mental health). 
The one drawback is the pay and summer hours make it a hard job to sustain an adult family life. That goes for most roles. As a supplement to get through college or as side job for extra spending money, it's wonderful. Just don't expect to get rich off it.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Guest service agent 3 salaries reported	$18.50 per hour
Host/hostess 1 salary reported	$19.50 per hour
Instructor 1 salary reported	$18.50 per hour
Horticulturist 1 salary reported	$25.57 per hour
Senior engineer 6 salaries reported	$25.57 per hour

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