adjunct faculty

adjunct instructor

admissions associate

faculty

tutor

Berkeley College

I worked at Berkeley College, on the corporate side, for a number of years. In my time there, I was able to get a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the company. Starting with the good points, Berkeley has a great workforce comprised of some really superb individuals (management not included in this statement). My coworkers were all considerate and friendly, and I found it easy to fit in and and develop relationships. Berkeley also seems to care about their employees, often organizing events in which everyone is encouraged to participate.

This would seem like a great place to work, until one witnesses the other side of the things. While Berkeley College seems to care about their employees, in practice this is not typically the case. To start, the pay scale is low (almost insultingly so) and raises are weak (usually 2%) regardless of performance. It seems most of the profits go to supporting the top-heavy management, who are not shy about flaunting their status and increased earnings. The corporate side of Berkeley College is more akin to a club, with the inner circle taking care of each other, while everyone else is taken for granted. Though this is not all that abnormal in a typical corporate environment.

To summarize, I would say Berkeley College is behind the times, and now paying for it. While this type of organization and management may have flourished at one time, it now has trouble keeping up, and Berkeley struggles to retain talented employees because of this. In my time there, I noticed that the smart ones often left once they saw the way things really ran in the organization. Also, it is worth mentioning that the college is currently under investigation by the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs. Anyone who keeps tabs on the for-profit education industry can see where this is headed. For these reasons, one might want to think twice before joining the Berkeley Family.

The staff and management are wonderful and I met amazing employees while working there. Working at Berkeley is stressful and extremely fast-paced- it's hard to get things done.  Staff are hard working, however after awhile, you start putting in all these hours to realize you have given up a lot of personal time with no return. The college genuinely cares about students success, however I wish they had a different way of fostering that success. The college enables their students frequently by giving them what they want and now allowing them to learn.  I believe in giving second chances, however I was put into situations many times where I had to take on a student who I knew was not able to meet the needs and was forced to do it. Having that feeling felt like my job was not as meaningful and I was not teaching students effectively.  

Additionally, one of the Campus Operating Officers continuously made it difficult for their staff and the college keeps this person in employed.  Several employees have been moved from campus to campus to cater for this individual.  After more than 20 employees have made complaints to Human Resources, I would have hoped this would let the college see the negative impact this person has caused.  Staff at this location were the most amazing I worked with and would have been able to produce more had they not been treated unfairly.  While working at that location, I came to work everyday unhappy-no one should have to experience that.  I was moved to another location and realized I was not the only one.  If this person was let go, staff retention and productivity would be higher.

I taught four classes (approx. 3hrs/ea.) every week for three months on various campuses. Some days 10am-10pm in more then one location. Preparing lectures, lesson plans, grading assignments, creating tests and exams, attending meetings, and administering competencies were all included in a typical work day. We were poorly managed as a department. Often you were left to fend for yourself with very limited resources. The most rewarding part of the job was seeing a student from beginning to end, realize their dreams of working in the medical field, but because this was not the norm that most students graduate and find jobs only made it seem more special. Over the years I have had some wonderful students that I will always remember. I taught the following classes: Medical Office Administration, Computerized insurance Billing, Medical Emergencies, Billing and Coding, and Law & Ethics. I possess a certification for CMAA, Certified Medical Administrative Assistant, EHRS, Certified Electronic Health Record Specialist, and CPR, in basic lifesaving. I am currently pursuing a Masters' degree in Health care Management in Rutgers University's online program. I worked with some of the best instructors I've ever known who mentored me to be a great instructor. However there was a link missing between instructors and management such as department chairs, assistant chairs, and dean of the department. The most challenging part of teaching was developing a lesson that your students would find interesting enough to want to learn more.

During my almost 20 years’ experience in Berkeley College I taught face-to-face classes in New York City campus locates in Midtown Manhattan (5th Ave/43rd St) and some classes online. In 2013 my wife and I moved to Florida and I continued  to teach in Berkeley College, online only. In the end of 2018 I completely retired from my full-time position.

The most enjoyable part of the job was communicating with my students in a classroom.  I maintained friendly atmosphere and never refused to go extra miles to help my students. Based on student's evaluation I had the highest rate in Math Department. 
Other faculty members very helpful and polity. I had excellent working relationship with other instructors not just from our department but from other divisions. Some of them are still my friends.

On the negative site I should say that administration on Dean and Provosts level does not treat faculty with respect and does not recognize any personal achievement. All faculty are on one-year contract system. There is no job security. Nobody knows if he will have job next year. It is decided in the last moment during annual interview. Atmosphere during the interview is very hostile. Usually dean, who conducts the interview, try to focus on something that he considers as “wrong doing” or doing not enough. They never highlight any positive sites in our work or our achievements.

I would call prospective students, parents and counselors and guide them through the admissions processes. I pretty much learned what it took for students to get admitted into higher education. Management however was not willing to change it's practices even though the economy is in the state that it's in right now and more and more information was coming out about the illegal practices for-profit schools were engaging in just to get students to get admitted and attend. There was no opportunity for growth which put pretty much all employees in a negative attitude of their chosen profession. Most co-workers were great to work with and were willing to do anything to make our jobs easier. We believed in working as a team but unfortunately Berkeley management was not willing to listen to different, creative ideas on how to make Berkeley College more appealing to students. The hardest part of the job was management having their employees call students two sometimes three times a day even though students, parents and counselors told us that they are not interested in Berkeley College. The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting and talking with different people on a day to day basis.

My typical day at work consisted of interviewing prospective students 
and in-school students at the financial aid office at Berkeley College. I loved my job because I had a chance to help them join Berkeley or
package them so they could continue their education.  I processed
the Pell Grants, New Jersey State Grants, student guaranteed
loans and private loans and cash plans.

I enjoyed working with my co-workers. We would help each other
if the office got very busy with students and worked very well as a
team.  I learned very much from the managers as I managed to work their for about three years.

The most difficult part of the job was when the next semester was about to start and the students were lined up all the way down the 
stairs to the first  floor and we packaged every student until closing
time.  I still remember the director buying us pizza while we continued
to work.  It was challenging but we managed to succeed.

The most enjoyable part of the job was when the company would throw us an end of the year party during the holidays.

Regarding joining Berkeley College as an employee in two words: Look elsewhere.

Regarding benefits:
The medical deductions are low, but you have to jump through a lot of hoops such as engage in health coach sessions and participate in health related activities in order to get a discount on health insurance. The trade off is that the in-network health insurance providers are very low tier and provide poor service. 401K Match and vesting schedule is tiered based on number of service years; after 5 years of service maximum annual 401K match is capped at $2,500.00 and fully vested by then. No sick days, only PTO Days given, also tiered based on number of years. PTO Days start at 17 days after year 1, 22 after year 2, 24 after year 5, 27 after year 10. Work days are 7 Hour long from 9 AM to 5 PM. There are summer Friday early dismissals at 1 pm starting July 1 and ending Aug. 31, however not all departments will be able to use this benefit due to workload and so it's assessed based on the departments needs.

A typical day included but not limited to running reports, motivating staff, meeting with new applicants, follow-up with current applicants, empowerment meetings with students, meeting with management staff in order to maximize our team's production. 
Time management is key. Positive energy is one of the most important factors to having a motivated staff.
Management was always extremely supportive. Our management team reflected a group of thinkers and doers. We worked with synergy to achieve our goals.
It was a great environment to work, with endless opportunities.
The hardest part of my job commuting 15 hours a week.
The most enjoyable part of my job was experiencing the success with my staff or with our students.

Berkeley prays on minorities and those who cannot get into colleges of their choice. They leave students with tons of debt and little room for professional growth after they have finished. This in turns means that they are eager to keep retention and graduation rates up just to keep a presence, provide a poor education not suited for today's market. In addition, upper management CFO's, COO's, VP's and owners like to keep pay and higher positions within their pool of friends (circle). Unprofessional work environment where VP's at the NYC Campus walk around cursing, ranting and raving in front of students, discuss race and politics during working hours. Hostile work environment should you feel the urge to contact HR,HR is friends with VP's and higher management. No true HR department to report to that is not compromised. CEO lets higher management handling front line staff do what ever they want..

Being with Berkeley College for ten years and working amongst supportive and encouraging team, a typical day for me includes assisting staff with questions, generating reports for Director and upper management. I assist with answering phones and directing calls to appropriate personnel, along with arranging information packets for staff for annual meetings, handle department’s accounts payable and update perspective student’s records in databases.  Throughout my career, I have learned to use different software that increases productivity as well as learned different techniques for customer support,   schedule prospects appointments for different locations, update calendars and support supervisors in directing staff, when needed.  In conclusion, the most enjoyable part of my job is assisting prospects to reach their educational goals.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Adjunct faculty 31 salaries reported	$3,349 per month
Adjunct instructor 7 salaries reported	$3,347 per month
Admissions associate 5 salaries reported	$52,500 per year
Faculty 6 salaries reported	$78,833 per year
Tutor 1 salary reported	$16.50 per hour

Working at Berkeley College: Company Overview and Reviews

Berkeley College

Berkeley College Ratings

Popular jobs at Berkeley College

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected