youth mentor

lifeguard

school program staff

swim instructor

team member

Greater Philadelphia YMCA

As someone who has worked with young people for 15 years, I applied to work here in 2023. I was initially excited because its the YMCA and has a national reputation for being a strong organization. Sadly, I was disappointed in this location as I did not feel the company nor many of the staff at this location who worked summer camp were invested in the mission. My position was with the oldest student group.  I chose this group because I enjoy older students, they can be great conversationalists and have interesting perspectives as they come into their own. However, the camp did not offer enough for older students. Because the camp has a rinse and repeat style of programming, campers who had been there their whole lives are easily bored, and in turn, become very mischievous if not constantly given lots to do. The problem is the company does spend the money they make on camp. This is not a broke organization. However, the camp runs on a shoestring budget despite this particular site being the camp's main site.  The kids went on the same trips yearly, which for many gets tedious. How many times can you visit the Link before getting bored with it?  Camp counselors are expected to create a much more magical experience than is possible with little to work with, especially depending on the age. The schedule the Y adheres to for camp does not give much consideration to older campers doing things quickly and not needing 45 min for most activities.  We spent most time trying to fill the time, not even in constructive ways, but in ways to keep the kids from being destructive. Even the specialists could only keep kids so invested because things are so repetitive. 
As for the pay, the pay is trash. As someone with 16 years experience, I took the pay because I typically enjoy summer camps. However, for the amount of nonsense at the Y with kids talking back, being incredulous with every aspect of their place as campers (arguing about cleaning up, arguing about the schedule, arguing about doing anything to break up the tedium of the day), the pay is not enough. I also had a wanderer of a co-counselor who often disappeared throughout the day, leaving me with 25+ kids alone on more than one occasion. My 3rd co-counselor came in during the later part of the day for most of camp due to obligations with another job, so was there to support during the end of the day. The director was aware of the issues with counselors leaving groups, listening to air pods, and being on their phones (face timing) while with campers, yet there was never any disciplinary action from admin. It was frustrating as the Y pushed 'no cell phones' for students, but practically impossible to reinforce that when counselors are doing what the students are not to be doing with no repercussions. In my previous camp experience, staff were written up for having phones, as students can get hurt or worse if an adult is on their phone on the job. The standard seemed to be fairly low, but then if something happened, staff were blamed when there was no administrative guidance or modeling. I actually quit the camp a few days before my tenure ended because I was very frustrated with the organization. I did not feel my efforts were being matched regarding trying to plan and execute a camp experience that would be positively memorable. Staff and campers were often left to their own devices, which can be overwhelming. I've been cussed at my children because of lack of discipline and follow up. I never had an experience like that in any previous camp experience. I wrote up one camper for cussing at me and another counselor, and he was ultimately rewarded with being allowed to pie a counselor in the face just because he had enough Y Bucks for it. It was very evident that my place there meant nothing and my efforts and professionalism was not appreciated. There was also lack of follow up from the director when I emailed her I wasn't returning. She and I crossed paths that day on numerous occasions, and she never spoke to me or called me to check in, which I found egregiously unprofessional. Very disappointing experience.  

The only good positions are Pre-K Counts which is technically separate from the YMCA itself. It is extremely hard to get pay increases. I was shocked to discover that there were many senior employees who have been with the Y for decades and remained at entry level pay. The childcare centers specifically have revolving directors who cannot manage the facilities properly due to upper management that won't let them make necessary changes. Majority of upper management have bully-like behaviors, as they are consistently rude and unhelpful to staff as a whole. Maybe the YMCA is good for kids who want Kid Zone/Camp jobs... but this is not a place you can build a career in. Maybe in higher up positions you could make decent pay. Even then- the workplace culture and lack of support is not worth it. Many childcare centers are old and need updates. Because of this, the facilities/classrooms are run down. I wish this review could end here but unfortunately there's more. The childcare centers are not designed in a way that is developmentally appropriate. The bright colors on the walls such as periwinkle, sun yellow, dark blue, lime green, etc,. These colors being mixed and pasted everywhere is extremely overstimulating for the children. The classrooms have not been updated since long before covid. There are many toys in rooms that are simply junk because they are old, broken and/or not developmentally appropriate. 

The job itself is easy enough, but there has been major turnovers in management fairly consistently. For the most part management is blind to the concerns of the staff here, and they only seem to care about keeping the members happy and turning a meager profit(Which they heavily struggle to do either). On top of all this there is constant workplace drama, betrayals, love triangles, and other such nonsense on the daily.

They also allow potential lifeguards and swim instructors to cut corners when it comes to their training. A lot of the people who are teaching classes are not even certified to do so. Multiple lifeguards cannot even grab a ten pound rubber brick from the bottom of the pool, and have been employed for months despite this. Some of the lifeguards and swim instructors can barely even swim.

I would give one star, but the pay is above minimum wage with flexible hours, and the gossip can be funny sometimes.

Management was not supportive dealing with branch and changes that needed to be implemented. Staff at branch was not on the same page as the association office. Branch seems to be running its own show, not following guidelines in place by association. Maintenance items were ever present, poor morale among staff, understaffed constantly. 
A typical day began at 5:45am at one location, visiting other locations throughout the day and ending the day at 6pm. In the evening, it was interview calls and paperwork to bring more staff on board. 
Business Manager at this branch was hostile creating a hostile work environment in which she undermined authority constantly. 
The workplace culture at this branch was if you were here before the Association took over you were not welcome. 
Manager clearly had no prior experience in managing other managers... it was a unique experience...not one that I would recommend to anyone.

I’ve experienced some of the worst managers ever at the Y, every facility is different, there’s no best practices “management model” at any of them and the really bad managers still get promoted! I’ve been “body shamed”,  there’s favoritism, ageism, which equated to serious lack of advancement.  On the flip side I had an absolutely amazing manager who’s door was always open, was fair and honest, tried new things, no favoritism, helped everyone advance in their career and education.  This was a rare find.  Choose wisely what facility you work for, if you find management to be lacking quickly move on to another facility.  Bad managers at the Y never go away, only the great managers move on to better positions and other fitness companies, follow the great managers even if they leave the Y!

The supervisors provide no clear direction or consistency in their work expectation goals. They provide no real training or communication, but will text you at 6am telling you you have to be at a work meeting in Collegeville by 8am the same day. The meetings are usually focused on getting staff to use their personal vehicles to transport heavy boxes to different YMCA locations.  Direct questions asked via email are not responded to in a timely manner, if they are responded to at all.  The job you apply for will be nothing like the job you are told you have to do. You are expected to be on call 24/7 and your job description, directives, and work location are apt to change sporadically.You will spend more in gas and public transit than you will make.

Working here was one of the most disappointing experiences I’ve had professionally. I put in countless hours, went above and beyond for the team, and truly cared about the work — but management made it an extremely difficult and toxic environment. There was very little support, poor communication, and no appreciation for the time and effort employees put in.
The lack of respect and professionalism from leadership was disheartening, especially when so many of us worked hard to keep things running smoothly despite constant disorganization and unrealistic expectations.
If you’re considering working here, know that your dedication may go unnoticed and unappreciated. I learned a lot about my own resilience, but I wouldn’t recommend this company unless management makes serious changes in how they treat their employees.

A typical day for site lead involved administrative duties, meetings, and afterschool programming. Management at the district level is unhelpful and find a way to cover their bottoms. Their sites are always short staff, so you find yourself out of ratio more often than not.  They can't afford to lose Gs and AGs so they allow the to do whatever from no call no shoes to sleeping on the clock. District managers promise to come be of assistance to your site, then calls with a reason why they can't make it. There is no communication or transparency among colleagues or district leads. Everything they do is a surprise or smack in the face.  The most enjoyable part is working with the children. The hardest part is getting support from supervisors.

I've worked at summer camps before, one for three years. I learned more at YMCA Audubon than in my previous experience. The pay is good, and the hours are steady. My co-workers were very nice. Managers are approachable, and supportive. Sometimes the hours felt long, and there were difficult situations. I had to learn how to work with kids who felt things differently. It was a challenging, but ultimately helpful lesson. The day went by pretty quickly. Two days out of the week, the kids go swimming. There are field trips as well. Those can be fun for both the counselors and children. You are properly trained, and you're never expected to do more than you can handle. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working with and for the volunteers, members and community to promote health, wellness community progress.  Also the passionate staff that were committed to doing the same.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Summer Camp - finding a way to meet the growing needs of the community to have a fun and safe place for their children to be during the summer at an affordable cost while they go to work.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
always exciting

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
being the financial gatekeeper, meeting with all directors to make sure they are on track with their budget goals and responsibilities while meeting with needs of the membership base

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Youth mentor 224 salaries reported	$16.80 per hour
Lifeguard 111 salaries reported	$15.20 per hour
School program staff 11 salaries reported	$21.46 per hour
Swim instructor 70 salaries reported	$14.48 per hour
Team member 72 salaries reported	$13.23 per hour

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