cosmetology instructor

instructor

educator

shift leader

retail advisor

Neill Corporation

My experience working at Aveda Institute Seattle was very disappointing. unfortunately my experience was very negative. While the Aveda name carries strong brand recognition, the internal culture does not reflect the values that the brand promotes.

There is a significant lack of support from leadership, both on-site and from corporate and regional management. Many decisions are made by individuals who are not present in the day-to-day operations, which creates a disconnect between leadership and the staff working directly with students. Communication often felt inconsistent, and staff concerns were rarely addressed in a meaningful way.

Work-life balance is essentially nonexistent. Employees are frequently expected to stay past closing hours to meet enrollment targets or continue working with prospective students. Boundaries around work hours are not respected, which creates ongoing stress and burnout.

Another major issue is that job expectations are often unclear or constantly shifting. The role you are hired for may not reflect the work you actually end up doing, as responsibilities outside of your job description are regularly added without proper support or compensation.

The environment is also extremely numbers-driven. There is heavy pressure to enroll students, sometimes at the expense of employee wellbeing or a realistic workload. At the same time, the organization appears more focused on cutting costs than investing in improvements that would benefit students, staff, or the overall learning environment.

Turnover is very high across multiple departments, not just admissions or financial aid. Many employees leave because they feel unsupported, undervalued, and blamed for issues outside of their control.

Operationally, the campus setup can also be challenging. Staff may be required to work between multiple buildings, and some offices are located in basement-level spaces that do not feel like a supportive or professional work environment.

Overall, the most positive aspect of the job is simply the recognition of the Aveda brand name. Unfortunately, the internal culture and leadership structure do not reflect that reputation.


The time that I spent working at Neill Corporation was an amazing experience. I did not know much about the beauty industry prior to me starting but quickly fell in love with the Aveda products and the company as a whole.  They provided lots of training and for the most part cared and valued their employees. I left the company for personal reasons and in good standing and WAS probably one of their biggest fans. I appreciated what I THOUGHT was a company who was about personal growth and advancement, but was proven to be very wrong. I was given the contact information of both recruiters during my exit interview and was told "You are definitely the type of employee we would love to have..." 

I would like to tell anyone that is considering applying for any job with Neill Corporation that it is an amazing opportunity and great company to grow with. Unfortunately, if you ever want to advance your career DO NOT apply for to many jobs within the company and DO NOT ever leave, because it will be held against you in the long-run by the Talent and Acquisition staff. 

I went from being the perfect candidate for re-hire to "not being CULTURALLY fit"(I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that statement means considering I was once apart of that culture). Im  not even sure why the Talent and Acquisition staff post so many jobs and then turn away people who have proven themselves and actually want to work.

I was an amazing hard worker that had a little bit to much drive and ambition to further my career and advance with this company.

Don't believe the hype of this company! Always held Aveda to high standards until I worked there and then I questioned why anyone would want to go there as a student or as an employee. If you have any experience then you are looked at as negative. If you have a family and want to spend time with them that's negative. The best part of working here as an Educator was the students and the relationship with some of the educators. You had to be careful which educators to be friends with because there were cliques between the Asst Director and the Educator Coach and other Educators. Educator Coach was horrible she didn't focus on the building of her team of Educators. The Regional Director doesn't care about his staff at all. It's a business that is solely built off of nepotism and favortism. I pretty sure that the founder of Aveda Horst Rechelbacher is turning in his grave at the mockery his vision has become. If you are a kiss up then this is the place for you but if you actually have morals and some standards then don't bother applying. There is a lack of compassion for the educators, students, and retail advisors.

DO NOT waste your time working for this company. You basically sell them your soul for no pay off in the end! They try to slap a non compete on you also, dont sign it! They only pay their interns 7.25 per hour. They time gate their employees and make it nearly impossible to get out of their training program . They do not care about the wellbeing of their employees and you will not make enough to provide any time of living for yourself.  The same rules do not apply for all interns.Extreme favoritism is shown to those who are more creative than others.  Their is no consistancy in the structure of the intern program, it has changed 3 times in just the passed two years. The internship program took me 10 months to finish once the program is completed they then only open your books up ONE day a week until you can fill that day for 3 weeks .  There is a child running the one in Perkins Rowe who is never there and dont bather asking her for anything she cant and wont help you.. The mentors do not have the interns best interest at heart, if they see a intern ask completion they will immediately target him or her. What they do not want you to know, Stylist at salons all over are making more than they do with this company and it is not work all the BS.

Never in my life have I experienced so many redundant meetings lectures and trainings where people go through the motions and make plans they'll never follow through with and espousing of values and passing of bucks onto whomever is on the bottom that day. Every department, and all the students had a place to eat lunch-except Guest Services. We had to eat in our cars or outside in the Texas heat, or offsite -unless we wanted to be eyeballed for eating in another department's space. I spent so much time documenting every single huddle, meeting, and coaching session by the time I was finished the day was 2/3 gone.
For all the faux inclusion there was an awful lot of bullying. You'd think all the endless personality tests, 360° evaluations, "how to get along training", crayola markers, and colorful charts would result in a less toxic place to be in; but no. 
Your spare time and money will be appropriated for various team building events and charity donations. Your time isn't your own.
Religious overtones and undertones. Jesus was a regular topic. 
Pay was competitive but I had to negotiate hard. Decent benefits 


I’m sure it depends on where you work and what your job title is, but I have found working for Neill to be an overall positive experience. 

I think compensation could be better based the responsibilities we have as educators and the high likelihood of burnout but I think that goes for all educators in the US. The fact that everyone needs a second job is sad for the amount of work everyone puts in.

I do usually feel heard when I bring up concerns, and I feel respected as an individual overall, though I sometimes feel like I am met with corporate-speak which can be frustrating. But I also don’t think that would be different at any other company.

I think it is a very fulfilling job for certain types of people, but it’s definitely not a job for everyone. 

This was the worst job I have ever had. I would not recommend this place to anyone! I write this only to warn others that think of applying here. I loved my role, but the upper management was horrible. They have incredibly unrealistic expectations, on the staff and the students. They are unreasonable with their deadlines. They LOVE meetings (not good when you have a deadline to meet!). They ultimately do not care at all about your personal life, family obligations, etc. Aveda should be your #1 at all times. There is a huge turnover at this location for this reason. (This may not apply to other Aveda Institutes - i speak of the one in Baton Rouge.)

A typical day at work was 100 % productivity.  I learned many things at Neill including personal growth.  Management was amazing until leadership changes occurred in 2015.  Workplace culture was unified and successful until 2015.  The hardest part of the job was remaining focused on task at hand as many interruptions and critical issues came up daily.  In that we were offered courses on how to prioritize tasks by level of importance and deadlines.  The most enjoyable part of the job was the culture of individuality and the passion which the top leadership, Neill family demonstrated when it came to the industry and to the world around us.

A typical work day may include meeting with potential students to help them set goals & tour the campus, attending career fairs on occasion day & evenings, assisting my campus & other campuses with inbound & outbound calls, booking appointments & tours. Assisting with all aspects of the application process. Great management & creative amazing co-workers/team. The hardest part of the job is meeting goals or expectations when student interest declines. The most enjoyable part of the job is helping potential students decide if the beauty industry is the place for them and working with super creative people with dynamic personalities.

As an educator you have to remember why you do what you love. To have positive impacts on lives. Teach, guide and inspire. But when you work for a company that does not share your same outlook and passion it is very frustrating. Company feels that the guest is first priority which is false. The student is first. Without a successful student the guest suffers the consequences . In order for an educator to be successful we must produce successful students. If the educator is not given the support, tools and knowledge the student will not be successful. Without the student the company will fail.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cosmetology instructor 7 salaries reported	$30.34 per hour
Instructor 6 salaries reported	$31.45 per hour
Educator 2 salaries reported	$32.73 per hour
Shift leader 18 salaries reported	$58,657 per year
Retail advisor 9 salaries reported	$15.86 per hour

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