instructor

nursing instructor

hvac technician

program coordinator

assistant instructor

Porter and Chester Institute

Teaching at PCI has been an interesting journey. I planned on quitting this job so many times that I stopped counting. I'm grateful to have gained experience in teaching as this is what I love. The pay is great, which makes you want to continue on top of the joy of teaching to new nurses. However, there are many challenges. Firstly, when I started, I was being watched for some odd reason which was weird. I was warned from other Instructors that resigned right after my hire. Secondly, the students are intimidating, thinking they no more than you, and make very inappropriate comments. Some will lie and say they provided care in clinical and never did. They have bad and privileged attitudes. Thirdly, very inconsistent environment. One minute your told this, the policy says another, and changes are made without informing ALL staff. Then, your out of the loop. Months later you find out that there is a list of changes and you wonder how did I miss that I'm in attendance at all meetings. Fourthly, staff input not listened to from upper management they literally ignore you. No point voicing your concerns. They don't really care, it's about enrollments. Fifth, insurance is a high deductible plan, if you have kids your screwed! Six, I strongly believe there is discrimination as there is no staff diversity and many student complaints. Many complaints about Instructor attitudes and mistreatment. Seven, every instructor does things differently that when they move up a term, things are drastically different. They make you feel like your nursing skills are wrong, when its really not. Eight, many spend time talking about each other. Nine, many get burned out that they teach from the test and provide self studies. Ten, you spend so much time prepping and grading for 3 different courses that you begin to forget your schedule. Eleven, we are put in uncomfortable situations inconsiderably to look knowledge deficient in front of the students. Twelve, students know alot of personal information given voluntarily by Instructor. Thirteen, unrealistic expectations. Fourteen, lack lab resources. Fifteen, if your not in with the drama or stay away you feel like all eyes are on YOU. Sixteen, poor student-staff relationships. Seventeen, students complain all the time if your giving too much work or they don't agree. They run to your boss. Eighteen, prepare for student threats. Nineteen, very frustrating environment. Twenty, not enough staff for days off. No coverage. High turnover. Twenty one, small building hear every pen drop. Twenty two, you will be left alone in the building when its 2 people required to close. The list continues. Teaching is a good profession. The good part is your not breaking your back, your doing what you love, and your leading others. However, this job is mentally draining and will sometimes make you wonder if you have a mental illness. Think about how much you love to teach, because if your love out ways the info in this review go for it. Just prepare for what comes with it. Money is not everything.

Working in a management position, especially in a customer-focused role, has been both rewarding and challenging. One of the most positive aspects is the variety of responsibilities—each day is different, and there’s always something new to learn or handle, from overseeing customer satisfaction to managing team dynamics. The role has given me the chance to refine my leadership skills, especially in guiding teams toward peak efficiency and ensuring customer satisfaction.

On the team side, the experience of managing and mentoring employees has been deeply fulfilling. It’s rewarding to see team members grow and perform well under guidance, and I enjoy finding ways to create a positive, supportive atmosphere, even in high-stress environments like peak hours or during promotional activities.

Of course, there are challenges, particularly in balancing operational tasks like budgeting, inventory management, and payroll with the demands of customer service. It requires a lot of multitasking and attention to detail, which can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially during busy seasons. However, the support from coworkers and the sense of accomplishment when everything runs smoothly make it worthwhile.

Overall, the experience has helped me grow in my career and taught me valuable lessons in teamwork, customer relations, and operational management. It’s a great role for someone who enjoys a fast-paced environment and values both customer satisfaction and team development.

The Career Services Advisor position seems great on paper but comes with little to zero training. The instructors are fantactic, however, the administration is weak and insecure. They play favorites and when administration is called on their actions, they lie and begin the termination process. There are zero breaks and, after you are told to do your job and meet your numbers, admin steps in to put her two cents in because she wants it her way or no way. 
The programs in general seem to be scams. I was told to place people from auto in minimum wage jobs for the sake of meeting numbers. I did not agree with this, ethically. 

The resume templates appeared to be from older MS Word programs. The resume service that is offered is poor and is simply a dated template from years ago. The templates contained items that are not accepted on today's resumes and when I brought this to management's attention, I was told to use the school template.
Finally, there were students on SSDI and, if students began to earn, they would lose benefits. I had background and wanted to either counsel or refer to a non-profit that would be able to guide the student from SSDI.

That idea, too, was brushed aside. 

Like any other product; buyer beware.

Like any other company with a vacancy; applicant beware as well. 

All the negative reviews cannot be wrong...

We are a group of severely underpaid instructors teaching a group of overcharged students a canned and controlled mediocre curriculum. 
Many students lack basic math skills coming in and there is little room to bring them up to speed. We are not allowed to deviate from the set curriculum by much. The way the curriculum is set up is simply unrealistic, allowing some students a better start than others, depending on when they begin. 

We are licensed professionals that are not recognized as such by upper management in our pay or benefits. 

The school is constantly changing the program and we barely have time to learn one way before the next one is coming in for implementation. This confuses the students as well.

Porter and Chester has a poor reputation among the employers we are suppose to be sending these students out to. I am almost ashamed to be teaching here sometimes. 

In addition, their student services is a farce. They claim to have help for various life challenges for the students to support success, but all they do is tell them to call 211. This does nothing for a panicked homeless student with a child. 


As far as the school as a whole and the courses they provide, its a great school. This review is based on my experience as an employee in the Career Program Specialist position. I will start off by saying I do not recommend working for them. NO Diversity in Worcester office. All teachers and administrative staff are Caucasian. I believe they need to integrate more diversity as they are now located in a city, students need more role models and leaders to look up to and from my experience this is noticed by the students and they feel targeted as minority's. Complete LACK of management in Worcester office. Upper management is separated from 'rest of employees', black and white atmosphere. Typical admissions environment, terrible ADOA who is in love with herself. Turn over is high. Laid off people the week before Christmas in 2014. As far as retention for students is very hard as the students are coming from poverty which is another reason why they need to be more diverse. Great learning experience for me in terms of knowing what I want and need really out of a position.

Everyday I go into work teaching students the fundamentals and skills for a career I had for twenty years and loved. I lucky enough to be able to have an impact on my students, encouraging them, giving them confidence while motivating them to excel.

I have learned that while I am teaching my students a new career that in turn they as well teach me. Teaching isn't about feeding countless information to students, it's about making a connection with them, to listen to them as much as they are listening to you.

My co-workers are absolutely wonderful, I am lucky to work a group of individuals who are experts in their fields and are just as passionate as I am in teaching students their passions.

Management is very hands on and accessible, always willing to listen and share ideas on how we can improve as instructors.

I love teaching my students, it is very rewarding to be able to have such an impact on peoples lives because we are teaching these young adult skills to obtain a new career and in some cases a chance to better their lives. 

The hardest part is when the students you want to succeed the most quit.

PCI does not seem to understand the concept of clear communication.  They do not believe in cross training which is detrimental to any organization.  "Stay in your own lane" is their motto.  This lack of support often was detrimental to the students and that is plain wrong.  I never saw a pay raise in 3 years or a performance evaluation.  Instructors were offered no support, when I tried to assist them I was told by  coworker that it was not my job.  I was an Admin and that was exactly my job. Upper management had no respect or care for their employees. In my campus PCI had several outstanding Instructors I truly respected but during the restructuring they were treated extremely poorly and it was glaringly obvious  they were not valued by management.  HR sent out an email job offer to  one employee in corporate headquarters to the ENTIRE staff in error, and that offer was thousands above all other instructors.  Not a good message to send.  

I have worked at Porter and Chester for just over two years. My typical day consists of confirming appointment for the following day, meeting with new and potential students to discuss funding their education, running reports, completing assignments given to me by my supervisor, and covering the phone when necessary. There is a lot of variety in my day, allowing me to complete a variety of tasks, and I am constantly learning. I've been fortunate to have a supervisor with 10 years of financial aid experience, who is very generous with their knowledge. The hardest part of the job is when we have exhausted all options and are unable to fund a student. This does not happen often, but it's disappointing when it does. On the opposite side of that, helping someone change their life and prepare for a new career is a very rewarding part of my job, and seeing the happiness from a family when a student realizes what they are doing for themselves is immeasurable.

Very laid back atmosphere and it is for a good reason, management does not want to know what the issues are.  Work load  varies on days, if the supervisor has time to organize and structure duties.  Upper management is out of touch with the struggles of the various departments and the less they know for them the better. They do not address the issues with the students or the employees.

I learned that no matter how efficient you are at your job it means nothing here, and if you are a go getter and want to help out you will really be out the door.

There are some good people working here, who want to actually help the students and they try their hardest.   This is frowned upon if you have a supervisor / manager who is not on board with your ideas or enthusiasm. 

The culture here is do as many jobs as you can without complaining.  Do not expect to be compensated for other jobs you do.  Raises do not exist here or moving up the ladder.

The only thing I can say is that if you have your own office it is great, no one will even know you are there.

Every staff member is white, moving in to the city you would think there would be diversity in staff in order to create a comfortable atmosphere for students....nope. Only care is to enroll as many people as possible. Zero understanding/tolerance for people with families. 
Management is like a cult, its clear favoritism is played and even on conference calls its clear who the "pets" are. 
New admissions woman (Cambria) is very flirtatious with the male dominant population and favors men. She is obnoxious and rude, and can always be found piping down cigarettes next to the auto garage. 

Extreme turnover in staff is a major complaint from students as its confusing and uncomfortable for them.  Auto teacher was made Campus Director...with NO experience..Not family oriented whatsoever for staff or students. No raises. Terrible benefits. Retention rate for students is also very low.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Instructor 28 salaries reported	$29.15 per hour
Nursing instructor 4 salaries reported	$48.50 per hour
Hvac technician 8 salaries reported	$32.64 per hour
Program coordinator 6 salaries reported	$72,250 per year
Assistant instructor 11 salaries reported	$24.61 per hour

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