support associate

care manager

direct support professional

specialist

direct support associate

The Arc of North Carolina

Routine days included checking email and correspondence.  Attended to official or organizational duties, as needed.  Responded to family needs, concerns and inquiries.  Made referrals and researched resources for families and professionals.  Brief meeting with  staff to discuss programming issues and family issues.  Researched grant opportunities and wrote grants or letters requesting support.  My management style was family centered and consisted of problem-solving with families, professionals and coworkers. 
Co-workers were committed and passionate about our charge to supporting families and individuals impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Their initiative was an important factor in our success.  The most difficult parts of the job were ever changing needs and priorities, lack of staffing and of board direction.  The most enjoyable parts of the job were interacting with families and individuals in an effort to help them identify resources and strategies to enhance their capacity to care for and nurture their families. In the case of working with adults, our goal was to help them live as independently as they could (residentially, vocationally and in community access and participation)
My experience encouraged growth for me in becoming more non-judgmental, empathetic, accountable and in touch with real issues today for many of our fellow citizens.

The best part of this job was the experience it put on my resumé. Other than that, it was not a pleasant experience. 

While I thoroughly enjoyed most of the people I worked with, it just wasn't enough to keep me around. As a Resource Community Guide, you are expected to carry caseloads of 40-50 families, bill for each one monthly through Medicaid, and much more for pay that is much less than a living wage. $12/hr is nowhere near enough to live on in the Triangle and the expectations put on you are similar to case management, a job that would otherwise pay $35-$40,000 a year. 

Upper management is paid A LOT while people doing the heavy lifting and grunt work typically work 2nd and 3rd jobs in addition to this one, full-time. No one should be working full-time and not be able to live off of what they make. That's horrifying. For an organization that is supposedly devoted to advocacy, there is very little advocacy from upper management for the fair compensation of their employees. Additionally, for all of the expectations placed on employees, it is very difficult to get consistent information from supervisors on how to do specific aspects of the job. 

Again, for the sake of experience, this is a good job to have temporarily. But there is a reason the turnover rate is SO high. I wish I had better things to say, but I did not feel I was given the full truth in what to expect from the job when I was first being considered for the position I eventually was hired for, and that is the recurring issue with the new people constantly being brought on.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part of working at The Arc is meeting and helping people who have no idea about the type of assistance that is available for them. Being able to actually see an individual benefit from services and improve their quality of life is the most rewarding experience. Love when things come together for the families. Also, having a great work team makes coming to work more enjoyable. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
I'm not really sure what the most stressful part of working at The Arc would be. For me, definitely it would be not being able to assist families but haven't had that issue. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is good and everyone gets along. My supervisor is very helpful and keeps us on task. She also tries her best to have special events or times where we all can eat together and fellowship, office parties or other events. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Most times on the computer completing paperwork (assessments, plans, etc.), working in various systems, making and answering phone calls, collaboration with coworkers on shared members, going out for home visits meeting the family and being in the community. Creating and developing plans, etc.

I’ve been with the Arc for almost 8 years. 
I absolutely love what I do. I think it takes a true passion and calling for this field. 
The flexibility is great. That’s might not be the case for everyone because the relationship you have with your clients families really determines how flexible it can be. For me, my families love me and have  adopted me and my children as part of their family. So if I need time off for something I get it with no problems. 
That being said, I get no benefits whatsoever. No gas mileage reimbursement. No pto, no insurance, no 401k. Nothing. I drive my person around to do the things we are required to do using my own gas. If my person is out of town on vacation, that means I can’t work and I don’t get paid for the hours lost. If I want to go to vacation, I have to go it without pay.  I went 7 years without a pay raise. You have to do notes each day on your own time without pay. The require multiple trainings each year and only pay minimum wage to sit through these classes.  
Also you don’t get a break. Not one time have I ever gotten a 30 min break or 15 min break. 
You do the job of a CNA. Everything I do with the exception of driving around with my people I did as a CNA. But you don’t get the pay for it. At all.


I started working for this client because the family needed help. The other caregiver working for this family was working 6 days a week. In the beginning everything was fine. I finished all my training, I really enjoyed helping the family and for like 3  days I was ‘Shadowing’ this caregiver because she was showing me how to deal with this particular client. When it was My first day to take Care of  him on my own.. out of nowhere the mother told me she thinks the client is too much for me to handle him in the community and it’s “not going to work out.” Remind you, the supervisor was there she said she can find me another family and she doesn’t have anyone for me to go to. I was upset mainly because the mother was so happy to finally get help, someone that was reliable, got along with her son and trusted. You need all this help but won’t accept it . Everyone gets to this client and then, leaves because he’s too much to handle to most people. It was very inconsiderate and unprofessional the way this all was presented. I wouldn’t recommend this company for anyone.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Very low pay, nepotism in hiring. You will be overworked.  The leadership only cares about what VR will pay them for. They are not at all interested in their clients wellbeing, only on what they can bill for. 
Ultimately,  it didn't align with my values and I was living paycheck to paycheck anyways.


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
End of month documentation 
No guidance
Left to solve it all

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Respectful, but fake culture. I routinely overhead my manager discussing me and other people's job performances while waiting an hour to actually meet with my boss (who called me in for a meeting) I had to sit and wait in the conference room. One day what I had to overhear was truly insulting.  I started applying elsewhere.
I never truly understood how people communicate at that organization. It made me so tired and burnt out.

The Arc Believes in the principals of Self Determination and equality for all people regardless if they are a person with Developmental Disabilites. The Arc strives to insure equal rights and inclusion into the mainstream of society while bettering the lives of people with disablities. Everyone serves as a team working together with one common mission to improve the quality of life for others. The most enjoyable part of the job is the sweet reward of helping others through a genuine concern of their lives. All people should feel important and not discrminated against. DD is the leading minority in the Country. The Arc is determined to establish equal rights for all.

I loved working there as a one on one worker, paid not a great salary but not bad.  Supervisor was great as were co-workers, and compensation for mileage was fair.  When I moved into Case Management, I felt underpaid, and the pressures of state mandated financial cuts in pay, as well as production quotas made it unpleasant.  Our local office felt fine to work in, but our higher ups seemed to be completely detached from the issues involved in our day to day jobs.  Hardest part of the job was probably being on call with difficult clients.  You could never really count on being stress free- there was always a very real (though to be fair infrequent) chance that you'd have to take someone for psychiatric care in the middle of the night.

There is no room for advancement and Management does not focus on staff development in the least. Training is almost non-existent and you can forget about getting appropriate clinical supervision to do your job. Even when you offer to take on additional projects, your talents are not utilized. Most people stay because the work is flexible- you mostly support people in their communities so you can work from home or the office. Not all staff are treated fairly and the only programs Management seems to care about are the ones that make money. Every level of management only cares about keeping their job and "flying under the radar" so they don't get in trouble.

I worked M-F 8:30 to 5 with the opportunity to work from home as needed. I have the flexibility to take time off for kids school, doctor and other priorities. The management team was very supportive and The Arc created an environment where each team member was able to be created and share ideas to better the work place. The hardest part of the job was working with families who were not willing to change, accept help, or feel as if they were entiled to the benefits. The most enjoyable part of the job was working with the individuals and seeing the positive change and personal growth.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Support associate 24 salaries reported	$16.08 per hour
Care manager 27 salaries reported	$48,500 per year
Direct support professional 16 salaries reported	$15.69 per hour
Specialist 7 salaries reported	$39,393 per year
Direct support associate 50 salaries reported	$17.20 per hour

Working at The Arc of North Carolina: Company Overview and Reviews

The Arc of North Carolina

The Arc of North Carolina Ratings

Popular jobs at The Arc of North Carolina

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected