school program staff

member services representative

fitness instructor

swim instructor

program coordinator

YMCA OF PIERCE AND KITSAP COUNTIES

I worked in the Child Care branch of the Y, but the coworkers I worked with were great and the children were awesome for the most part. However, management was terrible. Coworkers (including me) would express our concerns to management and they would just take it with a grain of salt and not bother to find a solution together to fix the issue. They also stressed us to "be flexible", but the way management expected their workers to be flexible is ridiculous. They'll send you all over the city, if not, they'll send you to an even further city and coworkers constantly have to worry about where they'll be working for the day due to management's lack of communication. They'll always send you things and change schedules last minute without asking for the employees if they are available for that shift. Management wouldn't even make sure there were enough staff to cover you for your breaks, therefore I would still be at the worksite even when I am on my break. 

There aren't any opportunities to better your career here. I've worked there for over a year and new workers were already making more than what I was making.  

 
I’ve been around a lot of workplaces in my time, and the YMCA was hands down one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had. Don’t let all that feel-good community talk fool you—behind the scenes, it’s a chaotic circus run by people who either don’t care or don’t know what they’re doing. It’s all smoke and mirrors. The leadership loves spouting off about values and impact, but when you get into the thick of it, there’s zero follow-through and next to no support.

Hard work isn’t recognized or rewarded, communication is practically nonexistent, and everyone’s so busy showing off how “great” they are that they forget the whole point of the place. I’ve been in kitchens, I’ve done hands-on tough jobs, but I’ve never seen an organization that pretends to stand for community while treating its own staff like disposable cogs in a broken machine. Forget growth, forget learning—this is about surviving each day amid confusion, mixed messages, and disrespect.

If you’re expecting a positive environment aligned with the mission they push so hard on the outside, do yourself a favor: stay far away. Working at the YMCA wasn’t just disappointing—it was a complete waste of time and energy.

The culture is very welcoming and supportive, and management wants you to succeed in most cases. They want to find a place that fits you best, and there's a lot of upward and sideways mobility within the YMCA. Day-to-day can depend on the type of job you do, but it's usually pretty busy on most days with plenty to keep you occupied. There's always something to do, and when you have downtime you can connect with members, and coworkers, or sneak in something else. 
The free membership is a huge perk because you get to use all the facilities of any YMCA, plus attend YMCA classes. The pay is pretty good for part-time, and they're flexible with hours. It's a great place for students to get started, and the full-time positions are good for people looking for something solid and dependable. There's not a lot of remote work, it's mostly hands-on in your location.

If you are looking to get experience working with kids in a daycare setting despite having no experience, this might be a good place to start; however for me it was not worth it due to the way this county is managed. Even though I had specific hours scheduled for me to work, I was constantly getting asked to come in earlier to work longer as late as the literal day of my shift. I was also often getting sent out to do things that were not in my job description and had to drive myself as far as 40 minutes away. I never received reimbursement for gas or toll fees. Also because you do not get paid overtime, you have to take any extra hours worked as a "lunch break" in order to not work more than the allowed hours for the week. Which meant some people would be taking 1-5 hour unpaid "lunch breaks." Despite this they will still ask you to work later. 

Although the benefits package is unrivaled and staff receive great training in areas such as conflict resolution and facilitation skills, the culture itself is toxic. If you want autonomy, this is not the place for you to work. If you want to be treated respectfully inside of conflict, this will also frustrate you. The bottom line for this association is making or exceeding fundraising goals and staff come last in this equation.

You will be required to fund raise and it is a fixed part of everyone’s year-end evaluation, whether part or full time. They will also pressure you to donate. Unless they’ve changed the policies, you will be required to be lifeguard certified as a full time program director, no matter your position or department. Not everyone who is certified is even a competent swimmer.

The Y used to be a great job I loved coming to, but since covid and a change in management, things have gone quite down hill. They are more focused on the numbers than the quality of programming. They are understaffed, yet they keep increasing program numbers. Staff are spread so thin that everyone is overworked and exhausted. The work with members is rewarding, but my best advice is to set strong work life boundaries, or else they'll take advantage of your kindness. It is very disorganized, especially within the aquatics department. It becomes difficult to provide the quality of service you want with all these factors. It is pretty disheartening if you're someone who's in it for the community.

Towards the end, the only part I liked about the job were the people I worked with.

The YMCA has a great mission and the place to be for struggling families or families in the military. The Haselwood branch lacks proper management to see objectively and have advancement career opportunities. All full time staff are overworked. Staff appreciation to part time staff seems to be at the bottom of their list. All events are planned last minute and there is a lack of communication. Everything seems to be done last minute which raises the stress level of all employees. The branch focuses more on fundraising and meeting all money goals than training and educating staff.

I worked in the gym childcare and the managers and other employees were great. They really worked with your schedule and i enjoyed my job. The one downside is that the Y feels like a cult at times. You are forced to go to lots of Y training that basically just talks about how great the Y is and they regularly beg for money from their very poorly paid staff, The high up management is pretty snotty to the lowly employees but the direct managers are wonderful. 
You are paid pretty poorly, offered no benefits and chastised if you work too much, so no living wage being paid here.
The perk is you can bring your children if you have them.

At 4:30 am on Monday and Wednesdays I clock on and go out onto the pool deck, and make sure all of the pool equipment is in the proper place and set up neatly. I've learned a lot, especially more about team work and how much we really do depend on one another for certain things. The hardest part of this job is honestly, just sitting around in a chair watching people swim, instead of doing paperwork or anything else to keep busy. The most enjoyable part of my job for me, is honestly really communicating and relating to members on a personal level and getting to know more about them.

YMCAPKC is a welcoming and friendly environment to work in. Daily, members visit the facility to improve their fitness and wellness goals. As a Member Services Representative we work to welcome members into the facility, assist members with membership issues and provide resources on Y programs.  All in all, promoting development, growth and support for all members in their health and wellness journey. A very fulfilling environment, with understanding management and teamwork from coworkers. As well as transferable skills in customer service, problem solving and interpersonal communication skills. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
School program staff 36 salaries reported	$20.77 per hour
Member services representative 47 salaries reported	$18.51 per hour
Fitness instructor 38 salaries reported	$19.87 per hour
Swim instructor 44 salaries reported	$17.87 per hour
Program coordinator 17 salaries reported	$20.29 per hour

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