Smoke and Mirrors - Admissions Specialist - Remote Penn Foster Group Employee Review

1.0
18 Jul 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

There are no pros here.

Cons

The emails from HR seem professional, but over time, you will find that they are dishonest. New hire paperwork never included W-4 State and Federal Tax Withholding, nor any pay preference info like entering direct deposit information or Section I-9 verification which is very suspect because that information 'should' be completed before a new hire even starts in training. Day 1 came and went and none of that information was asked of us. Company equipment is shipped to you ---if you ever receive it. Penn Foster shipped mine---a monitor, laptop, charger, mouse and headset---all sent to -------- the wrong address. Rather than man up and apologize to me, Penn Foster pointed the blame on UPS. No excuses because Penn Foster had a copy of my Driver's License a week before starting which clearly showed my accurate address. When I inquired with Penn Foster what had happened, I was told by HR at Penn Foster that the blame lay clearly on the heads of UPS who Penn Foster claims delivered the equipment to the wrong address. I verified for myself. UPS happily sent me a copy of the label clearly showing that UPS delivered to the address that Penn Foster printed on the label, so the fault actually laid clearly on the heads of Penn Foster, not UPS. They seemed non-concerned when I advised them that the equipment had not been received, made no efforts in a 3 day period to get replacement equipment shipped. If a company does not seem to care when their company equipment is compromised, that---to me---speaks volumes that they probably won't care about their employees or their concerns either. For me, too many lies by a company is like a 3 strikes--you're out--- type of thing. It's a red flag. I demand honest transparency and every day, there was 'something else' or just 'one more thing' that they were not honest about. After the 3rd lie (strike), they were out. I moved on. A lot of lies, smoke and mirrors. They always want you to accommodate them and are always giving you an ultimatum but never putting the needs of the employees in the same urgent category.

Explore other reviews about Penn Foster Group

5.0
16 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great leadership, smart and ambitious team members.

Cons

Work load can be a lot if you're a part of the smaller teams

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Penn Foster Group Response
8mo
Thank you for your feedback and for recognizing our leadership and talented team members! We are continually evaluating workload distribution to ensure employees feel supported and set up for success. We appreciate you sharing your perspective as we work to maintain a balanced and collaborative work environment for all.
1.0
1 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexibility PTO No Weekends or Late Nights Free Education though it may not be useful elsewhere Occasional Overtime Megan is the best manager and most knowledgeable fire everyone else!

Cons

Working at Penn Foster is like being in a high school… bratty cliques filled with drama and bullying. Management won’t do much until ish hits the fan which is what they clearly want to happen. Pay is outdated and doesn’t reflect current real world economy. for instance I’ve worked here for 2 years and throughout my duration I’ve always had to work a second job because they don’t pay us enough to pay our bills! Therefore causing exhaustion and burnout. The promotions/raises we were promised we didn’t receive. Then the excuse became we didn’t guarantee that we could do them in December… okay so the entire department of LSAs are lying? Got it lol. Management is clueless and they don’t listen we know what’s needed to make the company and our department better for students but they still choose to do what they want. We receive useless updates to things that no one asks for which then breaks something else that wasn’t broken! Either listen to the people on the frontlines or go bankrupt and out of business! Bereavement time is not long enough 3 days to deal with the death of an extremely close loved one. 3 days to try to prevent yourself from crying or having breakdowns. I’ve been here 2 Years and have lost two loved ones and still showed up not just for the company, my coworkers but for the students also. That needs to change. Outsourcing to save costs. We’ve started outsourcing work to the Philippines to help with costs. The downside is they speak broken English as it’s not their first language, students call in our chat in and they think they’re being scammed and they’ll literally call in again until they get an American and this is feedback from the students directly! Not only are we outsourcing, but it’s us LSA’s who now have to train them (no additional pay or incentives) for what seems like probably taking our job. We have brought this up to management every Department meeting that we’ve had and they say the same thing, but no one believes that our jobs are not threatened for the cheaper labor. As the previous Department before hours was created, was literally dismantled for our department to be created. Resulting in layoffs of pretty much the entire department so with us having that knowledge, we don’t believe that our jobs are safe, and if you are looking at applying, neither should you. If you have anxiety or any mental health issues, this is also not the place for you if you make HR aware of it, they will do what they can but at the end of the day you will usually still get written up, etc. I have anxiety disorder, and I have had anxiety disorder for years however, this job has contributed to me having more anxiety. For the last two years, I have literally poured my soul & entire being into this job into being someone in this company within this company, and I used to feel like people understood that but then I felt like it fell on deaf ears. There have literally been nights where I have come home and I just cry because I’m so frustrated with things at work, the changes at work, or the lack of listening at work and that’s when I know it’s time for me to go when I am no longer happy clocking into work and ready to help students every day. It went from a passion to just a job. Being looked over at work for special projects, etc. Getting iced out by management where they don’t even mention things to you in a conversation things that they know you would be interested in, but instead they have favoritism so they don’t even choose you or even mention you when it comes to projects because they already have it made up in the back of your mind. Who’s their number two or go to person is going to be.

1
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Penn Foster Group Response
1mo
Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and for the dedication you brought to supporting our learners during your time with Penn Foster Group. We recognize the passion our team members bring to their work, and we appreciate hearing feedback from employees who have invested so much of themselves in our mission. We're glad to hear that aspects of the employee experience, including flexibility and educational benefits, were meaningful to you. At the same time, we're disappointed to learn that your overall experience did not meet your expectations. We are committed to fostering a workplace where employees feel heard, respected, and supported. We welcome feedback and encourage open dialogue between employees and their leaders so that concerns, ideas, and opportunities for improvement can be discussed constructively. We appreciate the contributions you made during your time with Penn Foster Group and wish you the very best in your future endeavors.
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