Pros
Day to day In-studio is pretty easy for the pay. Pay is amazing for the industry. It’s what keeps you there. They basically pay you to stay and put up with their ish. If this job paid $15/hour, turnover would be 5x higher. You get to interact with HQ and see how a company is run which is cool. I learned a lot at this job that I don’t think I could have learned so quickly elsewhere - (kind of like when they throw a kid in the water to teach them to how to swim…)
Cons
HR and HQ are a joke. Working here reminds me of when they say “don’t meet your hero.” I thought this company was cool at first, but then I worked for them and peeked behind the curtain. Not inclusive like they say they are. Racism is tolerated, borderline Sexual Harassment, Verbal Abuse, and more were reported and absolutely nothing happened. “Zero tolerance” policy is a joke. The Queer community at Studs are frontline tokens and nothing more. Diversity within HQ is lacking and we all see it. There’s an uncomfortable hierarchy, too. In my experience, I’ve seen top talent leave the company due to HQs allowance of insubordination, lack of safely measures (for both clients and staff) and pure chaos (lack of formal FOH training). Piercers are treated differently than FOH. I’ll leave that there too. Growth is limited if you don’t live in NY. Overall, I’d explore your options. Know your worth. Are you okay wearing the Golden handcuffs at the expense of your mental health, work life balance, and potential safety? Who knows, maybe you’ll work here and your experience will be different—maybe things have changed by now. Best of luck, and remember, you are Kenough.