Pearson Education Reviews

I worked at Pearson Education as an intern for less than a year

Pros – This is a 8 week scheme (12 weeks if you are applying for the Journalism stream) which allows to you to gain insight into one aspect of the business, whether it in marketing, corporate communications or accounting. Interns are allocated a place in the FT, Pearson International or Penguin

Cons – Not many, as I really enjoyed my time there. One con is that you have to actively seek long-term employment with them, which is difficult as you only have 8 weeks there to prove yourself.
I am also not sure where interns would be allocated a Penguin internship now that they are merging with Random House.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Pearson Education full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Nice work environment at Harlow, mediocre at 80 Strand, poor at 190 High Holborn
Outstanding benefits, health insurance, contributory pension scheme, sharesave scheme, gym membership - you do pay for some of these but the tax is offset.
Death in service benefit is immense.
Fantastic people.
Management tends to be flexible and fair.
Good HR dept.
Internal communications and personal development reviews are mostly effective.

Cons – Can be political.
Blaggers seem to go far up into the upper echelons.
Often a poor cross-matrix integration - lots of re-inventing the wheel.
Little or no industry certification training.
Frequent acquisitions bring constant change and redundancies.
Matrix style operation reduces the ability to effect big change quickly.

Advice to Senior Management – Introduce formal certifications for staffers - ITIL, CIPD, SCRUM, MSCE etc.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Pearson Education full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Strong company with plenty of resources
Good employees who know and understand publishing
Some nice facilities in the Harlow branch (café, gym, library) not amazing, but there.

Cons – Too many cooks. Decision making is very hard as there are too many people involved in the process.
Some members of management are just ingrained and there because they haven't left rather than due to merit.
There's a Pearson way of doing things which you need to learn should you come from another publisher. It takes a while.
There's a nasty uncurrent of office politics and plenty of things done behind closed doors.

Advice to Senior Management – Give the employees more autonomy. Don't promote people just because they've been there forever. Look at whether managers are actually any good at managing.

– I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Pearson Education full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Some talented and committed people, and many people who are real Pearson 'lifers'. Never worked anywhere where so many people have been there 10+ years!
A feeling that the company's products are genuinely benefiting the world.

Cons – ..but expect to be worked very hard. Work/life balance where I worked was v poor.
Salaries need to be improved across the board.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I worked at Pearson Education full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Company is really on top of the market and great people too. Wish I opted in for the share options! The company is quite loyal to it's people.

Cons – Some poor local management decisions but nothing major. Very poor bonus - a bit of an insult to be honest.

Advice to Senior Management – Provide opportunities to move around the Pearson Group

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pearson Education full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – I've been with Pearson for over ten years and continue to look forward to many great years. Salary could be slightly improved to match current market. However, great people and great working environment are a huge plus.

Cons – Certain time-to-market based products can be overwhelming and requires everyone to pitch in as needed. However, the end results are great products for all age groups.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

I have been working at Pearson Education

Pros – Work from home sometimes, travel but mostly no overnights, great place to start a career.

Cons – Competitive, difficult market in transition

I have been working at Pearson Education full-time

Pros – Great people, benefits, company mission. It's fun being part of a company that helps people improve their lives. New CEO John Fallen is great. Very international company so you might travel a bit. When Pearson does something, it tries to be great.

Cons – Slow to change, slow to seize opportunities. Pay is average and career progression is bad. There are too many senior managers without the skills to take us into the future holding onto their seats. Many departments work in silos. Products are average to good. Not cutting edge.

Advice to Senior Management – Bring in leaders with digital skills and backgrounds. Make faster decisions.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pearson Education full-time for more than 8 years

Pros – Commitment to high quality digital educational materials. Flexible hours. Well set-up for working from home. Very smart coworkers. Friendly. Supportive.

Cons – Advancement path is not always clear. Space is limited, and changing to more open space with minimum amount of privacy. Company is rapidly changing to digital: a pro because it is the future of education and publishing, a con if change makes you nervous.

Advice to Senior Management – Need clear advancement paths for digital developers. Could use some change management procedures.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Pearson Education full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Nice facility, mid management was great, good benefits, reasonable salary, market leader

Cons – little room for advancement without relocation to east coast. Very bureaucratic.

Advice to Senior Management – get the politicians out (aka, talkers that don't execute)

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend