Rewarding role for arts and creative education professionals - Branch Manager Art-K Employee Review

My work life at art-K is very exciting. No two days are the same as you are teaching different projects and children every day. I have learned a lot through working here, from learning new art skills to management skills, teaching skills and much more. It is great to see children progressing in their work and confidence, and seeing how happy they are to take work home is rewarding.

Working alone can be difficult, especially at the start. It does make you feel isolated and overwhelmed when there is a lot to do. There is a lot of pressure to meet deadlines and retention targets whilst also keeping a positive and engaging attitude, this intensifies as well as the work load increases towards the end of term. You have a lot of different responsibilities and tasks to complete that feels stressful especially at times when you have other external stresses and work from outreach/events or anything else going on in your studio. You cannot take leave outside of school holidays and do not get bank holidays or much time off over christmas unless booked off.

* Opportunities for pay increases based on performance * Teaching a diverse range of ages, from 6–18 and then adults up to 90 * Rewarding to see the impact of the classes on children’s confidence, artistic skill, and sense of belonging * Creative freedom to buy art materials, decorate, and organise the studio * Incredibly supportive and available senior management * Opportunity to learn a wide range of business skills through managing the studio—handling finances, marketing, administrative tasks, organising outreach events, managing a team, etc. * A positive company culture, with a focus on mental health (access to BUPA, HEKA allowance, and strong support when struggling) * Efforts to bring together a remote company through socials, coffee dates, and buddy systems * Opportunities for growth within the company with the increase of internal roles

* High level of responsibility for both studio performance and day-to-day operations, which can feel overwhelming and isolating during early stages of lone working. As the team grows, the workload and responsibility become more shared. * Pressure to meet sales and retention targets * Requirement to work evenings and weekends * Annual leave structure is restrictive to term-time, though flexibility is offered in certain circumstances.