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GSM London Reviews
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    GSM London Reviews

    Updated 6 March 2019
    60 reviews

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    2.5
    StarStarStarStarStar
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    Amanda Blackmore
    2 Ratings

    Employee Reviews

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    Pros

    • "Some good support & staff and lecturers" (in 3 reviews)

    • "It's good to be back and I'm impressed to see results of recent investment in the Library at Greenwich and other improved facilities" (in 6 reviews)

    Cons

    • "Some of the Senior Management really need to stop bullying their staff" (in 10 reviews)

    • "No induction or nothing could prepare you for what you will go through at GSM London" (in 8 reviews)

    More Pros and Cons

    1. Helpful (3)

      "Empowering and always encouraging"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Recommends
      Positive Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I have been working at GSM London full-time (More than 5 years)

      Pros

      Don’t believe the negatives, it’s always easier to spread bad news. I’ve been working at GSM for over 5 years and my management team is incredibly encouraging and always ready to listen. I’ve never felt more valued and appreciated. My team is great, my line manager is wonderful and the Dean and her teams are amazing. The current HR team is forward thinking and there to support staff like it never has before. The college is incredibly supportive of its students, but there are rules and regulations that have to be followed. It’s easy to blame people when you don’t get what you want, but a little self reflection is necessary... did you comply and do everything that was required from you?
      Whenever suggestions are made to improve the organisation or programmes, they are met with interest and encouragement. GSM values there own and provide great opportunities for staff to further develop themselves to achieve their own potentials. Staff are given opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience, which is rare nowadays. To say they are supportive is an understatement.

      Cons

      It is normal for any SMBE to feel growing pains as it expands and this is the only con that GSM can be accused off. However there is a strong management team in place that is driving it forward in a very strong and positive way.

      Advice to Management

      Thank you for putting the right people in place and listening to those that have contributions to make. I am happy to be at GSM and look forward to being part of the journey.

    2. "Inconsistent approaches"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - HCA
      Current Employee - HCA
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I have been working at GSM London part-time

      Pros

      New library staff mostly helpful only one young woman I found to be hostile to a male student. My time is soon to end some lecturers were talented alround and passionate about subject. Others laizzez faire, late, difficult to hear, undisciplinary where needed, or tedious to listen too.

      Cons

      My most upsetting time was upon submission of my dissertation. My assigned person tutor change 3 times not enough tuition time. My first time to attempt a dissertation my lecture was fast moving and complexed. Other help was limited. I requested a weeks extention. I was scored a 0 based on poor response, communication between departments, blatant oversights. It went to the panel 3 times they try to say I did not submit the paper copy on time, no matter what I said was disregarded. There was always a week extention for first sit, they denied me that and used that as a basis of late submission. I felt let down and extremely upset at Compliance/Student Hub shortcomings. We were sent to Greenford for exams we contested it as a long distance they gave an inappropriate response. Exams previous on site were a shambolic. mess. I was verbally an near physically abused in the tea room following a lecture from two female students the immediate staff handled it well upper- management did nothing. I have to make a decion whether to bother to come back to finish my dissertation as I feel I have and will be offered very little or no support. My time at GSM I was 97% late ndance a couple of times late I interacted with students and lecturers. To feel ultimately I am sure to conclude with only a diploma I feel this establishment let me down when it really counted.

      Advice to Management

      Stop abusing your staff with unsuitable working conditions, poor judgement of intake students in some case lecturers, interelations between staff at times strained, leading to poor working morale, heavy work scale ultimately to the detriment
      of students and and don't ignore your students, who come with feed -back or issues and in need of assistance all of which are your bread and butter. Recommendations are necessary to a business I feel you don't value this concept. Introduce a student is a facade and promises broken.

    3. Helpful (1)

      "Transparent review"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      Approves of CEO

      I worked at GSM London full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      There are some pleasant students, faculty and staff

      Cons

      Office politics and uncomfortable working environemnt

      Advice to Management

      Offer staff consistent training and development

    4. Helpful (1)

      "Passionate employees but lack of investment from the board"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee in London, England
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at GSM London full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Opportunity to get involved in various projects and learn.
      Generous holiday allowance.
      Some good middle and senior managers with good experience and mentoring.

      Cons

      Feeling that the business owners just sweep the profits with a minimum investment into students or employees.
      Terrible HR team in terms of communication. Need to sort out their remuneration strategy and offer an equal pay.
      Most of the staff are logged off their phones so impossible to get hold of

    5. Helpful (3)

      "HR - People team"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I have been working at GSM London full-time

      Pros

      There is a HR team

      Cons

      They do not appear to do much , to many processes, complaints raised do not get addressed efficiently. It almost as if they try to pay you lip service than finding an actual resolution.

      Advice to Management

      Processes should be thought through end to end, and how it affects ALL stakeholders.

    6. Helpful (1)

      "working at gsm"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Current Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Neutral Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I have been working at GSM London part-time

      Pros

      good environment, staff normally help each other

      Cons

      disorganized, do not help students as they should or they say in the beginning

      Advice to Management

      to be more organized, focus on students need and progress

    7. Helpful (3)

      "Terrible Place for Students to study"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at GSM London full-time

      Pros

      The students and one or two members of staff were the only good part of being here during my time

      Cons

      The staff who teach seem more concerned with their pay rather than students learning
      The finance department have told blatant lies to students regarding finance and the promise of repaying them once the student loans come through just to receive money from student and then the loans and keeping both and refusing to repay the students. Told student that they could not wait for the loan and the students studies would be curtailed without immediate payment. They try to claim for money after the students have graduated and send threatening emails stating they will withhold the degree without payment even though there is no valid reason to pay
      Students receive little to no help when they are facing difficulties with lecturers
      Marks for pieces of work are not explained, it almost appears that the students pass and fail depending on the mood of the marker rather than on merit of the work produced

      Advice to Management

      Repay the students the money you promised to pay back and take into account the students grievances and help the students prosper with their degrees. Otherwise this place will end up in ruins as I can promise I am not the only one with these views. Honor your word and help the students

    8. Helpful (2)

      "Mixed reviews"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      No opinion of CEO

      I worked at GSM London full-time (More than a year)

      Pros

      Pay is good
      My team was good

      Cons

      Very much 'who you know' not 'what you know' culture.

      Advice to Management

      Allow employees to have a voice and when they speak listen. Do not wait till its too late before you start correcting mistakes.

    9. Helpful (2)

      "A genuine Start up Feel from start to finish"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Career Opportunities
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Doesn't Recommend
      Negative Outlook
      Disapproves of CEO

      I worked at GSM London full-time

      Pros

      Most staff are pleasant to work with

      You have the opportunity to develop unique processes and procedures

      The variety of the three different sites Greenwich, London Bridge & Greenford is refreshing

      New Ideas are genuinely welcomed

      Cons

      Can be very stressful environment to work in

      Seeing some Senior Leadership members receiving a pay rise during a period of redundancy puts your motivation right off

      Having to see front line staff made redundant in the first place was emotionally draining

      They pay less (2%) into your pension plan than the employee contribution (3%)

      Advice to Management

      Provide greater investment and support to your HR team. Make pay across the company transparent. Sort out your pension contribution rate – you can afford to match the employee 3% amount. Do not give anyone a pay rise during a redundancy period – people will rightly question this as the money could be used instead to reduce the number of staff that were made redundant.

    10. Helpful (5)

      "An indictment of the HE system"

      StarStarStarStarStar
      • Work/Life Balance
      • Culture & Values
      • Comp & Benefits
      • Senior Management
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee
      Former Employee - Anonymous Employee

      I worked at GSM London full-time

      Pros

      - Some genuinely decent and competent staff (I must emphasise that these are very few in number, and I know they are all looking for work elsewhere).

      Cons

      - Semi-literate faculty members

      - Incompetence at the highest level of the organisation. Vast sums spent on projects, only for them to be abandoned later.
      - Nepotism (ask anyone who has ever worked there)
      - The Greenford campus has the feel of a graveyard for the living. The cafeteria food might fix the 'living' part, though.

      Standing outside the Greenwich campus, one is often struck by a distinct waft of cannabis smoke. To the user, I say: If this helps alleviate the nausea that comes with realising you work or study at GSM London, you have my sympathy.

      Advice to Management

      While I applaud the effort to contrive a higher rating on Glassdoor, Google Reviews and elsewhere by urging staff and students to say nice things about GSM London (perhaps even writing those reviews for them), I'd encourage you to find ways to make it a little less obvious.

      But really: less time trying to fix bad reviews, more time trying to fix what leads to them. Capeesh?

      PS, ever heard of paper towels? Provide those in the bathrooms.