warehouse worker

administrator

proctor

data entry clerk

customer service representative

Pearson

Pearson will be the most penurious corporation you'll ever have the desperation to work for. At every opportunity Pearson Management will seek to avoid justly remunerating you. To achieve this they'll engage in underhand conduct that has to be witnessed to be believed. They'll do this no matter how small the amount that by rights you should receive.  The same essential dishonesty can be seen in Pearson's operations for its corporate clients - who like oneself at first, presumably, won't have entertained that a 21st century multi-national company behaves like a greed-driven, unscrupulous back-street trader. While trading like this Pearson cynically extols its self-ascribed virtues and trys to associate itself with certain 'desirable-to-support' causes/groups (e.g. the LGBTQ community). Pearson thereby presents a richly false public image, and quite probably deludes itself. For so large a company to be so contorted there cannot be prosperity ahead for it. Focus - extreme focus - on withholding from staff every penny possible, focus on rigidly controlling the smallest actions of staff, focus on image rather than decency ('decency', so ironically, being one of Pearson's self-promoted 'values'), can only spell eventual decline and death; as can neglect of creating any 'goodwill' at all in staff (e.g. 'Thank You' is something you will never hear from Pearson Management) and neglect of creating solid products (nebulous digital products are Pearson's main offering, and are ripe for usurpation by competitors and rapid obsolescence). Not surprising, then, is that Pearson's share-prices are miserable, and that the Chief Executive announced his departure recently. You too will soon-enough be mentally rehearsing this announcement, whilst working as an Administrator in a Pearson Test Center. If you've time. For you'll probably be manically busy, due to Pearson Management cramming more clients to be tested into a day than the seats and hours reasonably allow (Pearson acts like a 20 bedroom hotel that has 30 room bookings a night; the rationale being that sometimes there are 'no shows'; if all customers do show, then staff 'just have to deal with it'). You'll certainly be woefully underpaid given the amount of pressured work you'll do and the broad skill-set you'll be drawing on to fulfill the job. You'll act as a computer-operator extraordinaire, dealing with multiple (frequently failing) computer systems. You'll be a diplomat/counselor, dealing with streams of clients on days that are really bad ones for them. You're a Police Officer, hyper-attentive to potential foul play from candidates, and you know and can execute the extensive protocols here as needed (there are even 'evidence bags' of assorted sizes for you to use). You won't miss a single procedural detail - less disciplinary action - from the ever-amassing requirements (often ridiculous and unnecessary) dumped on you by Pearson Management (which you'll have to learn off the clock). You won't miss ever getting any bonuses worth mentioning for anything (even Xmas), because Pearson's human cogs won't get them. You will, though, often miss lunch, thanks to Pearson's test-schedulers absence of consideration for you. And you will miss yourself the self-respect lost from suffering all of this for not even $1/£1 per hour above minimum wage. But nobody in Pearson will be listening above your immediate line-/center manager; Regional Managers and upwards are fully contributors to the Pearson canker. So you'll have to keep all of this in; along with everything else; because when your working you won't be going to the bathroom anytime soon. Now you're even more desperate.

I joined this company last year and completed the induction training after a few weeks just before results day. Got thrown into the deep end 1-2 weeks before results day. Probation was 3 months when the senior manager told us that it will take us time to get used to the job.
I did a lot of call and email quality catch-ups with my line manager every week and was given feedback on "improvement" and how this could go against my probation if I did not improve, yet no one else from my training team went through the same headaches with their line managers after speaking to them. They were all surprised when I told them what I was being put through.

I was warned that my line manager was strict and it felt like I had to run through a brick wall just to be able to pass a simple probation, which to us was meant to be simple when we had our induction training; Do not give results out over the phone, make sure you are back from your break in time and don't come late to work every day etc. Seems like training tell you one thing and then you experience something else. I felt sick of this place within my first two months!!!

My probation was extended twice only then to be told I had passed it in January, by then I had already looked somewhere else and received a job offer as my expectations were low.
I have never in my life experienced working somewhere where I have had difficulties passing a probation with no apparent reason, especially when other new employees were not treated the same way by their line managers. It felt like a revolution where they would try and test the ones they like and want to keep and gradually get rid off the ones they don't need anymore. I am glad I am out of there. The lady who did my exit interview took the details and promised it wont be passed on to the manager/s and only to the ones higher than her to see how they could improve the working conditions, but I would still not recommend anyone to apply here for fear of you going through the same experience as me.

Hard to believe a worldwide company as rotten Pearson still exists. Pearson cheats its Test Centre Administrators out of fair treatment: paying them absolute peanuts, demanding total flexibility (your other jobs and commitments will have to be sacrificed), denying them adequate rest breaks, having them perform duties without recompense whenever possible, and exposing them to bullying and humiliation from Test Centre Managers. Test Centre Managers themselves crave to please their own superiors, in the dictatorial, fear-ridden, vertical-management hierarchy - like something from the darkness of history - where complaints are crushed, suggested good ideas are ignored (despite the pool of knowledge the dogsbody-footsoldiers know), and profit über alles is the principle. So it is that all staff must 'look the other way' over candidates being cheated - cheated out of a good testing experience, due to Pearson's 'open secret' policy for Test Centres of scheduling more candidates for tests of a day than available slots permit. So it is that Test Centre Administrators will be complicit in candidates' misery: stewing in anxiety as they wait and wait and wait to be tested, then failing their tests due to the Pearson-profit motivated scheduling. If you've no scruples, can take bullying and humiliation from your manager, and don't care about how little you earn or about doing extra tasks for free - then Pearson - 'The Worlds Learning Company That Doesn't Learn' - may suit. Else reflect on why Test Centre Administrator jobs are always being advertised (and for the same appalling hourly rate, with what is in effect - though they won't have the decency to call it such - a zero-hours contract). If you've any self-regard, work elsewhere.

Acting as a Senior HR Advisor, I manage cases on a daily basis. I am the first point of contact for the Finance and HR functions in the UK, around 460 employees. My queries are often ER related, and project centred such as AIP or pay review queries  - this can be managing performance, absence, redundancies, maternities, flexible working, CoS and so forth. I work closely with the various centres of excellence, as well as various internal stakeholders and global teams. 

My previous role at Pearson involved complex recruitment and more of a generalist remit  with L&D and reward, and I am keen to get back into this area as it provided a great understanding of the business and was a positive area to work within. The variety of ER, L&D and recruitment was a positive interest for me and created strong, collaborative working relationships. 

My team and working culture are important to me - I enjoy working for a mission based company and one to be proud of for its moral and commercial value. I like working with like- minded individuals who work proactively, are friendly, fun, engaging and care  about what they do. 

The hardest part of my current role is the lack of definition in the operating model. The organisation is adjusting to a  structure and the ways of working are still adjusting,

The most enjoyable part of the role is the satisfaction of working proactively and seeing tangible, positive outcomes.I am keen to make a positive impact, working within the business to add value and foster strong and mutual working relationships.

A typical day would combine territory planning in an analytically way, completing daily reports for Management review, completing CRM information to keep customer database and sales records up to date,  being out in the field promoting Pearson services & products, liaising with customers via telephone or email to follow up on outstanding quotes, place orders, customer complaints or problem solving.

In my 9 years at Pearson I became a competent and professional sales consultant capable of hitting targets on an annual basis as well feeling comfortable in any sales situation.  I also attended many sales training courses provided by the company plus gained a BTEC qualification in Sales and Marketing in 2013 which is a unique Edexcel qualification that only Pearson can provide.

In 2013 there was a complete management restructure at Pearson which was the main driver in my decision to leave the company at the start of 2014.

I made many good friends both professionally and personally with my co-workers across the various divisions that I worked within during my time at Pearson.

The hardest part of my job was the work/life balance - one of the pitfalls of being a successful consultant in a successful company.

The most enjoyable part of the job was being a Field based Consultant with no day being the same.

Working at Pearson was a great pleasure and I would love to return again in 2016, the atmosphere is a friendly and fast paced one. All staff work together to get jobs done faster and more efficiently, I felt valued as a member of staff and learned alot, I learned various job roles and what they involve such as batch building and sort. My PA's were very informative and helpful during my time working with them.

All co-workers were great individuals who helped eachother out if needed, I did't have a single problem throughout the 6 weeks of working with others, it was a calm yet busy environment as work had to be done to ther fastest of my ability yet the atmosphere was not an unpleasant stressfull place to be. The hardest part of the job for me was simply when I first started off as I didn't want to make any mistakes or be a burden to my team by asking questions but i conquered this by telling myself, if I don't ask how will I know. Therefore I was able to give myself a little confidence and speak up, I found the most enjoyable part of the job was being able to meet such wonderful people and co workers, I now am friends with a few people from working there.

An ideal part-time position with decent hours and pay. The work (a combination of receptionist and exam invigilator) is fairly simple  (if you're computer literate) and based on routine. The work environment is friendly: colleagues offer support when they can and the manager is helpful and approachable. Benefits include free private healthcare.

If things are running smoothly, (no technical issues, patient candidates) the work is simple and rewarding. However, once things start to go wrong, (which happens often) it can become overwhelming and stressful. This is especially true if it's a busy day - there's often a high volume of candidates in  a brief window and, if there's a delay, the waiting room quickly fills up. The technology is out-dated, the wi-fi is unreliable, and having only two staff members per shift sometimes feels insufficient. Most of the candidates are well-mannered and happily comply with security checks etc. However, every now and then you get people taking out their frustrations on you - shouting, swearing etc. 

Overall, it's decent office work with a supportive work culture but a number of recurring issues can make it stressful.

Pay is terrible given intensity of test centre administrator position. Also, Pearson keeps slyly reducing the role's pay, by starting people off on less money per hour than what starters previously got; thus different staff doing the identical job end-up getting different pay. This breaches the Equality Act 2010 / Equal Pay Act 1970. Despite lofty ideals, Pearson is mean to the core, and blithely disreputable to suit. To maximize income, it even deliberately overbooks driving-theory candidates - who you will then struggle of a torturous shift to accommodate, whilst being an unacknowledged apologist for Pearson. For your toil, there's zero corporate gratitude; as there isn't for the endless silly training videos you'll do…in your own time. There's no effective means to protest the malpractices, and there's a culture of keeping shtum. Management structure is ultra top-heavy, and everything you do - EVERYTHING - is chronically micro-managed.

•To manage programme administration, reporting, tracking of milestones and creation of Highlight and Dashboard reports required by Sponsors and Boards
•Development and maintenance of project / programme plans; Facilitating planning sessions, updating the plan from the outcome of the planning sessions, maintaining the plan, and reporting progress against the current plan
•Adhering to strict processes and ensuring smooth delivery of all projects in conjunction with delivery teams
•Support programme communications with business stakeholders to agreed communication plans and manage internal communications via programme Google site
•Synthesizing due diligence reports received from multiple functional team members, to manage issues, risk logs, dependency logs and any other project / programme controls and initiate corrective action as appropriate
•Developing and maintaining programme document repositories and documentation standards (templates)

Upon interviewing at this company I was promised a fun company with ample opportunities for progression. This was not the case. The company is extremely disorganised in terms of management structure, there is no 'career progression' advice or opportunities available, the systems the company use are not integrated and make a simple task drawn out. 
Each year the company overspends, and does not monitor or budget at the start of each year, meaning at the end of each year there are job cuts right before Christmas, with no empathy or consideration of its employees. 
No matter how much you suggest improvements, management do not want to know, as they seem to feel undermined, however this is purely down to incompetence.  
There are far better competitors (Universities, publishers)out there  who offer similar roles within a more stable environment with far better pay packages, benefits and opportunities for progression.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Warehouse worker 2 salaries reported	£14.45 per hour
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Data entry clerk 8 salaries reported	£12.60 per hour
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