How are the career development opportunities at AQA?

Colleagues cooperative and easy to get on with Blend of office and home working Variety of tasks to complete

Hectic when busy Little opportunity for career advancement for temporary staff- longtime temporary returners not given permanent roles

Nice office, ok salary, good location.

Strange CEO and senior leadership, 0 progress opportunities, crazy workload.

Good as continuous professional development opportunity.

Training over the weekend, no flexibility. Not enough support.

Friendly people Busy periods Fair amount of work No micromanagement (depends on Team) Flexi Opportunities to apply internally

Politics It is not what you know but who you know No recognition of beyond expectation

great teamwork members work and support each other very well and have great communication

no opportunities for growth and it is easy to feel stuck with no progress

Work in-office 1 day a week on average, for team meetings and 1:1s Decent pay Health insurance

Limited opportunities for progression within the department Pay rises negotiated collectively (union)

Hybrid working 2 days in office rest work from home Less calls mostly emails Good pay for entry level Payed weekly Nice office

Training was messed up No permanent opportunities or progression

I had the opportunity to work across different areas of AQA, which gave me a broad view of the organisation. My experience varied quite a lot depending on the business area, but there were definitely some very positive aspects. In one area, I had a really good experience with supportive colleagues, a strong work-life balance, and a positive team culture. I also felt there were good opportunities to learn and contribute. There are some excellent people at AQA, and I found many colleagues to be friendly, committed, and supportive. I also found HR to be very supportive during my exit, which I appreciated.

My experience was not consistent across the organisation. In another area, I felt less supported and found the leadership style more challenging. This had a real impact on my overall experience which resulted in me deciding to leave. While the colleagues in that area were still great, I felt some of the issues were more linked to leadership and management approach rather than the wider team. Overall, I think the experience at AQA can depend heavily on which business area, team, and leadership structure you join. Some areas may offer a very positive working environment, while others may feel less consistent.

Good work culture Supportive colleagues

Career, advancement, travel , pay, salary

Your development and opportunities are largely linked to your Line Manager. There are Line Managers and Leaders who genuinely want their team/people to succeed and would actively support and nurture their development. The salary is largely good for a not-for profit organisation, due to the Unions intervention. Brilliant Pension contribution. Support for medical conditions and appointments is fantastic. The people who do all the work are fantastic and supportive, and care about their work and the outcomes for teachers, students and school staff.

You can become stagnant if you end up with a Line Manager who is unskilled and only looks out for their own skin. There are pockets of poor leaders and Line Managers in the organisation. Access to equal learning and development opportunities do not exist. Most Leaders are ego centric and disengenious. Decisions are slow due to the CEO not empowering the Leaders. The CEO is a former UK politician, who is unkind to his direct staff and has zero empathy for people - he leads with self-interest, is unkind and lacks empathy. He puts on a convincing show for the public though. Depends on where you work in the organisation, work life balance does not exist - most employees are overworked, as the organisation is under resourced.