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International Rescue Committee

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Great place to work, but feels top down sometimes - Employment Specialist International Rescue Committee Employee Review

5.0
Dec 13, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great workplace culture. Amazing coworkers. Passionate interns. Benefits are good. Paid time off is well above average and generally very flexible. The pay is around the living wage for the area. The best thing is working with the clients. Every day you feel like you're really making a difference in someone's life. It's possible to take temporary assignments at other offices in other states and countries after you've been there for a while and maintain high performance.

Cons

The workload is very large for some programs. Sometimes the quotas feel unreasonable and there really need to be more direct service workers, but it is understandable that there isn't/wasn't enough funding during the Trump administration to have them. The organization is very top-down and sometimes feels more focused on meeting grant requirements to secure very limited funding than being focused on what is best for the clients. It can feel like you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I tell a refugee that they should get a Master's degree because that's better in the long term than trying to find a small job upgrade, I can't count that towards my quota because they won't have a new job within one year. However, if I say they should just try to get a slightly better, low level job then it does count towards my quota.

Explore other reviews about International Rescue Committee

5.0
Mar 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Had a wonderful time interacting with the students and coworkers. Really appreciate the work of the IRC in supporting migrants.

Cons

No Cons to speak of

2.0
Apr 22, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You will meet some amazing and passionate people here who are truly there for the mission. Many came to this country as refugees and immigrants themselves and continue to devote their lives to helping others going through similar experiences. If you end up on the right team, it's an extremely rewarding job.

Cons

Unfortunately, the HQ upper management makes it a toxic place to work. VPs regularly undercut each other publicly (including at all-team meetings and gossiping negatively with staff), especially when potential job cuts were on the horizon. C-Suite didn't listen to staff concerns about upper management and didn't investigate major departures by dedicated staff who left due to poor management despite their dedication to the mission. Leaders picked favorites, ignoring work performance (excusing mediocre performance in some, having high standards for others), and preferred yes-men over staff who wanted to think more critically about the work. Projects were pushed too quickly, despite concerns that it could be detrimental to clients. Positions given to unqualified internal staff who wouldn't be interviewed for the role as external candidates. Senior leaders (director and above) are more focused on keeping their jobs than the mission and will use lower staff work for their own career growth/safety. DEI didn't seem to apply for senior leader roles, where there was little, if any, diversity.

4
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