Horrible Management - Front Desk Midtown Athletic Club Employee Review

I taught yoga at the Chicago location after the remodel/expansion until the pandemic. Loved teaching there, beautiful space, great community. Definitely miss it.

nothing to report as negatives.

- Good pay - Benefits - Other coaches/staff are very nice

The cons heavily outweigh the pros. Where do I even begin? The club has a serious hustle-culture environment where you’re expected to work 6–7 days a week, with a minimum of 50 hours a week when you’re starting out. Don’t get me wrong, the pay can be decent, but the hours are absolutely grueling on your body. You’ll have a lot of hit-in lessons, and most days you’re constantly being asked to fill in for other coaches. Think you’re working 8 hours? Better buckle up, because there’s a good chance it turns into 10 or 11. I wish I were exaggerating, but the management is extremely disorganized. You never really know what your schedule is going to look like, and that creates a lot of unnecessary stress. I’ve worked at several different tennis facilities, and this has honestly been the worst experience by far. On top of that, the curriculum is so rigid that you don’t really have any autonomy to teach tennis the way you want to. You’re not truly teaching technique or helping players learn how to actually play the game. Instead, it feels like you’re mainly there to keep people entertained and make sure they’re “having fun.” BEWARE. If you care about work-life balance, organization, your body, or actually developing players as a coach, I would seriously think twice before working here.