Elderhostel Reviews

Pros

Elderhostel was a nice place to work. Positive company culture and friendly colleagues. Great headquarters office and good work/life balance.

Cons

Given that it's a non-profit organization - this is probably a place you'll want to end up later in your career when you've satisfied your financial goals.

Advice to Senior Management

Elderhostel management are already doing a great job, being a non-profit and all. I think as long as they continue to adapt they'll be fine. They're already expanding.

Pros

close to home
surf the internet
read and sell travel tours
I went to couple one day tours in boston and salem, ma
ok company parties, benefits are ok

Cons

No internal growth
no big raises
quarterly incentives are to hard to obtain
talking on the phone with older adults who are rude, speak down to you. Some customers are hostile, grumpy, will try to get you in trouble if try to explain they do not like.
negative and subjective monthly, quarterly, yearly reviews that have be signed, but Superviors do not explain how scores are calculated.
non-profit
You take hundreds of call a day and answers questions, sell and get enrollments into tours.
Calls are recorded by managment. If don't mention special offers, get donations, new adds to catalogs mailing list, get alot of enrollments, managment does not think you are working hard.
some co-workers have been rude to me and will snitch on you.
Getting donations and new adds to mailing list is out your control unless customer is generous.

Advice to Senior Management

provide more growth, no nepotism
Supervisors should not talk down to you.
give projects to senior employees.
company name change was all botched up, should of been handeled better
Managment should not assume you are rude to customers when customers calls and complains about you. Managment gives special assignsments to staff they like and put them slower phone ques. Managment gives negative reviews with no postive growth.

Pros

1. Boss was reasonable
2. listen to music at work
3. flexible work schedule and lunch
4. surfing the internet
5. minimum supervision

Cons

1/ YOU LEARN NOTHING. The first day, they gave me an excel template and made me fill out all the informatin without explaining anything to me.
2/ All their travel packages are overpriced and they don't seem to realize that GRAND CIRCLE TRAVEL is just better!
3/ unpaid
3/ No one except the person you report to will acknowledge you exist
4/ Computer and software programs are outdated
5/ Won't hire interns for full time position
6/ Experience was not a resume builder. No one ever asked me about this experience, complete waste of time.

Advice to Senior Management

Pay your interns, tream them with respect, teach them something useful and stop changing your name so much. Join the 21st century and buy some computers that's not from the 1980's.

Pros

HERE IS THE ONLY "PRO": I got to see many places in Italy that I could not afford to see otherwise (a big selling point during the interview- the director mentioned this "perk" to me several times). What he did not tell me was...(read cons)

Cons

I am not a disgruntled employee, only an honest one. I stopped working for Elderhostel because I could not tolerate the conditions any longer. I am not the type who writes these reviews, either- this is my first one. I don't want to bad mouth the company because I consider myself a professional. I only want to share my experience and hopefully help someone else not make the same mistake I did. Seriously, I am amazed that Elderhostel has not been reported to the US Labor Board.

1. I was expected to work an average of four 12- day programs IN A ROW, (48 days) back to back. A typical day began with having breakfast with the group at 8am and being with them on tour until after dinner (8-9pm). The day usually did not stop there because people ask you questions, etc before you get a chance to go to your room and rest. So, yes, technically you do get to see places- but usually you are working and with the group at all times. There is very little free time- when you do have a "free day" or "free afternoon" there is laundry to do, errands to run, and work to be done for the following program. Oh, and you are on call 24 hours a day for medical emergencies and even if you spend all night in the ER, you are expected to carry on with the program the next day as if nothing happened. Please note: no extra pay for all-nighters or midnight pharmacy runs.

2. Although my title was "Program Coordinator" in Italy and my specialty is Art Hisory- I was expected to do much, much more-such as: be shopping assistant, nurses aid, horticulturalist, biologist, meteoroligist and errand girl. Please note that I got a flat rate of 90,00 per day, which many times ended up being less than 5,00 - 7,00 per hour

3. No raises, no benefits, no extra bonus, no recognition (even though my evaluations were consistently good). Nothing. In fact, whenever anyone complained about anything, the answer we got from the office was, "We can easily replace you if you don't like how things are run." We were all aware of how dispensable we were (even though I have traveled the world, published articles and a book, have over 15 years of customer service experience, can provide excellent references-both character and professional, speak 3 languages and graduated Summa).

4. My coworkers and I were not allowed to get tips. This was by far the most ridiculous rule of all. Other tour companies require or suggest tips for their tour operators (which his exactly what we were). Despite going well above and beyond what was required of me, tips were actually discouraged and written in print to the participants!!! On the last night of the tour program, many people in the group would literally run out the door to avoid having to thank us and tip us. After giving your best and doing way more than was required to be treated in such a low, disrespectful and crass manner by these people was just so insulting.

5. and finally...Upper management NEVER took our advice or insight. Despite the fact that I am European, live in Europe and knew the city like the back of my hand- and they were sitting in an office in the USA, my words fell on deaf ears. Decisions would be made from across the Atlantic that made no sense or were logistically dumb, but we had to do it there way. Which is fine, of course, EXCEPT- when their way failed, WE were supposed to come up with solutions and other plans on the spot, which was stressful for both the group and the coordinator.

Advice to Senior Management

1. Listen to your overseas coordinators- they live in the cities they work in. YOU DO NOT. We may know more than you so stop acting like arrogant "know-it-alls" and just accept the advice! You know, wise people take the advice of others- it does not make you inferior or a lesser person. On the contrary, a good boss has enough self confidence in himself to listen and learn from others. A good boss doesn't put his pride above the company's, the customers', (or the employee's) well being. Really, just get over yourselves.

2. TOURISM IS A SERVICE BASED INDUSTRY- ALLOW TIPPING!!!!!! You know very well that the coordinators do way more than they should or are required. You tip a waitress who serves you a meal, how can you not tip a tour leader who has serverd you for 10, 12, or 14 days in a row??? Get real. You know very well that your non profit organization operates like a commercial tour company. We constantly heard how Grand Circle was our major competitor.

3. Give praise when it is deserved and reward your workers with a bonus (especially since we never got raises or tips).

4. and finally...don't be hypocrites. Your website is all about learning and living and laughing, etc. Yet, you treat your employees shamefully for a US company. No raise, no benefits, nothing. Long hours (longer than legally allowed), no real days off- we are in the 21st century, not the 19th!!!

Pros

This position allows a person to learn every facet of the company while growing professional skills. The benefits were pretty good, the parties were fun and most employees are really friendly. You get a chance to travel on a local program after your first year to gain first hand experience on what the company is "selling."
The on site gym was perfect for the size of the company, it wasn't huge but it was adequate and allowed you to do what you need.
Location is amazing, probably one of the best areas I have worked in. Close to all of the subway lines, its in Financial District/Downtwon Xing/China town so your food/shopping choices are abundant.
Mr. Moses is an excellent CEO and is a great person to chat with, very friendly and down to earth.

Cons

Difficult to move laterally. Some positions are treated as mere assistants even though these assistants are the backstage of the whole company. Some of the upper management were unable to help when needed, but overall everyone was still friendly. There seemed to be lack of interest in some departments. If you are a peon with good ideas, don't even bother...your ideas are unwelcome.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees' cry for help rather than saying "no one ever listens". There is a lot of work to be done and a lot of great ideas to be heard, but a lot of people think that they know it all, unfortunately they don't.