Florida Virtual School Reviews in Orlando, FL Area

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – -You get to know the students very well (probably better than I did in the traditional classroom)
-Teaching lessons in my virtual office is fun and gives me my "teacher high" (and we don't have to worry about policing dress code, chewing gum, or soda spills)

Cons – -Always on call (but that is part of being a great FLVS teacher. I can talk to students while also watching my son's soccer practice, grocery shopping, or getting my daily Starbucks)

Advice to Senior Management – Continue the mentor program as it is now; there was a time when that program was cut and I think new teachers struggled more so during that time.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than a year

Pros – FLVS offers a dynamic environment in which people with minds like mine can explore a wide-range of work in a safe space for thinkers. The work is flexible and creative and always brings something new to my day.

Cons – Everyone here works very, very hard. It can sometimes be difficult to be in contact with those who make the ultimate decisions. Sometimes the organization can be reactionary with hirings and firings.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – This company pays more than any public school I have been employed with but you will work 12 months a year. The insurance is great and you have plenty of time with the family. Great training, managers will help you.

Cons – The managers (VP, CEO and IL's) promote "the student is at the center of every decision we make" which equates to you better make your credit goals or you lose your job. This company is driven by credits and numbers. Very demanding job. NO LATERAL MOVEMENT. If you are a man, you have very little chance of advancement. You have to be in the size "0" club to progress. Major turn-over, especially with the Instructional Leaders (Principles).

Advice to Senior Management – Management needs to take re-evaluate the HR department and give first priority to current employees before taking outside applications.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Florida Virtual School as an intern for more than a year

Pros – Decent pay for interns, great degree of latitude in day-to-day activities.

Cons – Management seems disconnected, getting help or a straight answer is difficult, the hardware you're issued won't work, internal support for hardware and software issues is clueless (I was diagnosing my own problems, since they couldn't), company is not Mac friendly.

Advice to Senior Management – Make sure your mid level management knows what their employees are doing, and what's blocking them from getting more done.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than a year

Pros – A company with a phenomenal work ethic towards the student. Teachers work tirelessly, have a passion for education and genuinely care. Benefits package is solid.

Cons – Too many "leaders" in the organization are prior teachers and don't get how to run FLVS as a company. Very incestuous organization and many cliques can lead to isolation of new team members. Limited promotional opportunities for individuals who are not prior educators and or current teachers. Support staff is seen as second class citizens. Very little kudos or acknowledgement given from Executive Staff on their contributions.

Pay is not in line with many industry standards. Organization, although Not for Profit company is run as a school. Many leaders have "grown" into their roles; however are prior teachers with degrees that do not match their current role in any way shape or form. Typically individuals on the team under their "guidance" have more experience to run the team than the "Directors" do.

Organization is growing entirely too quickly, not enough budgetary resources. Working teachers too hard, numbers driven, and telling teachers hours are X when in actually the hours are higher. During initial in person interviews they state that there is a "learning curve" but the hours increase exponentially. All employees in instructional brought in at $45K regardless of degree or background.

Hiring process is entirely too long. They actually allow “students” to interview candidates. How they legally get away with this is beyond me.
Inefficient internal data systems, very manual, many spreadsheets, and entirely too many emails.

If you're an individual with a Rah Rah cheer leader mentality, you'll do great here. If you're a solid professional who is serious, professional, gets things done, but doesn't have the "Disney" painted smile, look elsewhere....

In other words, drink the Kool Aid or leave.

Advice to Senior Management – Julie, your organization is beyond your teachers. You need to look at the “whole” and give kudos regularly, to include Staff Conference, as it is becoming an "Academy Awards" show for teachers. Word on the street from support staff is that FLVS is losing top individuals due to poor management, poor support systems, cliques, and not feeling valued. This "tone" has been mentioned from C level management down. Without your support staff you will not have the resources to have a school. Your customers will go elsewhere even if they have to pay for service.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – -Working from home ( though this quickly turns into a negative)
-Competitive salary (only because Florida ranks low in teacher compensation)
-Competent colleagues
-I can think of NOTHING else positive to say about this organization.

Cons – I was an instructor for FLVS for over 11 years and it was the BIGGEST mistake of my professional career! I regret ever getting involved with this organization.

EVERYTHING is based on the money gained from completing students in the courses.

The phrase "Any time, any place, any pace" is a catchy phrase, but that is all it is, as students who slow the completion rates of the course(s) are often discouraged from taking the courses or are removed from the courses so that the school's completion expectations are met.

If you want to be treated as less than a competent professional, have your personal time limited, and hear of the lavish vacations of management, seek employment with this organization!

I will forever regret being a part of FLVS!

Advice to Senior Management – Treat students and employees with respect and as valued individuals.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than a year

Pros – #1 VERY BEST PRO- No one pees in my classroom anymore! (no more accidents or crying!)
work from home, &work in your pj's :)
no commute
kids go to flvs and are home with me all day
BETTER CHEAPER Benefits
opportunity to move up within just a few years
flexible schedule
good pay
encouraging instructonal leaders (supervisors)
good collaborative team work
easy to manage online setup
very easy to find help when you are starting out
other teachers and principals are EXTREMELY nice
far less hostile workplace than a regular school
I feel I have better job security, since music is being cut everywhere else

Cons – students call well past 8! So turn your phone off!
tons of phone calls
not as much time off or holidays at Christmas, no spring break and no summers off, but you do get 2 weeks vacation time!

Advice to Senior Management – I started out part time and when I was offered full time I wasn't really told the difference in pay, benefits, how the salary works and what and when I have days off. Maybe try to make something for a little smoother transition? But honestly, it was easy to contact someone to help me, so not that bad!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – work from home
good pay
good benefits

Cons – Everyone is expected to be in the top 10% of performers, despite the fact that this is mathematically impossible.

Teachers are on call 84 hours a week every week, and encouraged to extend hours to "provide exceptional service" - NO weekends off!!!

Policies change monthly or sometimes even more frequently depending on which way the wind is blowing.

No union means there is no way to bargain for humane expectations.

We are told that everything we do is for better service to the student, not for the convenience of the adults (and adults is a dirty word). If we want better a working environment, we are burned at the stake as a heretical Grinch. Never mind that unhappy teachers automatically makes for crap-tastic teaching.

If you are teaching in a high-demand subject, you have no hope of transferring into any other position.

Advice to Senior Management – Ask teachers what they actually need to do their job instead of cooking up hare-brained ideas that make absolutely no sense whatsoever. Who makes these decisions? Certainly not anybody who knows what parents/students/teachers need or want! There also needs to be more realistic on-call hours. Eight-four hours a week is absurd. We desperately need a union.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than a year

Pros – You are told that you can work from any place, at any time, with no bell-rings in your schedule....

Cons – ...BUT recently, FLVS administrators started the implementation MANDATORY inspections at employees home offices.

When FLVS administrators announced that employees are required to have these inspections at their home offices, I thought of the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which establishes the following:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Every teacher I have talked to is very upset with this violation of our privacy. We are not allowed to say NO. Say NO means that you are losing your job. We sign annual very weak at-will probationary contracts that give teachers no job protection.

FLVS doen't pay for an extra-room in my home that could be used as my home office. In my case, I work from my bedroom, which is my partner's bedroom too. Can you imagine your supervisor searching into your bedroom?

Advice to Senior Management – Please, stop searching at employees homes..FLVS is a PUBLIC school district and have to RESPECT the Constitution of the U.S.. When you guys come with ideas like this, you are confirming that teachers need unions that protect not only their labor rights but their civil rights too.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Florida Virtual School full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Insurance is slightly better than other school districts.

Cons – Work 7 days per week 12+ hours per day, 365 days per year
NO UNION
No steps or raises
No vacation coverage
Supervisors with no experience
Evaluations based on student/parent surveys
No opportunity to expand
Expected to do too much with no resources
Constantly threatened that if you don't product student completions you will lose your job.
No job security
Environment based on fear and anxiety
You think this job is flexible, but the demands are extremely confining

Advice to Senior Management – Respect your employees. Promote within the company rather than hiring supervisor with no online learning experience. Allow employees to have a union. If FLVS is such a great company, then why are they afraid of union representation? Most employees give their blood, sweat, and tears for this job, and FLVS uses them up and throws them away like yesterday's trash. Employees are under appreciated and live in an environment of fear. There is no positive reinforcement. Making employees feel appreciated goes a long way. Be informed about the instructional leaders in your company. Several are completely inappropriate and open you up to potential lawsuits with some of their actions. Your teachers are the backbone of your organization, and you need to trust, respect, and treat them better. The CEO and upper management should be much more aware of what goes on within the company.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company