Pros
1. The non-management staff were fantastic, and I valued my relationships with them. We had some great socials, and I will genuinely miss them dearly and hope to stay in contact with many of them. 2. I knew my time in Exeter was limited and did not want to transition to a new job only to move again shortly after. 3. The benefits package was appealing, but in hindsight, it wasn’t worth it.
Cons
I initially hesitated to write this review but feel compelled to share my experiences at Sparx to help others make informed decisions, having now experienced what a healthy work environment is like. (I appreciate the below is only my experience and your mileage may vary.) I joined Sparx with high hopes and a genuine passion for children's education, believing in the product’s potential. Despite some negative Glassdoor reviews, I was optimistic about my own experience as I had never had a negative work experience before. Unfortunately, I wish I had taken more notice of the negative reviews. From the start, there were significant issues. I was informed on my first day that my direct report had unsuccessfully applied for my position, which created immediate tension. My manager’s remote oversight relied heavily on feedback from this individual, leading to biased and inaccurate assessments of my performance. Moreover, my manager made inappropriate comments about my personal life, including my personal relationships, which contributed to what felt like a very toxic work environment. A change in management did not improve the situation. The new manager seemed overwhelmed and lacked an understanding of what our team actually needed to do, so trust issues persisted. Despite only needing to give four weeks' notice, I informed Sparx many months in advance once I knew my partner and I would be relocating, as I wanted to do the right thing and provide ample time for a replacement and a good handover. Sadly, this only led to my relationship with my manager deteriorating further, once culminating in an attempt to create conflict between myself and a close colleague. Although it was suggested that if I wasn’t happy at Sparx, I certainly wouldn’t be happy in any corporate environment, I have since moved to a London-based corporate company where I am much happier and feel well supported. My workload is much more, but I actually enjoy showing up to work. I’d forgotten what that felt like.