instructor

therapist

speech language pathologist

support specialist

occupational therapist

Oakwood Academy

Wow, what can I say about this place?  I'm going to start off with the only positive: we do great work with the kids.  There is so much progress that is made for most of the kiddos, and it is great to see.

However, the administration is a mess.  They let everyone know everyone's business (after meetings they will discuss personal information of employees, to other employees.)  They back stab, are unprofessional (talk about staff behind their back) and provide next to no support, even when reaching out for help.  Do not trust them.  They are also the least organized company I have ever seen in my life.  Often things are left to the last minute, and staff are confused.

There is very little room to grow at this company, in terms of pay and position, and they will blame that on the 'deficit' that they are in, however, that has nothing to do with the employee, nor is it the employees fault.  There is major favouritism shown by the administration to few staff members.

There is a large turnover rate of staff, even in the middle of the year, which shows that there is something extremely wrong with the work culture.  Many staff members are extremely stressed, and a lot of situations and incidents with kids gets directly blamed on them.

I really wanted to say something nice, but I just can't. Sorry. 

I do hope that the administration sees this review, and takes it to heart.  There are major issues, and their problems will only resolve when they fix major parts of their work culture, support system, and organization.

Oakwood is a great place for a recent graduate to gain experience. You get freedom to make your own program plans and goals and write reports. If working independently is something you like then this is a good fit because you will get little- no support from senior staff and supervisors. Child behaviours are often blamed on staff. Though this position is to be a developmental therapist you are expected to teach academic programming - even if you are not trained in this . The pay is very little. It is appropriate pay for respite style work. This position is exhausting, you are expected to take work home often. Staff were provided with training to handle challenging behaviours (biting, kicking, hitting, hair pulling etc). But during the moment you are not provided with a support team to help you through these challenges. Staff love the kids and the rewarding work, thats why they stay, but are not compensated through benefits or appreciated by management for what they put into this job. The staff at Oakwood work so hard and should be recognized for that. Parents take out their frustrations and blame staff for child's behaviour and management will not defend you or have your back.

Working here at first was great, the staff seemed friendly and supportive, willing to explain things at the beginning. The workload very quickly piled up to the point where it was unmanageable, and no time was given during the day to do any of the prep work - it was expected (though not outright stated) that work should be completed on your own time. There was a lot of miscommunication from administration, who are all close friends, and many of the staff are close. This is nice when you are involved with their “social circle” but otherwise it’s very cliquey and felt a lot like being in high school again. The paperwork was endless and much of it was unexplained, which was met by frustration from administration on how it was completed improperly or not at all. Working with the students was incredibly rewarding and it was a great learning experience to do so. However, I would not recommend anyone takes a position as a teacher at this school. Between the stress level from the workload and low pay grade coupled with a feeling of being gossiped about behind closed doors, the burnout was not worth the experience gained working here.

Oakwood Academy provided you with great experience and gives you the opportunity to build relationships with children and families, and opens the door to other job opportunities. This is the only positive. 

This is the most disorganized “academic school” I have ever been a part of. They claim to provide academics but yet have no qualified academic coordinators on their “management  team” to help support program creation and implication. The pay is absolutely ridiculous for the amount of work required, and has no consistency amongst other staff members. Other staff get paid higher due to “favouritism” not academic qualifications or experience. Little to no advancement unless you are liked by management. Highly recommend not working here if you want to constantly feel like you are back in high school and facing a ridiculous “pecking order” everyday. You constantly feel like you are always being talked about or doubted.

Fast paced adminstrator position, working with parents, students, teachers, all incoming calls. Working with a charity as well. Kids CAN Charity.
• Preform all administrative functions
• Preparing finances, Accounts Receivable and sales
• Utilize QuickBooks on a daily basis
• Liaison to all parents and staff requirements
• Creating and updating various databases
• Managing all incoming calls and answering all web leads
• Coordinating and interviewing co-op placements
• Coordinating all transportation for outside school events
• Coordinator committee for charity, staff and summer event planning
• Supply ordering for entire school
• Supervise students and help with programming as needed

Hardest part: Seeing the students with all their challenges.
Most enjoyable part: helping with the students

I have gone through many positions here and I love every one of them. (Started out as as a practicum student, then got hired full time!) The best part of the school is how personalized it is to every every child, making sure their specific needs are met. Seeing the progress in all of the kids is such a great feeling , and there is so much progress here!
You learn so much working with a variety of different professionals , and consistently sharing ideas with a team of people. 
I find management to be helpful and personable. They have always been there for me to answer my questions or listen to my thoughts. They really believe in their teams which helps build a great foundation!
The coworkers are all great and really adds positivity to the day!



I enjoy working at Oakwood Academy because the kids are AMAZING,  the staff and management are so very supportive especially with ambiguity of my schedule (having a child in school during Covid-19)... I always feel heard and I love the fact that I walk into work happy and I feel supported by my supervisor and fellow co-workers....they always check in especially after a tough day to ensure that we are ok and provide guidance and constructive feedback :)

Oakwood is a very difficult place to work at. The work environment is stressful and fast paced accompanied with little support from management. Employees are expected to take work home often, which resulted in no work pay balance. Management treated employees poorly as employees were often blamed with no support on how to resolve issues. Not a very professional environment. Oakwood is a good place to obtain experience, although it is not a place for a long term career.

Pay is incredibly low for how much is needed, staff are chronically overworked, and facilities are not up to par with what is needed in the slightest. Not uncommon for staff to have to take on extra work whenever there is an absence, and no bonus pay or anything for doing so. Training for staff is nowhere near extensive enough, and often staff will be left out to dry by management whenever questions arise regarding the quality of "education" that is provided. 

Working at Oakwood Academy has been such a great experience. It is a challenging job, but also a very fulfilling one. I have learned so much working here, which has provided me with so many resources and training opportunities to further my understanding about working with children with various disabilities. Staff and management are also extremely supportive.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Instructor 4 salaries reported	$29.56 per hour
Therapist 1 salary reported	$23.50 per hour
Speech language pathologist 2 salaries reported	$128 per hour
Support specialist 1 salary reported	$29.56 per hour
Occupational therapist 1 salary reported	$115 per hour

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