teaching assistant

postdoctoral fellow

research assistant

graduate assistant

philanthropy manager

University of Victoria

What is the best part of working at the company?
The money. Caveats though, try getting the best salary grade possible as getting beyond that can be difficult.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The infrastructure group's DCS management is far from "leadership". Years of experience and the only voice management ever listened to is their own or that of sycophancy, pathetic. Your career means nothing to them, you'll be just be a pawn on their chess board.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's a large institution so this review can only pertain to UVic Systems, or the IT department. And further within that are several teams as to be expected. So this review focuses on DCS within the infrastructure group. 

DCS culture is poor due to a diffident, micromanaged autocracy.  An employee is to be moulded rather than allowed to contribute and grow. "Team work" within this group are words to be used in meetings. Management manipulates things to their best advantage. It's not about the team or the department or the institution, it's about them. You'll merely be a pawn upon their chessboard.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive late, leave early and get away with it if you can.

The good:

- the management is very friendly and receptive to suggestions on how to improve the workplace.

- the workplace culture is generally supportive; workers and management often look out for one another.

- the work can be physically demanding, but work hours are a bit shorter than the usual 9-5s so it helps balance that aspect out.

- micromanagement is slim; generally you were given a series of tasks for the day and if you followed your list, managers put faith in you and didn't come to micromanage you.

The bad:
- the wage: hourly was barely above minimum wage, which I suppose could be expected of a summer job. This is somewhat mitigated by shift differentials on the weekend, but only marginally so. The pay definitely could be better because...

- the messes you dealt with: granted, our job did not include cleaning washrooms but was limited to the bedding aspect of the residences. HOWEVER, because we dealt with bedding we were sometimes (but not often) exposed to blood, urine, fecal matter and other 'pleasant' things. I feel dealing with these kinds of materials warrants even just a slightly higher wage than what is currently given.

In Annual Giving, my day typically involved closing various actions in the Raiser's Edge database for the Annual Giving Officer I was working under. Then I would work on the various projects that she and the Coordinator or Manager were working on.

I developed a more advanced skill-set in utilizing Microsoft Office in conjunction with both Raiser's Edge and CampusCall databases, as well as interpersonal relationships within a professional office setting. I also learned about the nuances and challenges of the administrative side of fundraising for the different scholarships and bursaries of a university institution.

Management was solid in the department I was working in. Upper management had/has a great relationship with all levels of responsibility, both interpersonal and communication.

The initial learning curve was rather steep, but once I learned what was needed, it was manageable. Conversely, the most enjoyable part of the job was seeing the final projects reach fruition and being informed that our goals had been met by the various philanthropic individuals and businesses we reached out to.

A typical day would be spending an hour or two waiting for students to come in and ask me for help. Then I would answer their questions to the best of my ability and make sure they understood. 

I learned different ways of thinking and gained a stronger understanding of what I was tutoring. 

It was easy to talk to others in the department, the ones who hired me and the ones who helped me with payroll. Everyone was always friendly and excited (many in that department are also professors that have had me before). 

Workplace culture does not apply to me because I worked by myself, though if I needed any help at all I was free to ask anyone in the department and they would point me in the right direction. Since I am only a student and did not work more than 5 hours a week generally, I cannot say much for benefits or policies and so on. 

The hardest part of the job was giving out the correct information to students who were asking for help, and trying to make it as clear as possible. 

My favourite part of the job was helping the students understand something they didn't before. Their excitement or the click in their heads once they get something is one of the best experiences to have.

The University of Victoria is a fantastic place to work for several compelling reasons. First and foremost, it fosters a vibrant and inclusive community that values diversity and promotes a sense of belonging among its employees. This creates a supportive and collaborative work environment where individuals from various backgrounds can thrive and contribute their unique perspectives.

The university's commitment to academic excellence is another key factor. With a reputation for cutting-edge research and innovation, employees have access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources, encouraging intellectual growth and creativity. The institution's dedication to sustainability also aligns with modern values, making it an environmentally responsible workplace.

Lastly, the stunning natural surroundings of Victoria, with its picturesque coastline and temperate climate, create an exceptional quality of life. This makes the University of Victoria an excellent choice for those seeking a fulfilling career in a welcoming, forward-thinking, and inspiring setting.

The culture has become one where staff are afraid to advocate for change. Management across many units is self-serving. People are not encourageed to innovate. Staff are seldom commended for their hard work. Many layoffs occurring across campus in a sterile and disheartening manner. Workload is beccoming unmanageable with no moral support for the increases. The expectation is simply "do more with less." It is a culture of over-work where overtime goes unrecognized because staff are heavily discourageed from reporting it. Managers manipulate a vaguely worded collrctive agreement to further hidden agendas. Transparency and accountability are not applied to managers.

Coworkers have low morale. Great people but many are apathetic and jaded. People sem burnt out.

A typical day involves working through lunch and taking no breaks. Staff often put in a lot of extra time to manage the load. Standard work week is 35 hours on paper but more like 50-60.

The University of Victoria's Center on Aging offered diverse and intellectually stimulating work to their employees. I was personally employed by the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging and my duties included using a research specific program to conduct hour long interviews with volunteers from British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba. My coworkers were mostly fellow students of the University of Victoria, but also included many older adults. All of us wanting to be part of a research study that will be used for generations to better the health of our aging population. The hardest part of the job was also the most enjoyable, interviewing an aging population. Many people were cooperative and offered unique and insightful information, yet there were always a few who required special care. I took with me a new perspective on aging, strengthened interpersonal communication skills, and a passion for social justice.

Most of the staff are university students and most of them don't have any experience or the mindset to do manual labour well, so leading them can be challenging, however some of them are fairly intelligent which can be beneficial. 
The sous chef is a bit of a micromanager in some ways, but if you put in a decent effort to help things run smoothly then you can get on their good side. 
The salary is low for the amount of responsibilities and management is paranoid of raising the already very low menu prices. 
There is a union agreement which includes things like defined disciplinary procedures that the manager may or may not ignore. 
Overall it's a decent job for a skilled cook as long as you be very very careful what you say and to whom. If you do anything that makes someone feel uncomfortable, your head will soon be on the chopping block. 

I work as a part-time worker at UVFS. A typical day would depend on the shift I am given. I either work as a cook where I prepare food that is ordered by the students, which can be a very stressful job when multiple orders are placed; however, I not only enjoy but thrive under such stressful situations. Or I work in the back of the food commons cleaning the equipment used to make the food and the dishes produced by the students. Everyone is very friendly and open and so I enjoy going into work whenever I have a shift. The hardest part of the job is when we are understaffed, which occurs fairly regularly and so as a senior staff member (most staff members are new students) I am in charge of the few people and have to delegate the work effectively so that the kitchen can continue producing food and the students still have dishes to be used

A typical day would start at 6 am making muffins and preparing breakfast for all students special diets considered as well as ensuring all a balanced diet. Enjoying serving the students and receiving praise for a job well done.These days are but a memory with the great coworkers and good times.Feeding and making the stay of our clients was a perfect balance of work communication and fun. The hardest part was dealing with hard headed new management with ideas of an unneeded change to the point of trying to re invent the wheel. Staff and paying students all powerless to the deteriation of BMSC. I really miss the job the students and all the people I met along the way.I wish I could have stayed but it was too hard to deal with management staff.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Teaching assistant 8 salaries reported	$30.38 per hour
Postdoctoral fellow 4 salaries reported	$63,750 per year
Research assistant 3 salaries reported	$21.70 per hour
Graduate assistant 4 salaries reported	$29.47 per hour
Philanthropy manager 2 salaries reported	$76,927 per year

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