University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia Pay & Benefits reviews
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The benefits are great and the pension is good...and thats about it..
Security Department (Current Employee) – Point Grey – 21 February 2019
The department I work for is 24/7. The wage does not reflect what other major universities are paying across Canada let alone across North America. I've been there over 10 years and have recieved a $3 raise..
to reflect my part time job gave me a $6 an hour raise with retro pay and appoligised that the raise took so long (4 years) . The university is a great place to work of you dont mind paying over $100 a month for parking and dont care if you get a raise or cost of living increase being that BC is the most expensive province to live in throughout all of Canada.. oh and if you want to advance in your field UBC is also not the place for you.
to reflect my part time job gave me a $6 an hour raise with retro pay and appoligised that the raise took so long (4 years) . The university is a great place to work of you dont mind paying over $100 a month for parking and dont care if you get a raise or cost of living increase being that BC is the most expensive province to live in throughout all of Canada.. oh and if you want to advance in your field UBC is also not the place for you.
Pros
Stable unionized employment
Cons
Pitiful wage increases..almost no cost of living increases and zero career advancement
Ubc
IT Manager (Current Employee) – Klinck Building – 17 March 2019
UBC is one of the largest employers in BC. As such it attracts the best and the worst of people. If you land in a spot where your managers and peers are the best, UBC is the best place to work. Geographically beautiful, benefits are astounding, and the culture is positive.
However, if you get railroaded into a team with toxic managers and disillusioned peers UBC can be an awful to work in. It's location means that either you have a long commute or you pay exorbitant cost of living prices to live near by. Then add to that the fact that the institution has "Section 9" of the collective agreement. This section gives the employer the right to terminate at any time, for any reason. I have seen this happen to far too many good people. As mentioned before, run afoul of a toxic manager, and you'll be run out on a rail with absolutely no recourse.
Overall I give UBC a high rating because of the culture & benefits. But they really need to deal with unfair management practices.
However, if you get railroaded into a team with toxic managers and disillusioned peers UBC can be an awful to work in. It's location means that either you have a long commute or you pay exorbitant cost of living prices to live near by. Then add to that the fact that the institution has "Section 9" of the collective agreement. This section gives the employer the right to terminate at any time, for any reason. I have seen this happen to far too many good people. As mentioned before, run afoul of a toxic manager, and you'll be run out on a rail with absolutely no recourse.
Overall I give UBC a high rating because of the culture & benefits. But they really need to deal with unfair management practices.
Pros
Very flexible in terms of hours, good pay, relaxed atmosphere.
Cons
A few toxic managers, Section 9
Lost in a big organization
HR & Operations Manager (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 22 February 2019
Organization is too huge for you to be able to make any significant impact. Day to day work is mostly mundane with limited opportunity to innovate. Benefits are good and so are your colleagues and the campus is beautiful.
Pros
colleagues, low stress
Cons
bureaucracy, competing priorities, no PD funds
workplace
Clinical Research Coordinator (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 7 February 2019
Amazing group of people with different backgrounds, in which learning never ends. A typical work day for me was setting up events and gathering information from the public in regards to learning more about clinical trials and research. Also provided information about our company to local stakeholders.
Pros
benefits
Cons
long hours
Straight ahead secretarial work
Divisional Secretary, Management Science (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 19 January 2019
I liked working for UBC. The jobs are union so the pay/benefits are good.
Typically I would get into work and assess my first jobs and finish any that weren’t completed. Then I would continue to work in this fashion until the day’s end. Every day would be different, because I’d get interrupted many times a day by faculty who wanted me to do/edit/copy something else. I reported to the chairman of the department and had occasional meetings with him.
I learned more and more confidence in my abilities.
I was not responsible for managing anything other than my own workload.
The workplace culture was very professional and results-oriented. I was expected to fully keep on top of my workload.
The hardest part of the job was interacting with the chairman of the department, who was mercurial and had a bit of a temper.
The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting and interacting with the visiting professors.
Typically I would get into work and assess my first jobs and finish any that weren’t completed. Then I would continue to work in this fashion until the day’s end. Every day would be different, because I’d get interrupted many times a day by faculty who wanted me to do/edit/copy something else. I reported to the chairman of the department and had occasional meetings with him.
I learned more and more confidence in my abilities.
I was not responsible for managing anything other than my own workload.
The workplace culture was very professional and results-oriented. I was expected to fully keep on top of my workload.
The hardest part of the job was interacting with the chairman of the department, who was mercurial and had a bit of a temper.
The most enjoyable part of the job was meeting and interacting with the visiting professors.
Pros
Benefits
Cons
A bit of a commute.
Supportive work place
Visiting Associate Professor (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 23 November 2018
As an adjunct/visiting I cannot answer regarding benefits etc..
Overall a good supportive environment, diverse, and research focused. Supportive faculty, collegial atmosphere.
Overall a good supportive environment, diverse, and research focused. Supportive faculty, collegial atmosphere.
Pros
recognition of contributions you bring
Cons
Commute- but not UBC issue
Good place to work
Graduate Advisor/Recruiter (Current Employee) – Kelowna, BC – 14 September 2018
Nice place to work at, especially if you work in a team. The pay is good and people around you are good. Benefits are amazing too, the only thing that is a con is the Kelowna campus which is great but it is based in between no where.
Good employer
Program Assistant, Workplace Learning (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 14 September 2018
Great employer because of the benefits, but things get done slowly because of how many staff there are. Things have to pass through multiple hands to get done - not the most efficient
Postdoc
Postdoctoral Fellow (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 18 August 2018
working as postdoc is not secure job and salary is very low with lots of responsibilities.
It could help to improve the research quality but can not improve the opportunity for getting job in industry
It could help to improve the research quality but can not improve the opportunity for getting job in industry
Good place to work
Administrative Assistant (Former Employee) – Kelowna, BC – 8 August 2018
Good people, environment, and best benefits in town! Each department is different, some better to work in. Once you are in you can move around to find the best position for you.
Friendly environment, room to grow
Administrative Assistant (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 2 August 2018
Working as a student, staff is very understanding of "education comes first". The work environment is fun and friendly. Not hierarchical, everyone is on a horizontal playing field. Location is not the best if you do not live in this area. Lots of opportunity to grow within the department and/or university.
Pros
Flexible hours, lots of resources, many food and activities in walking distance, safe
Cons
Minimal benefits, location, complicated union system
Nice place to work
Admin Support (Current Employee) – Kelowna, BC – 11 June 2018
Working at UBC Okanagan is most enjoyable. It is a very good place to work and the wages are reasonable. Hours of work are also very reasonable. Very beautiful campus and always growing and expanding.
Difficult to advance, management not receptive
Administrator (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 21 March 2018
People tend to stay forever in their roles (there are people that have been there 30-40 years, refusing to retire or move one) so it is very difficult to move up in the organization. Management is not receptive to feed back, very top-down, traditional management style. Benefits are good but pay is below average. Expensive parking which makes commute really long by transit (and not worth it), especially when low-income staff have to live very far since housing is too expensive. Workers are treated as a cog in the machine - there are tuition waivers, professional development fund, etc. yet management is not supportive of you wanting to move up and beyond your position (they want you to stay in your position forever).
Pros
Very easy work (don’t need to think much)
Cons
Rigid management, lack of support for professional growth, low pay
Dynamic, stimulating work environment
Manager (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 19 January 2018
Very dynamic work environment, there's always a lot going on. A lot of good positions are temporary or grant-based, difficult to get a permanent employment.
Pros
Very interesting projects, inspiring work culture, good pay and benefits
Cons
Difficult to secure permanent or long-term employment
Loved the environment
Graphic Designer (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 7 November 2017
I only worked there on contact for a short period. I enjoyed the environment and felt very welcome. But I can't really say to the job security of benefits as I wasn't full time.
UBC Research
Program Director (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 1 July 2017
Great employer, but the research administration side is very hard work with very little stability due to the grant-funded nature of the work. Great place to get experience, and lots of opportunity to move into other positions at the university.
Pros
great benefits
Cons
long hours
Jobs are not secured
Compliance Officer (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 22 June 2017
Bad management, low salary, good benefits though
Favoritism to some employees, job is not secured neither hours.
In general not a good employer, should review their management bad roles and working strategies.
Favoritism to some employees, job is not secured neither hours.
In general not a good employer, should review their management bad roles and working strategies.
Pros
Good Benefits
Cons
Bad management
Close-knitted friendly group of coworkers and management
Client Services Representative (Current Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 24 May 2017
Office culture is great (but honestly, it depends on which department/faculty you work for), love all the coworkers, managers and directors whom I work with. Location is great as well, as this is the downtown Robson Square location. In union, you have job security but pay is not great. Benefits are amazing though! Excellent work/life balance, if you wish to advance, Point Grey campus has far more opportunities if you are willing to relocate.
Pros
Location, office culture, benefits, work/life balance
Cons
pay is under market
Good
Exercise Trainer (Former Employee) – Vancouver, BC – 14 May 2017
It's a good faculty to work for however there are not many opportunities for Rehabilitation Science students to work. The pay is alright, but being a graduate student and not being able to work full time, it would be better if the graduate council could provide more for salary.