Q&A With UC Berkeley Employees

Medical/Dental/Vision prorated to salary level. 1 free UC Extension class/year. Access to mental health counseling and wellness trainings. Free access to libraries and discounts to campus events

New employees can expect access to several medical plans and the standard Delta dental. There used to be a good pension plan, but that has been scaled back for future employees. Compensation is not competitive with the private sector, there is no formal expectation of salary increases based on experience (there are annual cost of living increases which are usually at or below 3%) and there is continued downward pressure on salaries due to defunding from the state and the perception of financial mismanagement at the UC-wide level. To some extent, public sentiment towards public-education seems to be that tuition is too high, that the the state of California is funding the UC system too much, and that the employees are paid too well. At the same time, salaries are not competitive with private industry, while the benefits have been scaled back to essentially be similar to private industry, but without the possibility of bonuses, significant raises, or equity. See http://hr.berkeley.edu

There is a lot of decentralization which means experiences can vary widely along with resources available. Many people approve of the environment of their immediate teams but have trouble relating to people in other units or the larger unit they role up to. There are a lot of pockets and niches where people build really satisfying long term careers. It's fun seeing each new year of students as well as bumping into the next Nobel Prize winner. However, upward mobility can be challenging as one has to navigate that alone since there isn't any real development plans from the organization, the individual is expected to build their own.

Friendly and accomodating

not a problem

pretty quiet