What Magoosh tells candidates about pay, remote hours, and cover letters

Do you actually read cover letters?

Yes, we read every single cover letter that comes through our careers page. When you apply for an open position, a member of our recruiting team reviews both your resume and your cover letter. In the cover letter, we look for additional signs beyond what the resume captures—evidence that you have the skills for the role, a genuine passion for Magoosh's mission, and clear interest in the specific position you're applying for. We don't just skim; we take the time to understand your story and motivation. If you don't meet every requirement listed, we still strongly encourage you to apply, and we especially encourage candidates from historically underrepresented backgrounds to do so. The cover letter is your best opportunity to explain why you'd be a strong candidate despite missing a qualification—whether that means highlighting transferable experience, a unique perspective, or a demonstrated commitment to educational equity. It's a human review, not an automated filter, and every application gets this careful attention before we decide who to invite for an intro call.

Why is the salary non-negotiable?

Magoosh is committed to pay equity, and to make that concrete, all salaries are non-negotiable. We understand that people with certain identities are historically more likely to negotiate raises successfully than others, and that negotiating advantage can lead to unfair pay gaps over time. By removing negotiation entirely, we ensure that everyone doing the same job at the same level receives the same salary, from day one. This is part of a broader pay equity framework we've built, which includes standardizing compensation across roles and levels and regularly auditing our practices. If you're used to negotiating your offer, that simply isn't part of our process—but you can trust that your offer is fair and consistent with what your peers in the same role and level earn. For a deeper dive into the reasoning behind this approach, we've published a blog post that details our salary philosophy and the steps we take to maintain equity. The policy applies to all positions, part-time and full-time, and reflects our core value of doing what's right over what's easy.

Do you provide work sponsorship?

No, Magoosh is currently unable to provide visa sponsorship. As a small startup, we do not have the resources or infrastructure to sponsor employment visas, so we can only employ people who are already authorized to work and live in the United States. This means that if you require sponsorship now or in the future, or if you hold a work visa that would need to be transferred to us, we won't be able to move forward with your application. We want to be transparent about this upfront so you don't spend time applying if you don't meet this requirement. This policy applies to every role we post, whether part-time or full-time, and across all departments—content, engineering, marketing, operations, product, and student help. We realize this limits our ability to welcome talent from outside the U.S., and it's a constraint we hope to overcome as we grow. For now, we ask that only candidates with existing U.S. work authorization apply. If you do have authorization, we encourage you to explore our open positions and tell us about how you can contribute to our mission.

What's the culture like at Magoosh?

The recruiting team describes Magoosh's culture as a reflection of its core values—day to day, a friendly group of people who are constantly challenging themselves to learn and change, and who are passionate about making test prep accessible to as many students as possible. They also say the team prioritizes communication at every step, moves quickly, and aims to 'wow' both students and each other. According to the recruiting team, Magooshers cheer each other on, are flexible and driven, and give each other constructive feedback to help everyone grow. The recruiting team adds that the company works to let people be their authentic selves, which shows up in social events and virtual gatherings like the DEI Book Club, Games Happy Hour, Holiday Extravaganza, and Wine Club. During the uncertainties of 2020, the recruiting team notes, Magoosh lived out 'wow > profit' by allowing students flexibility with their memberships, offering employees flexible or reduced work hours, creating a COVID sick bank that covered both full-time and part-time staff, and providing additional paid time off for rest and mental health every quarter.

How does Magoosh foster diversity and inclusion?

Magoosh acknowledges that building a diverse and inclusive workplace is a work in progress, but it has taken concrete steps to make progress. Interview questions and rubrics are standardized across the company, ensuring every candidate is evaluated on the same criteria. Magoosh also uses the Rooney Rule to hold itself accountable for considering diverse candidate slates. The company has developed a framework for Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), including BMAT (Black, Latinx, and AAPI), LGBTQIA, and Minds of All Kinds (neurodiversity), giving employees communities of support and a vehicle for advocacy. It has built a pay equity framework to ensure compensation is fair across all roles and identities. Benefits and perks are designed to be equitable across employee groups, so part-time, full-time, remote, and in-office teammates all feel integrated into the culture. A Director of DEIB owns key results around Belonging, Voice, and Inclusion, working alongside a DEI Committee and the ERGs to drive focus and impact. Magoosh openly shares its diversity goals and progress in blog posts, demonstrating its commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.

Are there growth opportunities?

Yes, Magoosh offers many opportunities for growth, and it has documented examples to back that up. Part-time team members have become part-time team leads, and some have transitioned into full-time roles. Full-time employees have moved to new departments—for instance, someone from Marketing moved to Engineering—and others have advanced to higher-level individual contributor or management positions. Magoosh conducts periodic evaluations so that every Magoosher knows exactly where they stand, what they're doing well, and what they need to work on to take the next step. These evaluations are aligned with the company's core values and provide clear direction for development. If your dreams and goals eventually take you outside Magoosh, the company will support you in that next step as well. Magoosh maintains a strong alumni network and stays connected with former employees, which speaks to the lasting relationships forged here. Whether you're looking to deepen your expertise or branch into a new area, Magoosh's culture of continuous learning and internal mobility makes growth a real possibility, not just a promise.

I'm on the East Coast—do I have to work West Coast hours?

The recruiting team says you do not have to work West Coast hours. Magoosh is flexible, and they want you to work the hours that are best for you while allowing for overlapping hours for meetings and check-ins. In general, full-time employees work about 4–5 overlapping hours per day. So if you're on Eastern Time, you might overlap with the West Coast team in the midday or early afternoon. For part-time employees, the ability to choose your own hours depends on the team's business needs: some part-time roles let you set your own schedule with just 2–3 overlapping hours per week for check-ins and project updates, while others have more fixed schedules, with the bulk of work done during standard business hours multiple days per week.

Can part-time employees choose their own hours?

The ability for part-time employees to choose their own hours depends largely on the business needs of the team. At Magoosh, some part-time roles offer complete flexibility, with only 2 to 3 overlapping hours per week dedicated to manager check-ins and project updates. In those roles, you can schedule your work around those few fixed touchpoints, giving you significant control over your time. Other part-time teammates have more set schedules, doing the bulk of their work during standard business hours multiple days per week. This variation exists because different teams have different collaboration needs—for example, a part-time marketer might need to align with a full-time campaign launch, while a part-time writer might work independently. Your manager will be able to share role-specific details during the interview process, but in general, Magoosh aims to balance flexibility with the operational requirements of the role. The company values work-life balance and tries to accommodate your preferences wherever possible, but the ultimate deciding factor is what the team needs to serve students effectively. If you're considering a part-time position, ask about the schedule expectations early to see if they align with your availability.

How does Magoosh fulfill its mission of leveling the educational playing field?

Magoosh's mission is to level the educational playing field by making high-quality test prep products affordable. Traditional test prep can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars, making it impossible for lower-income students to access the same opportunities. Magoosh charges a fraction of that, and on top of its already low prices, it offers a bunch of student discounts and sometimes provides its product for free to community-based organizations that serve some of the most marginalized communities. This approach means that students who might otherwise be shut out of competitive college admissions or graduate programs can prepare effectively for exams like the GRE, GMAT, SAT, ACT, LSAT, MCAT, IELTS, and TOEFL. The mission isn't just a slogan—it guides decisions from pricing to which new products to develop. Magoosh's product line is designed to cover a wide range of standardized exams, ensuring that more students have access to affordable preparation. The company's commitment to this mission is shared by all Magooshers, and it's a driving force behind the work culture and the pride employees take in their contributions.

Why are your values inequalities?

Magoosh frames its core values as inequalities to communicate a clear preference for how work gets done, while acknowledging that the alternative is also valid—just not right for Magoosh. For example, "done > perfect" means we value progress and completion over waiting for flawless execution. "Wow > profit" means we prioritize delighting students and employees even if it comes at a financial cost. The left side of each inequality represents the Magoosh way; the right side represents another good way that simply isn't how we operate. This framing helps guide decision-making, evaluate performance, and assess candidates during the interview process. It's not about saying one approach is objectively better than another; it's about being explicit about our culture so that potential teammates understand what to expect. These values are woven into everyday workflows and shared across the company. To learn more, you can explore the detailed core values on our website, which explain each inequality and provide examples of how they show up in practice. Ultimately, the inequalities are a shorthand for the behaviors we celebrate and the trade-offs we're willing to make to uphold them.