Anyone ever taught for Kaplan?

[s_gosney]

I'm starting grad school here in a few weeks and am interested in doing something to make a little money on the side. I have an audition/tryout thing set up for next week, but I'm just curious if anyone here has done this before, and if so what your experience was like. How much prep time does it involve? Any other info I should be aware of? Also, if you don't mind my nosiness, is the money decent? Thanks!

[kristenk]

I taught SAT classes for The Princeton Review and really enjoyed it. I had a few classes and had some private tutor students. I think that I got paid $10/hr (back in 1996/1997) for classtime and maybe some prep time but I'm not sure. I'm sure everything has changed (plus you're looking at a different company!). I had a lot of fun. The tutor students were especially fun for some reason - plus a little easier than a whole class!

What are you going to do for your audition? TPR used the audition to find people who were somewhat entertaining. To teach, you definitely had to know the material, but the audition was to make sure that a class of slightly bored & jaded high school students would be able to relate to you in some way! For my audition, I think that I taught the "class" how to make a paper airplane. Pretty easy, but it worked. It also helped to have something that the "class" could participate in so you're not up there just talking away.

Now that I've gone on and on, the Kaplan audition/teaching process is probably going to be completely different! :) Good luck!

edited b/c it irritated me how many times I started a sentence with "I taught"

[Marisa6826]

Jonathan did a tryout a few years ago. It had to be a presentation on anything non-academic. Of all things, he did how to make an origami shirt out of a dollar bill, complete with a big version made out of a paper bag.

I think the prep time involved completely depends on what you choose to do. He said the best one in the class was some guy that did a presentation on how to buy and sell stuff on Ebay.

Jonathan said that you need to have done very well on whatever test you took that prompted you to go to Kaplan in the first place.

The money wasn't good. I can't remember the specifics of it, but by the time we weighed it all, with taxes, it wasn't great at all. And as I mentioned before, they don't guarantee hours, either. I don't know if it makes any difference, but he interviewed in NYC. He thinks it was about $12/hr. Jonathan also says to tell you (he's reading to Sophie as I'm writing ;) ) you can apparently also tutor for the same dollar amount and that may help out financially.

Good luck if you decide to go with it!

-m

[MelissaTC]

MartiesMom2B (Sonia)'s DH taught classes for Sylvan. Perhaps she may have some good info to share.