Guest McGill03 Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 Hi Has anyone been an instructor for either Kaplan or Princeton? I'm thinking about doing it part-time this summer. Did you find it to be a positive experience? Is there a difference between having either one as an employer? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TimmyMax Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 Hey, Aneliz has been (and still is?) a Kaplan instructor. Ask her about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted April 15, 2003 Report Share Posted April 15, 2003 I have worked for Kaplan...teaching Bio sci, Orgo and Verbal/WS...(and may do again...but not this year due to other commitments!) Overall it is a good experience...although I have heard that it really depends on where it is that you are teaching...I taught at a 'satellite' campus...(not at the Kaplan centre in Toronto) and because I was more than 1 hour's drive away from Toronto, was not required to come in for meetings, seminars, pick up extra shifts close to the exam, etc...Those that worked in Toronto had a lot more demands placed on them in terms of picking up extra hours close to the exam...(required to supervise the test centre for a weekend, mark more WS, hold extra classes/review sessions, etc on short notice) Kaplan provides you with extensive Lesson plans BUT you do have to spend quite a bit of time preparing your lessons yourself...filling in answers, refreshing concepts yourself, etc. And then there is the marking and exam invigilating to do as well. I found the teaching itself to be quite challenging, the class is very diverse (usually everthing from 1st year undergrad all the way close to the end of PhD!) and are not always so cohesive...they have all different levels and personalities, insecurities etc. They also tend to be quite demanding...and rightfully so given that they have each paid a ridiculous amount of money to take the course! Teaching does take up quite a bit of time...I usually teach anywhere from 3-9 hours a week (2 or 3 three hour blocks usually) Three hours of orgo is a long time....and the students sometimes get frustrated by the material...which means that you need to slow down....and you can't finish everything that you are obligated to teach that session in the amount of time you have...so you have to stay late...Kaplan lessons are very packed...and time is always tight.. I often felt rushed by the amount that we were required to teach in a session...and so did my students. Bottom line: money is decent...but not fantastic given the amount of work...if you don't have any teaching experience, I think that you will probably find it even MORE difficult. I had three years of teaching experience when I started. Be prepared for a challenge...and remember that you are going to have to spend some of your free time re-learning all of the MCAT topics (even the ones that you thing are pretty irrelevant to the exam) because you are obligated to teach them. That was probably the hardest part...we are all pretty ecstatic when we finish the MCAT...(woohoo! Never doing that again..) Well, if you decide to teach it, you ARE going to have to do it all again....and it can be PAINFUL!!! Overall I have no complaints about Kaplan though...they are very fair to their employees...the money is good, not too stressful, no major problems...I just caution you that even though their rate of pay looks spectacular (and it is) you DO have to WORK for it! (and your hands are very tied by the company as to what you teach, how you teach it, and what emphasis is put on different subjects...regardless of your own feelings or knowledge of the MCAT) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest McGill03 Posted April 16, 2003 Report Share Posted April 16, 2003 Thanks for that very detailed reply, aneliz! I do have some teaching experience, and I'll have some free time this summer. I think I'll give it a shot. As perverse as this sounds, I actually enjoyed studying for the MCAT, and I think teaching a class would be both fun and satisfying. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JSS02 Posted April 17, 2003 Report Share Posted April 17, 2003 Are they still hiring? I know TPR had interviews over a month ago... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest McGill03 Posted April 17, 2003 Report Share Posted April 17, 2003 Yes, I think TPR is still hiring -- at least in Montreal. They said that the hiring process was just winding down, but not over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fivestar7 Posted August 23, 2003 Report Share Posted August 23, 2003 I have been working for the Princeton Review since the end of May. It is now August 23rd and I have yet to see a single penny. They have been having "problems" with their payroll and I have been assured that I would receive a cheque during the next pay period... or the next... or the next... so I guess my caution would be to be very explicit with them, if you choose to take a job, to make sure what the payment arrangments are to be, and not to count on those too heavily!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LaGriega Posted August 26, 2003 Report Share Posted August 26, 2003 I worked for Kaplan this summer in the U.S.. I have years of teaching experience in all kinds of settings with all kinds of audiences, so that was no problem. The classes did require a lot of prep time, but that was OK since I was studying for the MCAT anyway (yes, I taught the class before I took the MCAT). I simply refused to take on additional responsibilities unless I was going to be in there anyway. So one afternoon I got paid to proctor an SAT while I worked on MCAT practice tests - no problem! They offered me more work than I could do, which would have been great if I had had a lot of time and needed more money. My primary problems were: - the mistakes in the materials, the lack of a coherent list of errata, and the failure of Kaplan's national staff to respond to questions - the poorly designed and largely inaccessible online resources for teachers (this is supposed to have improved with their new system) - the low pay rate. I don't know what Aneliz is making, but I started out at $13/hour plus $7/hour for prep time (and my evaluations were outstanding, but that didn't make any difference). This is not high enough to make it worthwhile to keep teaching; I have other part-time work that pays better. Also, the 3 hours per class allocated for prep time are unrealistically low, even if you are a Kaplan alum. Again, for me it was worthwhile because I got to use all their materials for free, but I'd have to get paid more to do it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aneliz Posted August 27, 2003 Report Share Posted August 27, 2003 The last time I worked for Kaplan I was getting $21/hour (CDN) for teaching time and $10/hour (CDN) for prep and marking time. This is decent summer money for the undergrad/med student in Canada. Most research jobs pay ~$10/hour max with some as low as about $8.50/hour. However, it is not as great as what the graduate teaching assistants are making at many schools....some are getting close to $30/hour depending on the university. Minimum wage in Ontario is $6.85 (about $3 US)...so $21 is looks pretty good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kirsteen Posted August 27, 2003 Report Share Posted August 27, 2003 Hi there, Just to corroborate what aneliz mentioned, UofT T.A.s (the ones within the Faculty of Arts & Science and also, Pharmacy, at least) receive just over $32/hr if they are second year Masters or PhD students. However, the maximum number of hours that a full-time student may work as a T.A. is 280. Graduate research assistantships around here are paying ~$15/hr and up. Also, another route for making some summer money (if you have an epidemiology background) is to go for a job at a Public Health unit. Junior Epidemiologists there can make ~$34/hr. Cheers, Kirsteen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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