Anyone teach for Kaplan?

[purple pearl]

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Hey guys!

No recent stuff on this- anyone teach science MCAT for Kaplan? do they like the hours and pay etc.. and is it hard to read off the script?

Is teaching a good skill for medical school so should i bother putting in effort to be a kaplan teacher?

I am NOT naturally very good at teaching- i dont come off as really knowledgable and i feel like people dont really respect me right away!! just because i'm a girl and not extremely nerdy.... so I thought maybe I could work on that skill..

PLEASE any advice would be great- THANKS

 

[armybound]

It's not a good skill for medical school, no. If you need help speaking in front of people and plan on doing research or presenting things, it may be useful.. but so will any practice doing public speaking.

I worked at Kaplan for nearly a year. I can honestly say that I hated teaching their prep course. I had worked as a TA in grad school and enjoyed it, and I tutored for Kaplan and enjoyed it, but absolutely hated teaching the class. The main reason I hated it was because I didn't like teaching every subject. I'm not strong in physics, chemistry, or organic chemistry, so being asked questions about details that I didn't even comprehend was not fun. The students weren't impressed either.

Regarding the pay... it's not exactly as good as it sounds. It's $21/hour when you are teaching (3 hours per class, twice a week), but it's $7/hour when you're doing anything else, such as prepping for your lecture. So basically in a week you work for 6 hours at $7/hour prepping for the course and 6 hours at $21/hour teaching. They will also make you sit in on mandatory meetings for $7/hour, or for no pay. I didn't feel that the amount of effort I was putting in to it (4 nights per week) was worth the ~$150/week I was making, especially since I wasn't comfortable lecturing over material I didn't really know. And I hated reading their scripted lessons.

 

[URHere]

You could also consider applying for the Princeton Review.

For TPR, you teach only one subject, and the schedule is fairly flexible - courses generally run 5 days/week, so you could teach a Sunday and Tuesday one week, and Monday and Wednesday the next. There are also no scripts - just a list of topics that you need to cover in whatever way you think is best.

The pay is fairly low to start ($20/hr), but you can hold 2-3 office hour sessions during each course for the same rate (which often means paid study time for you). Also, if you move up the chain of command to become a more experienced teacher or tutor, the pay goes up.

I like it a lot, but the interview process is fairly rigorous. They generally look for people with graduate degrees in the area they want to teach, they require a qualifying exam (all of the little details you barely remember from the MCAT), and you need to go through several intensive teaching auditions. But, if you are up for it, I personally think it's worth it.

 

[purple pearl]

;/ Thanks so much for the replies

... I actually took Princeton Review and LOVED my teachers but I am not sure if I am up for that rigorous training etc.. my bio tutor was amazing.

I like that Kaplan just has a script- it seems easier to teach!... I dont want to teach anything other than Bio and I am not qualified- i dont have a 12 or above in physical sciences!

Its a huge commitment. I wish they would let me "try it out" once and see if I like it;( or if I am any good!

 

[Malayna]

It's not a good skill for medical school, no. If you need help speaking in front of people and plan on doing research or presenting things, it may be useful.. but so will any practice doing public speaking.

I worked at Kaplan for nearly a year. I can honestly say that I hated teaching their prep course. I had worked as a TA in grad school and enjoyed it, and I tutored for Kaplan and enjoyed it, but absolutely hated teaching the class. The main reason I hated it was because I didn't like teaching every subject. I'm not strong in physics, chemistry, or organic chemistry, so being asked questions about details that I didn't even comprehend was not fun. The students weren't impressed either.

Regarding the pay... it's not exactly as good as it sounds. It's $21/hour when you are teaching (3 hours per class, twice a week), but it's $7/hour when you're doing anything else, such as prepping for your lecture. So basically in a week you work for 6 hours at $7/hour prepping for the course and 6 hours at $21/hour teaching. They will also make you sit in on mandatory meetings for $7/hour, or for no pay. I didn't feel that the amount of effort I was putting in to it (4 nights per week) was worth the ~$150/week I was making, especially since I wasn't comfortable lecturing over material I didn't really know. And I hated reading their scripted lessons.

I was thinking about teaching for them this spring and/or summer, but I think your message really helped with that decision. I would hate having to teach every subjects, because there are some topics I wouldn't help them at all with.

 

[BBender716]

Quick note, it's not just reading from the scripts. I won't get into it, but you will not pass training reading from the scripts. They basically give you an outline of points to explain or highlight and then background on a separate page. You fill in the rest. Lots of work + time that goes relatively uncompensated. (see armybound)

 

[JediZero]

;/ Thanks so much for the replies

... I actually took Princeton Review and LOVED my teachers but I am not sure if I am up for that rigorous training etc.. my bio tutor was amazing.

I like that Kaplan just has a script- it seems easier to teach!... I dont want to teach anything other than Bio and I am not qualified- i dont have a 12 or above in physical sciences!

Its a huge commitment. I wish they would let me "try it out" once and see if I like it;( or if I am any good!

If you want to "try it out"... apply. They're not going to leave you high and dry. I'm currently going through training with them, and they are helping us learn how to prepare for lessons and develop our presentation skills. Training is a time when you are being paid (at minimum wage) while you and Kaplan are both figuring out if this will be a good fit for you. I haven't gotten too far into it right now, but I'm interested and excited about the opportunity.

 

[2010houston]

You might want to check with your center about whether or not you'd have to teach everything - at mine, they generally broke up the MCAT courses so you didn't have to teach all. So maybe you could teach only bio and verbal or strategy, at least to start.

And while I agree with the previous comments re: teaching from the book, it does help give you structure if that's something that you're worried about.