Auditioning for Kaplan

[Risa]

Hey you SDNers!

I've got an audition to teach for Kaplan coming up, and it seems like the kind of thing that several of you have probably done.

So, does anyone have any feedback, pointers, or advice on their experience (either with auditioning or with the job itself)? I'm excited about it but I think I'm gonna have stage fright....

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[pagemmapants]

My audition was super-relaxed: my lesson was "How variations on the basic brewing process result in many different styles of beer" and I went through the basics of brewing + easy variations that make you end up with, say, lager vs. ale; porter vs. stout, etc. Apparently they liked it. 5 minutes goes by really fast once you're up there - just make sure that you don't look too stiff or drag out anything for too long. They seem to like teachers that are approachable. . . Oh, and if you're going for MCAT teacher - there seems to be a ridiculous lack of these in most places. We're few and far between .
As far as the job itself goes - WAY laid-back, you mark your own hours & turn in your own time sheets and prob. about 90% of the time you have the classroom to yourself with nobody "official" watching you. Sweet deal, I gotta say.

 

[jebus]

Hey, how much do they pay you? Ever since I got my scores back I've been considering it. You only need 12s in each section to qualify, right?

 

[C. LaRue]

Hey, how much do they pay you? Ever since I got my scores back I've been considering it. You only need 12s in each section to qualify, right?

Yep, only 12s in each section. No big deal. I get $18/hour, started at $15/hour. I think it varies depending on the demand for teachers in your area.

I taught a bunch of classes this summer and made bank. I've been teaching very little during school and think I'm probably going to "retire" soon. I am now just in it for the money and am starting to realize that I don't enjoy teaching MCAT that much. Premeds are a very difficult breed to handle, and they can be very disrespectful and snotty. Tired of it.

 

[jebus]

Yep, only 12s in each section. No big deal. I get $18/hour, started at $15/hour. I think it varies depending on the demand for teachers in your area.

I am now just in it for the money and am starting to realize that I don't enjoy teaching MCAT that much.... Tired of it.

Ok, thanks for putting me in my place.
And you did make some decent coin, which is what I wanted to hear. Thanks!

 

[ahumdinger]

Ok, thanks for putting me in my place.
And you did make some decent coin, which is what I wanted to hear. Thanks!

MCAT teaching is about the only part-time job that is do-able in med school, but it provides really great spending cash. Check your email compulsively to get dibs on the proctoring, or schedule them in advance-- basically you get paid to sit there and study while the students test. Sweet deal.
Also, it's great that your MCAT knowledge is fresh in your mind. I took mine in august 2004, so I find myself having to actually review some of the materials, and yes, the pre-med breed is extremely difficult to handle.

FYI: on the horizon, CBTs for 2007, so the class may be taught differently then. (but that may just be for the strategy part of the course, maybe the science classes won't be affected)

 

[jebus]

I was wondering how they'll teach the CBT course. Certainly, in site practice tests are going to be limited by the number of computers at the kaplan center (or students can probably bring in their own laptops if they deploy WiFi), so I bet those cushy proctoring jobs' days are slightly numbered (wow, that came out awkward and poorly written). Will more of these students just take the test at home/school library/internet cafe/wireless hotspot?
I actually don't know that much about pre-meds - just what I've seen here at SDN and my intro science classes 7-8 years ago. When I was in college I wanted to pursue graduate school in basic science so I had classes with others like me and with wannabe MD/PhD students.
And I know med students who have trafficked during the semester. It's also do-able during med school and these kids are getting more than just spending cash. Alas, I'm pretty sure that's not an option for me.

 

[unicorn06]

Yep, only 12s in each section. No big deal. I get $18/hour, started at $15/hour. I think it varies depending on the demand for teachers in your area.

I taught a bunch of classes this summer and made bank. I've been teaching very little during school and think I'm probably going to "retire" soon. I am now just in it for the money and am starting to realize that I don't enjoy teaching MCAT that much. Premeds are a very difficult breed to handle, and they can be very disrespectful and snotty. Tired of it.

Hey maybe you should consier Princeton Review. I taught with them and made $23/hr as a starting MCAT teacher. I'm also retireing too though because I'd prefer to TA classes at my ugrad.

 

[ti89]

Hey, how much do they pay you? Ever since I got my scores back I've been considering it. You only need 12s in each section to qualify, right?

you don't need 12's. You need an 11 each section. Also if you do not have that you can still qualify but you have to retest unless you took classes with them and they have a score of yours on file with an 11 on any of their practice tests.

 

[ahumdinger]

Hey maybe you should consier Princeton Review. I taught with them and made $23/hr as a starting MCAT teacher. I'm also retireing too though because I'd prefer to TA classes at my ugrad.

holy cow, I've never heard of TPR or Kaplan paying that much! But TPR is a LOT more work- you have to work out your own lesson plans.

 

[Indryd]

you don't need 12's. You need an 11 each section. Also if you do not have that you can still qualify but you have to retest unless you took classes with them and they have a score of yours on file with an 11 on any of their practice tests.

I know a guy who got a 31 on his MCAT and teaches Kaplan...dang I didn't know it paid so well...that upsets me.

 

[autoimmunity]

You only need an 11 in each section!? Please tell me you're serious because I sure could use some extra cash.

 

[Will Ferrell]

*don't be a mumbling/word-fumbling idiot like me . I dropped the ball and lost the $20/hr job.

*Practice your presentation ... unlike me.

*Suck up to the people at Kaplan. Laugh at their stupid jokes.

 

[Risa]

Thanks for responding, everyone!

Re: required scores, I at least got offered the audition with two 11s and a 12, for whatever that's worth. Filling out the application takes like 3 minutes, so you should definitely all check it out!

 

[Em1]

If you don't make the score for one or more sections, you can take a practice section of theirs to get the score you need. For example, I got a 10 on VR, and will have to do a practice test and get an 11.

For the audition:
Practice! It's harder than you think w/o ppt like you're used to.
Use the board. It's not supposed to be a lecture.
Ask questions, involve the audience.

I did mine on how to read music (or at least a very basic overview). Lots of opportunities to draw on the board to explain things, and to ask the audience questions to make sure they understood it.

I'm about to start training for Kaplan (past the audition part), teaching is $20/hr, training and prep time is $7/hr, proctoring is $10/hr

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Premeds are a very difficult breed to handle, and they can be very disrespectful and snotty. Tired of it.

Amen. I hated some of my students... of course each of my classes had a different vibe - one class of mediclones, another class of slacker/rowdy types, a hopelessly dumb class, etc. etc. the rowdy class was the worst. and then you get those people who INSIST you walk them through the most advanced things that *do not appear* on the MCAT, and then they complain that you're not teaching them enough. "you didn't go through the specific molecular biochemistry of the hypophyseal portal vein system! what if they ask me about the neutransmitter precursors here!" this is a review course, not a college-level class!! this is partly TPR's fault as their materials are so overkill, so students get pissed off when I skip entire sections (my syllabus even tells me to skip stuff and tell students to review that at home!!). Gah, and those same people have HUGE problems with basic bacterial stuff, like the difference between +/- mutants for carbon source / amino acid... that's the tricky stuff you should know for the MCAT, not some exegesis on the lac operon!! (end rant)

I taught at TPR, and it was a pain in the ass because I had to come up with the entire lesson plan, diagrams, etc. It turned out to be okay because I taught each lesson multiple times, and I had some basic notes from when I actually took the TPR course...

The pay is *great*, and proctoring is wonderful (hello easy money), but you're selling your soul to do it sometimes. That said, I'd gladly sell my soul again.

 

[diosa428]

I auditioned for Kaplan and they told me that they didn't really need any more MCAT teachers, so now I'm teaching SAT and I have to say it's a lot easier and I make the same amount as MCAT teachers ($20 an hour).

 

[Scottish Chap]

you don't need 12's. You need an 11 each section. Also if you do not have that you can still qualify but you have to retest unless you took classes with them and they have a score of yours on file with an 11 on any of their practice tests.

I don't think this is strictly true for all Kaplan sites either. Many people teach for Kaplan with 'okay' MCAT scores, and several people have not even taken the MCAT - they either have a teaching credential/doctorate in the discipline coupled with academic success otherwise.

 

[Risa]

I auditioned for Kaplan and they told me that they didn't really need any more MCAT teachers, so now I'm teaching SAT and I have to say it's a lot easier and I make the same amount as MCAT teachers ($20 an hour).

Ooh that would be my ideal situation... I think the SAT is a lot of fun! The MCAT... not so much.

 

[jebus]

Hey, Risa, I'm sorry I hijacked your thread, but did you get the answer you wanted?
Beware! The SAT has changed in the past few years. Fewer analogies and a writing sample. I loved analogies.
SAT:analogies::me:love
(Neither one is as good without it.)

 

[golftrippy]

Ooh that would be my ideal situation... I think the SAT is a lot of fun! The MCAT... not so much.

I teach for Kaplan (the two sections I made 12s on)...you actually make $5 less an hour teaching anything else vs. the MCAT

 

[Risa]

Hey, Risa, I'm sorry I hijacked your thread, but did you get the answer you wanted?
Beware! The SAT has changed in the past few years. Fewer analogies and a writing sample. I loved analogies.
SAT:analogies::me:love
(Neither one is as good without it.)

No worries! I just wanted whatever info people could share, which you've been very helpful in eliciting

And I am SO sad about the demise of the analogies. Those things were fun!

 

[LindsayD]

I auditioned for Princeton Review, and did a presentation on how to make guacamole. Texas related and the people who are judging you get to eat afterwards. Can't go wrong. I got the job, but ended up tutoring for the SATs for More Than a Teacher in Austin that pays more ($20/hour, vs Princeton's $17, plus training at minimum wage). The SATs are really easy to tutor for, as long as you learn the ropes of the new writing skills section.

 

[drlalchick]

I've been teaching for Kaplan for a year, and though the pay rate is pretty nice (I haven't graduated from college yet, and without a B.A. they pay $20/hr, which is nice), I don't really have freedom to teach how I want to teach. Though TPR has teachers create their own lessons, which can be more work, once the work is done, all you have to do is teach it. With Kaplan, every minute is planned out for you, so I can't teach what or how I want, which sometimes gets frustrating and a little boring. Just something to think about. Overall, though, it's pretty cool teaching for the MCAT, and the students I've had in the various classes have been great.