Gap year: Princeton/Kaplan Instructor

[Shejeboshease]

I am hoping to be a physics instructor for princeton. according to their website, you would have to take a 45 min long test and pass it in order to be eligible to apply. I was wondering if anyone recently took any of their tests. I got 13 in the PS section of my mcat, and i dont if that knowledge itself would be enough to pass that test.

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[CoolSpot7Up]

the test isn't too difficult. they look at both their test's score and the MCAT score. i got a 14 on PS and am now teaching gen chem. it's a great company to teach for, and they just started giving pay raises to people who scored in 95th %ile or higher, and if you went to a prestigious university.

good luck!

 

[alwaysaangel]

I taught during my gap year. I was getting 13/14 on their practices for Bio so they offered for me to take the test. You just have to get an 80+ and at least for Bio - yeah the knowledge for the MCAT is enough to pass.

Its a good job - first time around kind of sucks though because you have to write up all your lesson plans - but its not too bad. I'd say give yourself about 4-6hrs/lecture.

 

[masterMood]

how much do they pay/hour?

and how many hours do you get to work a week?

 

[alwaysaangel]

how much do they pay/hour?

and how many hours do you get to work a week?

Depends on where you are. Mine started me at 23/hr but now I'm at like 24.25/hr. But other places are lower/higher depending on the cost of living.

Hours also depend on where you are and how high the need is. They'll usually give you at least one class at at time (2.75 hrs/week) and then if they need more they'll give you 2-3 (if you're available to teach that many classes). Also, a lot of places need proctors and tutors a lot so you can do that kind of stuff and get a little extra money.

But it definitely is a part-time job. No one should get it expecting it to be full-time or make enough to live off of. (they even told that to us in training)

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

how much do they pay/hour?

and how many hours do you get to work a week?

MCAT science teachers start at $20/hr. I just got a raise to $22/hr for going to a Top 10 school.

Hours all depend on the # of classes. Each TPR class lasts 2.5 hrs. A full course is 41 classes (6 orgo, 8 gen chem, 9 for physics, bio, and verbal). So, you make about $55 per class (they pay you an extra 15 min to get there early).

So, the more subjects you're qualified for and the more courses you teach will get you more hours.

I'm not sure how Kaplan works. They offered me a job to teach all the science subjects, but I really didn't want to review everything. Plus, you teach WAY fewer classes. And the teaching style is horrible. Both companies work in terms of helping you on the MCAT, but for having the freedom to design your own lessons with Princeton is awesome.

Once you pass the test and the audition, you train. Kaplan takes 5 Saturdays (5 hrs/day-ish) to do training. Princeton finishes it off in 1 weekend (24 hours worth), but it is intense.

Teaching your first course is the hardest because of preparing the lecture notes (training helps you do this though). Once you start a second, you already have all your notes made, so it is easy as hell, no prep needed.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

Depends on where you are. Mine started me at 23/hr but now I'm at like 24.25/hr. But other places are lower/higher depending on the cost of living.

Hours also depend on where you are and how high the need is. They'll usually give you at least one class at at time (2.75 hrs/week) and then if they need more they'll give you 2-3 (if you're available to teach that many classes). Also, a lot of places need proctors and tutors a lot so you can do that kind of stuff and get a little extra money.

But it definitely is a part-time job. No one should get it expecting it to be full-time or make enough to live off of. (they even told that to us in training)

yeah, pay rates differ by location, you're right. tons of opportunities for side cash, like by grading SAT/ACT/MCAT essays, proctoring, etc.

like mentioned, it is not a full-time committment. you should be doing something additional if this is for your gap year.

 

[neurofreak]

ive been teaching at princeton also and it's an awesome job. i'm getting $25/hour of class time, and they pay for mileage and office hours too. plus, its really fun to interact with students and share your own experiences with them.

i never heard about getting extra if you scored in the 95th percentile. is this the case at all TPR offices? also, i heard from another instructor that they give raises based on positive student evaluations. any truth to this?

 

[alwaysaangel]

also, i heard from another instructor that they give raises based on positive student evaluations. any truth to this?

Thats how my raise worked. It was calculated based on the number of students I taught and the rating they gave me.

 

[neurochic]

seems like TPR is a nice place to work!

anybody have experiences from Kaplan?

 

[kronickm]

Question for all you TPR and Kaplan teachers.

How formal is the curriculum?
To you have a pre-laid out curriculum or do they let you wing it a bit?


I am considering taking a class. My post-bac offers a free class taught by people in the special masters programs. It is full of practice MCATs but I have heard that the actual lectures and what not are very loosely structured. I am looking for something with some structure to it.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

i never heard about getting extra if you scored in the 95th percentile. is this the case at all TPR offices? also, i heard from another instructor that they give raises based on positive student evaluations. any truth to this?

i believe it is a national update, not just local offices. i got an email last month to fill out a survery about my scores and undergrad institution. they sent me back and email a few weeks later saying i'm getting a raise. they just started this recently. look out for the email and survey, or ask if you didn't get it. it takes like 5 min and gets you an easy raise.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Question for all you TPR and Kaplan teachers.

How formal is the curriculum?
To you have a pre-laid out curriculum or do they let you wing it a bit?


I am considering taking a class. My post-bac offers a free class taught by people in the special masters programs. It is full of practice MCATs but I have heard that the actual lectures and what not are very loosely structured. I am looking for something with some structure to it.

TPR tells teachers what to cover and they choose HOW to do it. Kaplan gives the teachers the entire lesson plan to follow.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

Question for all you TPR and Kaplan teachers.

How formal is the curriculum?
To you have a pre-laid out curriculum or do they let you wing it a bit?


I am considering taking a class. My post-bac offers a free class taught by people in the special masters programs. It is full of practice MCATs but I have heard that the actual lectures and what not are very loosely structured. I am looking for something with some structure to it.

The courses tend to be somewhat formal. They have specific topics they want to cover in each course, and the teachers cover everything you need to know. Both companies pretty much cover the same material, but quality of books/practice exams/teaching skill varies.

For TPR, we're given a list of topics and concepts we have to cover for each class, and we design the lesson around that to make sure we hit the most important things. We also cover certain practice passages in class that relate to the material. All in all, you will have a strict structure, but there's room for flexibility if you need more or less focus on certain aspects. In the end, you will have covered everything you need to know.

 

[ssquared]

I'm not sure how Kaplan works. They offered me a job to teach all the science subjects, but I really didn't want to review everything. Plus, you teach WAY fewer classes. And the teaching style is horrible. Both companies work in terms of helping you on the MCAT, but for having the freedom to design your own lessons with Princeton is awesome.

Once you pass the test and the audition, you train. Kaplan takes 5 Saturdays (5 hrs/day-ish) to do training. Princeton finishes it off in 1 weekend (24 hours worth), but it is intense.

Kaplan training is not necessarily on Saturdays, it's whenever the center schedules it. Mine all took place in the evenings on weekdays.

Kaplan does give out lesson plans to follow alongside their course books that the students get. Some people like to prep their own lessons, but it is nice to have a very clear guideline on what you're supposed to be teaching. That fits my preferences much better than TPR.

Kaplan has a cycle for their classes with 3 classes for each subject: Bio, Gen Chem, Orgo, Physics, Verbal, and then strategy. So if you only teach physical sciences, you'll get in 6-9 classes (any teacher can take on the strat sessions). At ~$20/hr, it's not bad. You get paid for lesson prep and travel time if it's far. You can also get paid to proctor exams (aka getting paid to read/study) which isn't bad either. Kaplan cycles their classes with by staggering start dates, so it's easy to pick up multiple classes (say, one Sat/Mon/Wed and one Sun/Tues/Thurs). You could, in theory, be teaching classes 6 days a week-it's hardly full time, but you could easily get a day job if you wanted.

 

[MeCord3]

seems like TPR is a nice place to work!

anybody have experiences from Kaplan?

I've been teaching for Kaplan for a while and its been awesome. There is plenty of support for the teachers and pay is very decent. You are expected to stick pretty closely to the syllabus for each class, which can be either an advantage or disadvantage I suppose depending on how you view it. But its pretty easy to get into the swing of it after the first time around.

Question for all you TPR and Kaplan teachers.

How formal is the curriculum?
To you have a pre-laid out curriculum or do they let you wing it a bit?

I am looking for something with some structure to it.

I am aware that PR allows greater flexibility in their classes, but my experience with them is limited. I'm sure there are others who can give you more information. The Kaplan cirriculum on the other hand is expected to be very closely abided by, its one of the key points pressed upon the instructors during training and thereafter.

 

[mmcnam]

If you guys did this during your gap year, what else could you fit into your schedule to supplement your income? I was thinking about getting two part time jobs - one with a test company and one elsewhere. What do you think sounds good to med schools and pays well?

 

[artaxerxes]

With proctor, tutoring, prep time, and teaching, whats the max number of hours you can get at a high demand center, if you went balls to walls about it?

 

[alwaysaangel]

With proctor, tutoring, prep time, and teaching, whats the max number of hours you can get at a high demand center, if you went balls to walls about it?

I've known teachers who taught 3-4 courses at a time. So 3-4 sessions/wk (7.5-10hrs), then you could get a couple hours of tutoring (lets say 5 but thats probably reaching), proctoring is almost always saturdays so you couldn't do too many of those - I've managed 2 on a single saturday (one morning, one afternoon)- those are even paid not by hrs (so $45-100/proctoring session, they take 4-6hrs depending on the test). But proctoring is in seasons (SAT season is biggest).

So assuming your the best teacher they have and they give you high preference for classes, and you're free whenever they need you (be it morning class, night class, afternoon class, weekend class). During the heavy season of MCAT AND SAT prep you could probably pull in about 20hrs a week. I can't really imagine you pulling off much more than that unless you learned more than just to teach the MCAT or became a master teacher or something.

It really is a part-time job. I've never met someone using it as a full-time job. No matter how many classes they taught.

And remember its still seasonal. If you go in thinking it will be your only job you'll be sorely disappointed when there is no MCAT prep from Aug-Sept or so. No SATs from Mar-Sept. And not a lot of tutoring chances then either. Its a very part-time very seasonal dependent job - not safe for an only income.

 

[alwaysaangel]

You know if you guys want something to do for your gap year:
Americorps is a great option if you have loans that you need to stay in deferment.

Defer your loans, get a stipend (granted its small but still), and get an educational award at the end.

You could still work part-time wiht something like PR or Kaplan, and if you take a health related position you'll have a great volunteer experience to talk about to your interviewers.

I did a Healthcorps position in the Bay Area, Ca (part-time) and it was really great and I just got my award - which reminded me of it. haha.

 

[neurofreak]

I've known teachers who taught 3-4 courses at a time. So 3-4 sessions/wk (7.5-10hrs), then you could get a couple hours of tutoring (lets say 5 but thats probably reaching), proctoring is almost always saturdays so you couldn't do too many of those - I've managed 2 on a single saturday (one morning, one afternoon)- those are even paid not by hrs (so $45-100/proctoring session, they take 4-6hrs depending on the test). But proctoring is in seasons (SAT season is biggest).

So assuming your the best teacher they have and they give you high preference for classes, and you're free whenever they need you (be it morning class, night class, afternoon class, weekend class). During the heavy season of MCAT AND SAT prep you could probably pull in about 20hrs a week. I can't really imagine you pulling off much more than that unless you learned more than just to teach the MCAT or became a master teacher or something.

It really is a part-time job. I've never met someone using it as a full-time job. No matter how many classes they taught.

And remember its still seasonal. If you go in thinking it will be your only job you'll be sorely disappointed when there is no MCAT prep from Aug-Sept or so. No SATs from Mar-Sept. And not a lot of tutoring chances then either. Its a very part-time very seasonal dependent job - not safe for an only income.

actually, they now have MCAT prep year around due to the jan test. i taught 6 classes this summer and it ended up being around 25 hours/per week including class time, office hours, and driving. and although i won't be able to teach this fall, i know for sure they have MCAT classes for the january test and early classes for next april's test. so if you don't mind working at multiple high-demand centers, and you are organized with your lesson plans, you can definitely pull at least 15-20 hours per week, and do it year around.

 

[alwaysaangel]

actually, they now have MCAT prep year around due to the jan test. i taught 6 classes this summer and it ended up being around 25 hours/per week including class time, office hours, and driving. and although i won't be able to teach this fall, i know for sure they have MCAT classes for the january test and early classes for next april's test. so if you don't mind working at multiple high-demand centers, and you are organized with your lesson plans, you can definitely pull at least 15-20 hours per week, and do it year around.

It really depends on the area - my old center did have year round prep. My new one does it in phases so has some "off-time" or some times where if you can't start by x day you're screwed until the next round. (also, I think you would find that if you stayed on in fall you'd have a hard time getting that many classes -there are FAR FEWER test days in fall, therefore fewer testers and fewer classes needed).

It really depends on the test center and how much you're willing to travel. Even at Berkeley which covers the ENTIRE bay area and had about 25 MCAT classes at any given time, and far more in the summer- they had so many teachers I would have been hard pressed to get more than 3 classes at a time (I could have maybe pulled 5 in the summer if I had no other job, but the rest of the year that would be near impossible)

So I'm not trying to disparage your experience. I'm just trying to make sure no one goes into it planning for it to be a full-time job or their sole income during gap year. It sure as heck wouldn't be enough for rent, living expenses and application costs. And high need test centers really only exist in certain areas so only so many people can take advantage of those.

 

[gujuDoc]

I am hoping to be a physics instructor for princeton. according to their website, you would have to take a 45 min long test and pass it in order to be eligible to apply. I was wondering if anyone recently took any of their tests. I got 13 in the PS section of my mcat, and i dont if that knowledge itself would be enough to pass that test.

I think you'll be fine. Besides whatever test they have they have some specific training sessions where they teach you how to present materials and you make up hypothetical lesson plans using examples not used in the book.

But one thing I'll say is that unless you are teaching 5 days a week, I'd consider doing something else in addition to this job in your gap year such as research or volunteering or some sort of clinically related job.

 

[Tx1227]

I am actually teaching an entire MCAT class for kaplan which is 6 hrs a week and I will probably pick up another one that meets once a week pushing it to 9 hrs/wk. With the paid prep and ~20/wk, its a solid job for a gap year or even if you are a senior finishing undergrad like myself. I would definitely recommend it.

 

[artaxerxes]

I'm thinking about double teaming TPR and Kaptest...don't know if thats a good idea, also thinking about subsitute teaching for public schools, anyone ever tried that?

 

[alwaysaangel]

I'm thinking about double teaming TPR and Kaptest...don't know if thats a good idea, also thinking about subsitute teaching for public schools, anyone ever tried that?

If you mean working for Kaplan and PR at the same time - you can't. Its against their policy. You will sign a form for each that says you will not work for another prep company or on your own for at least 1 year after you terminate employment with that. So since you sign a contract it would also be illegal.

So if they catch you working for the other or tutoring/giving paid application advice on the side - they can and probably WILL sue your ass off.

 

[artaxerxes]

If you mean working for Kaplan and PR at the same time - you can't. Its against their policy. You will sign a form for each that says you will not work for another prep company or on your own for at least 1 year after you terminate employment with that. So since you sign a contract it would also be illegal.

So if they catch you working for the other or tutoring/giving paid application advice on the side - they can and probably WILL sue your ass off.

well that sucks.....guess I'll go with TPR then.

it would be sweet to land a fulltime teaching position though...too bad no license

 

[alwaysaangel]

well that sucks.....guess I'll go with TPR then.

it would be sweet to land a fulltime teaching position though...too bad no license

Teach for america. Full-time REAL in classroom teaching. You just have to be willing to live in a bad urban area and teach in that area. No credentials needed - they train you. You should look into it - I don't think you're too late yet but you will be soon.

Pay sucks but I'm pretty sure you get an educational award - and med schools will love it. But if you're applying this year it won't work - you can't keep skipping and leaving them with no teacher to go to interviews.

Heres the link: www.teachforamerica.org

I know someone who did it - he was enjoying his training - haven't talked to him since he actually started working.

 

[artaxerxes]

Teach for america. Full-time REAL in classroom teaching. You just have to be willing to live in a bad urban area and teach in that area. No credentials needed - they train you. You should look into it - I don't think you're too late yet but you will be soon.

Pay sucks but I'm pretty sure you get an educational award - and med schools will love it. But if you're applying this year it won't work - you can't keep skipping and leaving them with no teacher to go to interviews.

Heres the link: www.teachforamerica.org

I know someone who did it - he was enjoying his training - haven't talked to him since he actually started working.

thats the exact problem, I would probably in research at this point if wasn't for possible interviews and and possible admissions. I mean I hope I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket with TPR, cause I'll be setback a year if I don't get in, but nothing else really lets you have flex hours and only one year comittment. I might look into an unpaid intership to hedge by bets against not getting into any schools this year.

 

[alwaysaangel]

thats the exact problem, I would probably in research at this point if wasn't for possible interviews and and possible admissions. I mean I hope I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket with TPR, cause I'll be setback a year if I don't get in, but nothing else really lets you have flex hours and only one year comittment. I might look into an unpaid intership to hedge by bets against not getting into any schools this year.

Yeah just consider all your options - maybe contact teach for america and see what happens when you can't go to work for a day or two. I mean most people don't go to 20 interviews so I think a couple would be ok. Also, I'm pretty sure you can be a substitute teacher. It depends on the state but a lot of them you don't need credentials. Then you have all the flexibility you could possibly want.

You have one other problem with TPR (not trying to discourage you just helping you realize them before you get there). Usually when you take on a class the director sends out a bunch of classes and their days/times. You send back the days you can work, the days you prefer to work and the days you can't work. Then they send back the schedule. This all happens before the class starts - so depending on how compact the course is anywhere between 2-5 months early. You can get a lot of interviews in 2-5 months - then you'll be swapping schedules with other teachers which is no big deal but kind of frowned upon. And if you can't find someone to swap with you then you're kind of screwed (your only options are the 4 other teachers teaching your course and the other teachers who teach your subject (but this is more frowned upon).

The more you swap the more of a "pain" you are to the directors and the less seniority you will get when it comes to getting future classes.

So I really think you need to find a side job that isn't going to care if you need a few days off here and there (retail?)- and just do PR as a supplment teaching 1-2 classes at a time. Anymore than that and you're going to make it really messy when you have to swap the schedule around. And next time they won't give you that many.

Then you'll be left with far fewer hours than you expected to have and no way to get more. (I saw this happen to someone in my TPR) So you really really want to look at TPR as a supplemental income not the only one.