Summer job: Kaplan or something else

[BlackBantie]

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Kaplan is offering me a job to teach for them. Their pay is $17 an hour, which is badass money but I know I'm not going to be working 40 hours/week. There is another job I can take that pays much less (~$7 an hour) but I'll be working more hours to compensate for that. However, it's less "prestigious:" a customer service rep for the phone. Basically I'll be answering 411 calls.

I'm not as lucky as some people since my parents don't give me much money nor do I have a car and in the city I live in, life is hell if you don't have a car (public transportation sucks). In other words, I really need money. But I think Kaplan would look much better on my resume and for applying to med schools. What should I do?

By the way, if anyone here has taught at Kaplan or knows someone who did, approximately how many hours do you work per week? Thanks

 

[lilnoelle]

Kaplan is offering me a job to teach for them. Their pay is $17 an hour, which is badass money but I know I'm not going to be working 40 hours/week. There is another job I can take that pays much less (~$7 an hour) but I'll be working more hours to compensate for that. However, it's less "prestigious:" a customer service rep for the phone. Basically I'll be answering 411 calls.

I'm not as lucky as some people since my parents don't give me much money nor do I have a car and in the city I live in, life is hell if you don't have a car (public transportation sucks). In other words, I really need money. But I think Kaplan would look much better on my resume and for applying to med schools. What should I do?

By the way, if anyone here has taught at Kaplan or knows someone who did, approximately how many hours do you work per week? Thanks

I would do Kaplan. It sounds like it would be more fun, and then you'll have spare time your last summer. If you really need the hours, you can always take on a part time job at some food place, or as a server. $17 an hour is a pretty good deal.

 

[BlackBantie]

One other thing that I'd be worried about while tutoring over there is what if my actual MCAT score isn't that great? I asked the lady in charge if it would be best for me to get my results back. I thought that being eligible to teach there was based on your actual score, but she said that they only look at your practice tests. I'm still going to find it to be humiliating and I'll lose credibility with my students if they discover that I didn't do that well. I work at a tutoring service at the university and some of my students get pissy with me when I tell them that I got an A- in the 2nd semester of o-chem.

Oh well.

 

[ND2005]

One other thing that I'd be worried about while tutoring over there is what if my actual MCAT score isn't that great? I asked the lady in charge if it would be best for me to get my results back. I thought that being eligible to teach there was based on your actual score, but she said that they only look at your practice tests. I'm still going to find it to be humiliating and I'll lose credibility with my students if they discover that I didn't do that well. I work at a tutoring service at the university and some of my students get pissy with me when I tell them that I got an A- in the 2nd semester of o-chem.

Oh well.

You don't have to tell your students your MCAT score.

 

[joyous]

Princeton Review pays $23 an hour starting for MCAT course, you should look into it. Re: MCAT score, you can say that it is against company policy.

 

[flgirl81]

Princeton Review pays $23 an hour starting for MCAT course, you should look into it. Re: MCAT score, you can say that it is against company policy.

I work for Kaplan now teaching the MCAT and they actually pay you the $17 PLUS $7 per hour of teaching for lesson prep time. In general, Kaplan's a great company to work for and I highly recommend it. Everything is super organized and the managers are very helpful. I'm sure Princeton Review is good too, I just don't personally know much about what it is like to work for them.

 

[2Sexy4MedSchool]

Kaplan is offering me a job to teach for them. (SNIP) But I think Kaplan would look much better on my resume and for applying to med schools. What should I do?

By the way, if anyone here has taught at Kaplan or knows someone who did, approximately how many hours do you work per week? Thanks

I'm sure she will see this thread and respond soon -- because she is omniscient -- but you really should as QofQimica this question. She's just about to start med school this fall, she's a megagenius, she got like a 49 on the MCAT and she's very cool. Oh, and she's taught for Kaplan forever, like since Moses went to med school.

("Take 2 tablets and call me in the morning!")

But I would just add that my experience with Kaplan has been completely positive. I made zillions of dollars, it was easy to transfer my job when I moved from state to state, you can teach as much or as little as you want, and some of the students are hot --- uber hot! Not like those ugly Princeton students. where you have to wear a pork chop around your neck to get them to kiss you....

 

[Dr. Wexler]

I work for Kaplan now teaching the MCAT and they actually pay you the $17 PLUS $7 per hour of teaching for lesson prep time.

How much prep time does teaching a lesson require? Is there a certain amout of hours that Kaplan expects/allows?

 

[goodoldalky]

How much prep time does teaching a lesson require? Is there a certain amout of hours that Kaplan expects/allows?

It's 1 hour prep for every 1 hour class time for the first time you teach a class. I believe theprep hours and prep pay both go down after the first class, while you get a $3-5 raise on the actual classtime based on your performance with the first class.

 

[DF38]

I would definitely take the Kaplan job. It will give you more free time and probably be more enjoyable. And, as others have said, if you want to make more money you could get another part-time job doing something else.

 

[MinnyGophers]

she got like a 49 on the MCAT and she's very cool.

Huh... that's not possible... it it?

 

[defrunner]

Huh... that's not possible... it it?

Yes, Minny, it is very possible. Q had to cut a few corners to go along with her massive intelligence, but it is possible.

But only in the rare and exceptional cases.

Don't fear; a 48 will do you just fine, but you need to get the Z on the writing section to make up for it.

 

[defrunner]

I didn't want to be mean or something; sorry. Maybe you just don't really know too much about the MCAT, so in case you dont:

No, a 49 is not possible. It was an exaggeration and a joke. 45T is the maximum score you can get. Generally, a score of 30 to go along with a 3.6 GPA gets you into medical school, assuming the rest of your application is solid as well. There are always exceptions, of course, but that's approximately the national average (number-wise) for all accepted applicants.

 

[MinnyGophers]

I didn't want to be mean or something; sorry. Maybe you just don't really know too much about the MCAT, so in case you dont:

No, a 49 is not possible. It was an exaggeration and a joke. 45T is the maximum score you can get. Generally, a score of 30 to go along with a 3.6 GPA gets you into medical school, assuming the rest of your application is solid as well. There are always exceptions, of course, but that's approximately the national average (number-wise) for all accepted applicants.

Dude, I knew that. I thought I'd say it more nicely than "Ahahah You *****! There's no 49 in the MCAT!!! *point and mock** "

 

[Eros & Thanatos]

One other thing that I'd be worried about while tutoring over there is what if my actual MCAT score isn't that great? I asked the lady in charge if it would be best for me to get my results back. I thought that being eligible to teach there was based on your actual score, but she said that they only look at your practice tests. I'm still going to find it to be humiliating and I'll lose credibility with my students if they discover that I didn't do that well. I work at a tutoring service at the university and some of my students get pissy with me when I tell them that I got an A- in the 2nd semester of o-chem.

Oh well.

To be able to teach for Kaplan you need to score at or above 90th percentile for any given portion of the test you want to teach. In addition, you need to survive an interview presentation and training (neither of which you're guaranteed to pass).

 

[ParvatiP]

Kaplan is offering me a job to teach for them. Their pay is $17 an hour, which is badass money but I know I'm not going to be working 40 hours/week. There is another job I can take that pays much less (~$7 an hour) but I'll be working more hours to compensate for that. However, it's less "prestigious:" a customer service rep for the phone. Basically I'll be answering 411 calls.

I'm not as lucky as some people since my parents don't give me much money nor do I have a car and in the city I live in, life is hell if you don't have a car (public transportation sucks). In other words, I really need money. But I think Kaplan would look much better on my resume and for applying to med schools. What should I do?

By the way, if anyone here has taught at Kaplan or knows someone who did, approximately how many hours do you work per week? Thanks

Why wouldn't you take the Kaplan job? It's better pay, more "prestigious" and will certainly look better to med schools. Besides, answering phones all day sounds pretty boring 🙂 Take the Kaplan job.

 

[defrunner]

Dude, I knew that. I thought I'd say it more nicely than "Ahahah You *****! There's no 49 in the MCAT!!! *point and mock** "

Well, you sure fooled me.

 

[MinnyGophers]

Well, you sure fooled me.

I guess sarcasm is difficult to detect by reading

 

[jules922]

I taught at Kaplan for 3 years (SAT and MCAT), and the number of hours you'll get totally depends on the center where you teach - basically how many MCAT teachers they already have and how much demand there is for MCAT classes there. I would investigate that before you make any decision. I know many people who expected they would be working at least 20 hours/week and ended up with more like 8 hours/week. I generally supplemented my teaching hours there by working at the center's front desk (basically as a receptionist, though they call it a "student advisor" because you have to know about all the classes so you can help students/potential students) and proctoring exams, which boosted my paycheck.
Another FYI - the Kaplan MCAT curriculum is actually not so great - and in major need of updating (at least the classroom lessons - the practice material is pretty good), so I stopped teaching because I felt completely uncomfortable presenting such a deficient curriculum.

 

[photo_girl07]

Kaplan is offering me a job to teach for them. Their pay is $17 an hour, which is badass money but I know I'm not going to be working 40 hours/week. There is another job I can take that pays much less (~$7 an hour) but I'll be working more hours to compensate for that. However, it's less "prestigious:" a customer service rep for the phone. Basically I'll be answering 411 calls.

I'm not as lucky as some people since my parents don't give me much money nor do I have a car and in the city I live in, life is hell if you don't have a car (public transportation sucks). In other words, I really need money. But I think Kaplan would look much better on my resume and for applying to med schools. What should I do?

By the way, if anyone here has taught at Kaplan or knows someone who did, approximately how many hours do you work per week? Thanks

I have worked as an SAT instructor and I am training to become an MCAT instructor You get paid for actual class time and prep time (the pay rate is less, but the hours are flexible). The job is great and you get valuable teaching and communication experience.

good luck!

PG

 

[BlackBantie]

Wow, I was shocked to see this post that I made a long time ago on the 1st page. I guess an update is in order. Yeah, I did take the Kaplan job and I heart it so much. My application for the customer service job got denied because they didn't want summer workers.

Flynnt: It's one hour prep time for each hour spent in class for the first time around. So that means you spend 3 hours prepping for the typical 3 hour class. Afterwards, my center told us to spend only 30 min prepping for the 3 hour class.

 

[coralfangs]

anyone know the criteria for TPR? i wanna apply there next yr

 

[chewsnuffles]

could i get a kaplan job with a 34S?

 

[leahmaria]

does kaplan automatically invite you to interview for a job if you are in the 90th percentile or do you go to their website and apply?

 

[braluk]

best paying job is examkrackers at 25/hour

 

[OneDayDoc]

I currently teach Kaplan. It is definitely a part time job. Most classes begin after 6 in teh evenings or on the weekends. You can definitely do the Kaplans (for $$) and do something else during the days (either the call center job or, better for med school, shadow a Doc, work in a lab etc.)

 

[HairyCow]

Man, after reading the posts in this thread, it looks like I should ask for a raise from my Kaplan center 😀. Since I'm from Indiana, they pay me in ears of corn.

But seriously, for anyone else considering teaching for Kaplan, it's a pretty sweet gig. Sometimes I prep during downtime at my other job, so it's like I'm getting paid double duty. Also, I didn't have to go through formal training since the Kaplan center was short-staffed. They were like, "Here's some stuff. Teach it. We'll even shower you with nerdy girls!"

 

[BlackBantie]

does kaplan automatically invite you to interview for a job if you are in the 90th percentile or do you go to their website and apply?

It probably depends on the center, but I'm not sure. The people I talked to said that the admin at the Kaplan center where they had enrolled for a class called them. The same thing happened to me. They also don't wait until you get your official MCAT scores back, they base it on the scores of your practice tests.

But you can also apply online at their website.