Teach for Kaplan or Princeton Review?

[g8terboi]

I'm looking into teaching for one or both...any insights? Some of the previous discussions are rather dated. Is it legal to teach for both at the same time?

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[twick121]

I have no idea about the legality of teaching both.

But I taught for Princeton and enjoyed it. In my opinion the bonus about the princeton review is you only teach 1-2 subjects, whereas (i've heard) for kaplan you teach the entire class. I liked that aspect.

 

[anumama]

i teach for princeton review right now and its a pretty good gig--the pay is nice and the hours arent bad. unfortunately, you cant work for both companies and pr made me sign a waiver saying i wouldnt. also, the training process is pretty grueling, but i think its just a weeding out process. good luck!

 

[SStorm]

i teach for princeton review right now and its a pretty good gig--the pay is nice and the hours arent bad. unfortunately, you cant work for both companies and pr made me sign a waiver saying i wouldnt. also, the training process is pretty grueling, but i think its just a weeding out process. good luck!

I would say all of the above holds true for Kaplan as well. It's hardest when training and teaching your first class. It's much easier after that. Also, I've taught at 2 centers and both had it where I taught what I was comfortable teaching. I didn't have to teach anything I didn't want to. And we're contractually obligated to teach only for Kaplan.

 

[SharpieMarker]

i vote princeton review. apparently pay varies from location to location but at least for me, princeton offered me a lot more money. in my case, they offered me $8/hour more than kaplan did.... they're supportive and they give you other opps to make easy money like proctoring or grading practice exams, although i imagine kaplan does too... i do warn you, prepping for class your first time around is intense, unless you just recently took the mcat. i had a two year gap and jeez, i have forgotten a lot...

actually, the reason i'm up right now is i'm prepping for my class tomorrow. and obviously procrastinating. closing this browser window... now.

 

[Nokternal7]

I teach for Kaplan. You have to sign a non-compete clause which states that you won't teach for another company for at least one year after working for Kaplan.

Prepping a lesson for the first time is quite an ordeal. You are only reimbursed for 3 hours of prep time per lesson @ minimum wage for your first time teaching. For subsequent times teaching a lesson, you're only reimbursed for 1 hour of prep time @ minimum wage. I've found that it takes significantly longer than 3 hours to prep a lesson for the 1st time. Therefore, I feel that the pay isn't worth the amount of time required to prep a lesson.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

I dun understand why its so hard to prep for a class? I hadn't taken PR, but the material for the kaplan class are only the basics and the stuff are pre-made. All you have to do is spend 10 mins to just go over that lesson beforehand (re-read a passage or so) and go through the pages one by one. The book pretty much teaches itself, so if you've done the problems before and know how to solve them, all you have to do is explain why and move on.

 

[BloodySurgeon]

but again, I hadn't taught a class before and might be missing something.

*also I had taken the mcat recently and attended all the lessons so my opinion may be bias.

 

[deleted128318]

Anybody want to throw out some numbers? Exactly how much does whoring yourself to kap/PR pay?

 

[anumama]

for pr, the starting salary in my area is $20/hr. this goes up if you are currently attending/graduated from one of the "powerhouse" schools like any of the ivy leagues or other well known schools as Northwestern/UChicago. the pay also increases the higher your score is in the section you're teaching. i believe that if you're in the 95% or higher percentile, its a guaranteed $25/hr.

theres no pay for the prep time, but i usually spend about 2-3 hours preparing. its def. hardest the first time planning a lecture, but by the second time around you can just reuse your notes

hope that helps

 

[DoctorDreamer]

I work for Kaplan.

As it's been said, you cannot work for both.

Kaplan pays less in my area ($15 for teaching your 1st class, $18 after that). Prep time is paid at $7 an hour.

Thus, if Princeton doesn't pay prep time, it may come out to about the same depending on region.

Prepping the first time around takes me 3-4 hours, and I'm paid for 3.

If you spend a lot of time REALLY focusing on everything and how you're going to say it, it takes FOREVER. But, if you read everything and highlight appropriately, make sure you understand things and work through any calculations, it won't take you to long past the 3 hours if you do go past.

If you just scan over the material and read through the book in class, your teaching style would be disappointing, and your students would most likely rank you poorly, which would result in you not teaching anymore - That's why you actually have to spend time prepping.

Kaplan has the added benefit of letting you earn free prep as you work (free USMLE prep - woohoo!). I don't know about Princeton, and I also don't know how good their USMLE prep is.

 

[CoolSpot7Up]

I'm looking into teaching for one or both...any insights? Some of the previous discussions are rather dated. Is it legal to teach for both at the same time?

I was offered a job to teach for both, but when you sign with one, you can't do the other. So it is not legal to work for both.

I teach for TPR, and the way they put it is that they're teaching you their inside tricks and knowledge. Even if you say you won't use their material with another company, you've still gained their knowledge and may inadvertently use their techniques which they only have the rights to teach.

It's kinda tricky, and I would have liked to have both jobs, but Princeton Review was a way better choice for me in terms of pay and teaching experience. I posted a bunch on this topic in the past about why I chose TPR over Kaplan, so feel free to check through my posts from last year if you want. Good luck!

 

[Food]

I dun understand why its so hard to prep for a class? I hadn't taken PR, but the material for the kaplan class are only the basics and the stuff are pre-made. All you have to do is spend 10 mins to just go over that lesson beforehand (re-read a passage or so) and go through the pages one by one. The book pretty much teaches itself, so if you've done the problems before and know how to solve them, all you have to do is explain why and move on.

Lol, looking through each of the 3 passages + questions, and then each "individual" page takes more than three hours, believe it or not. Plus, we are preparing the lesson to tell it to a group of people who vary in skill level. My Kaplan center pays me for 4.5 hours of prep time per lesson for my first class. After I finish this class, it will be 1 hour. I don't mind, it takes no time to prep at all, the 2nd time around. THEN it's like 10 minutes. Anyway...you can't teach for both (I suppose you could, but if they found out, you'd be in some trouble). I'd hate teaching for both, I'd keep confusing what I was saying in each class...I'd probably say something like "Kaplan's strategy for blah..." in a TPR class, and that'd suck.

 

[SStorm]

Prepping a lesson for the first time is quite an ordeal. You are only reimbursed for 3 hours of prep time per lesson @ minimum wage for your first time teaching. For subsequent times teaching a lesson, you're only reimbursed for 1 hour of prep time @ minimum wage. I've found that it takes significantly longer than 3 hours to prep a lesson for the 1st time. Therefore, I feel that the pay isn't worth the amount of time required to prep a lesson.

That sucks. My managers have been nicer than that. They allowed me up to 6 hours on the first time and up 3 hours on subsequent lessons.

 

[andtheholograms]

apparently mine trumps them all: no limits to prep time...at least, none that they've mentioned. but i've been prepping around 10 hrs per lesson (the first time through) and around 2 hrs each other time....I took the test awhile ago and have been out of school, so I like to really really really know what's going on. these kids are tough! they ask really specific questions.

paid $20/hour for teaching
$7/hour for prepping

this is for Kaplan. teaching pay goes up in emergency situations (i.e., other teacher calls in sick/short notice, etc.)

 

[moomoomoo]

I am interviewing with Princeton Review, and I am wondering about the training. I am nervous that after all of the training, I won't be given a position. When you say they "weed people out," what are my chances of getting a position; how many positions are there for each applicant in training (ratio)?

 

[Ursa]

I teach for TPR. It's pretty nice chunk change. $20/hour for a few hours a week. $15/ hour prep time and you can do up to 3 hours each lecture for the first time you teach the class.

It's actually quite an enjoyable job too. It's fun to be on the other side of the MCAT.

 

[BarcaBest23]

EK>TPR>Kaplan

I have taught for all three and I think EK is the best in terms of flexibility and actual content.

In terms of teaching for several companies, you cannot do this as all of them (except for EK thus far) make you sign a document that says you cannot teach for other competing MCAT companies.

 

[Mbeas]

The training basically consists of two full days (8 hours each) where you have 4 teaching sessions that llast about twenty minute each. If you want the job, make sure you PREPARE. Also, your training instructor will give you feedback on the first day of training. Make sure you listen and take their advice. If they don't see that you made an improvement on the second day, they have the right to terminate your employment. It's pretty intense to say the least.

Also, you are talking about the training, right? Or is this your very first time when you do the ten minute teach back (because that part is relatively easy; just don't blatantly screw up by under preparing)

 

[gnomeski]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but does anyone know whether Kaplan/TPR have long-term time commitments for their teachers? Ie. do you have to work for them for at least 1 year or what?

Thanks

 

[Hoya2009]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but does anyone know whether Kaplan/TPR have long-term time commitments for their teachers? Ie. do you have to work for them for at least 1 year or what?

Thanks

I can't think of anywhere where you would not be an at-will employee, so there would never be a contractual requirement for you to work a certain time. They're going to expect you to fulfill whatever commitments you have for a certain class, but outside that, not really. But again, outside the military, you can almost always quit any job you hold, for no reason at all, without consequences.

I'm not sure I would consider hiring/training someone who was going to quit in three months, but how much you tell your prospective employer about your future plans is between you and your god.
But always watch out for No. 1.

Good luck

 

[PiBond]

Sorry for reviving an old thread, but does anyone know whether Kaplan/TPR have long-term time commitments for their teachers? Ie. do you have to work for them for at least 1 year or what?

Thanks

For TPR, there's no time commitment to my knowledge. Most directors expect there will be high turnover because most of us will be heading to med school. If you get certified in a large city where there's veteran teachers and trainers, you most likely won't get many (if any) classes after you're certified. I had to wait a few months after training to get my first class and even now I teach mainly offsite. However, if a region is severely lacking in teachers for a certain subject I could understand an office wanting to gauge your level of availability before putting you through training.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

I taught for Kaplan for a while. The above comments are pretty spot on about Kaplan inc so I won't add much. It was a very nice time and I got paid starting 17/hr at my college town and then 22/hr starting in my current city. Kaplan has a feedback based promotional system. When you get >70% excellence in feedback (with a minimum of 50 comments) you reach Elite levels. Each Elite level = a 5 dollar raise when I was still working. Since MCAT and DAT are notorious for it's difficulty in getting stellar comments, each comment counts as double. Thus one only needed 25 comments to reach elite level 1.

Also I didn't feel like I needed >3 hours to prep a lesson (maybe 2 hours tops), even my first time around. But everyone is different.

There is no time commitment but the more good comments you have, the more likely you are to gain elite levels. Also, once you're in the Kaplan system, you can do all sorts of proctoring and they will even pay to train you for other similar prep tests if they need the help. I only took the MCAT but they trained me in the DAT and that became my other specialty.

 

[loveoforganic]

I teach for TPR. It's pretty nice chunk change. $20/hour for a few hours a week. $15/ hour prep time and you can do up to 3 hours each lecture for the first time you teach the class.

It's actually quite an enjoyable job too. It's fun to be on the other side of the MCAT.

You get paid for your prep???? Ugh, wish TPR hadn't bailed on my teaching location.

 

[tlaloc87]

You get paid for your prep???? Ugh, wish TPR hadn't bailed on my teaching location.

My TPR office pays zilch for prep. They're starting it again for the new package they just rolled out this year, but it's basically minimum wage.

 

[Signifier]

Do any of you have any ethical qualms about working for Princeton, Kaplan, etc.?

Not trying to ask an incendiary question- just wondering.

 

[PiBond]

Do any of you have any ethical qualms about working for Princeton, Kaplan, etc.?

Not trying to ask an incendiary question- just wondering.

No. It's a job, I'm a poor college student, and I receive dozens of Thank You letters from past students who get into med school.

 

[BadHorse]

Do any of you have any ethical qualms about working for Princeton, Kaplan, etc.?

Not trying to ask an incendiary question- just wondering.

I felt weird about it, so I quit. The whole system favors the rich to an extent with which I am not comfortable, and the part where you get to explain your economic status comes long after adcoms have slashed the pile for numbers.

I don't judge anyone else, though. It's pretty cool job.

 

[mafunk]

My husband taught for Kaplan in graduate school. Easy hours, easy work, nice extra money at the time.

 

[Hoya2009]

^^That. So no qualms. I don't tell students they all need expensive tutoring packages, either, though.
You can't beat the pay and hours if you're a student looking for extra money.
Also, a plug:
You can make more money faster teaching for Kaplan over TPR. More hours and paid prep, plus larger scale operation. TPR has slick tutoring opportunities, though, if you're into that, but I'm not.

 

[FIREitUP]

EK>TPR>Kaplan

I have taught for all three and I think EK is the best in terms of flexibility and actual content.

In terms of teaching for several companies, you cannot do this as all of them (except for EK thus far) make you sign a document that says you cannot teach for other competing MCAT companies.

My experience with EK was not the best, personally. Perhaps it was because I found their Physical sciences section to be inadequately taught and their 30 minute exams to contradict their "intuition" strategy that they propagate throughout their books (i.e., a lot of questions required derivations from formulae given and did not necessarily test understanding of concepts, but rather minutiae). Furthermore, they offer practically zero in book practice questions besides their garbage 30 minute exams. Therefore, it behooves the teacher to create his/her own prep questions to more adequately explain the concepts that EK goes over in a cursory fashion. I want to reiterate that with EK you not only have to prep for the class, but you must prep to teach the 30 minute exams, which are probably the worst test questions I have encountered in my MCAT prep. I would imagine it's much easier to teach the Biological Sciences section.

Personally, I would go with Princeton Review because they don't require you use a script.