tutoring

[danaeris]

So, I'm contemplating applying to work for Ivy West or Kaplan doing SAT tutoring.

Specifically, the thing which attracts me the most about Ivy West is that they claim to have a benefits package which includes 401k, Short Term Disability, group Insurance rates, "and more." And supposedly you can work anywhere between 5 and 25 hours per week.

Anyone know anything about this?

Comments

[unseelie23.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine does SAT tutoring, though I'm not sure who through. Do you mind if I point him at this post?

[danaeris.livejournal.com]

By all means, go for it!

[(Anonymous)]

I'm the friend of Unseelie's, don't have a LJ account, so this is anon. I enjoy working for Ivy West; it is a good organization and I like teaching.

I'm a tutor, not a salesman -- the Ivy West people understand that results are what are important, and that good results are what really sell more services. I have never been asked to do anything remotely like selling or promoting. They understand that word of mouth is the most effective advertizing - there's nothing like the happy parent of a kid whose scores just shot up over 100 points on both Verbal and Math. [Yes, it can be *that* effective. The SAT is a very flawed exam.]

You have to like people, like kids, and like teaching. You also have to be able to figure out what makes a student tick, and get them motivated to do the work; they don't do very well if they don't practice and learn the material. You also have to be pretty reliable, but flexible. Parents will expect you to be there as planned, but adjust for their changes of plan. Lots of travel, so you're not *actually* making the posted hourly - the travel time can be significant.

Yes, the standardized tests are not fair. Never have been, though. Let's face it, our entire educational system is not very fair, from ghetto schools to affirmative action for 'legacies' like GWB.

[vvvexation.livejournal.com]

I signed on to work for Kaplan a few years ago and had to back out, in part because I couldn't muster the rah-rah enthusiasm they were looking for. A large part of teaching for them consists of selling the customers really hard on the course they've already paid for, I suppose so they'll feel good about having spent all that money. You're supposed to play up the fact that you're teaching them super-special strategies that they can't get just anywhere, yadda yadda. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth, especially as it made me more aware than ever that money can indeed buy higher scores on what are supposed to be objective tests.

[nytemuse.livejournal.com]

I've heard mixed bag reviews about Kaplan, but Ivy West is cool. They're now owned by the same corporation (Educate Inc) that runs Sylvan Learning Center. The only problem with Ivy West is the work is only where the students are, so even the best candidate in the world might not get a job with them, no matter how qualified, if they live in the wrong area. In San Francisco and down the peninsula, they're pretty well-booked. If you're willing to travel towards Marin or Sacramento, that's where they have the need.