I posted here a little while back that I was thinking of applying to teach at Kaplan to "force" me to study for the LSAT. I ended up taking the qualifying test and meeting their requirements, so tonight I went to the audition.

Since I've benefited from the threads regarding topics, I figured that I'd share some of what folks did tonight:
--"How to Throw a Stress-Free House Party"
--"How to Play Fantasy Football"
--"How to sail"

and, the most incredibly awesome:
--"How to Steal a Car" (totally hilarious and very well done)

Haha awesome. I'm auditioning on November 4th. Looking forward to it.

Kaplan isn't hiring in most states, but they are still wasting people's time interviewing them.

Just FYI.

people typically don't like their hopes being destroyed online.

Just FYI.

lol

Well, in this case, if they're not hiring, that would be a very good thing, I believe.

Thanks for the info... I was supposed to audition today but go the flu this week.

Any clue how pay compares for teachers at different test prep companies?

I think it's $20/hr at Kaplan, but they pay you for the training and for your prep time too.

kaplan's hourly blows but they pay for prep time.

Kaplan is hands down the lowest pay, least amount of work given to teachers, and least amount of freedom about it out of all of the companies.

They also pay you the lowest private tutoring hourly rate as well.
Basically, assume that everyone teaching the LSAT at Kaplan has probably worked there for 5+ years already and took the LSAT after teaching the GRE/DAT or some other class.
At least that seems to be how it works in my entire state.

Prep time pay is around $10/hour.
If you live in a huge metro area (say >2 million people?) with lots of college students you might be able to get into Kaplan to teach, maybe.
I've been told by a lot of people in a lot of states that they simply are just wasting the time of all their interview candidates for the LSAT/GRE/GMAT/SAT right now.
Kaplan, being Kaplan, has no problem doing this to people.

But not at the same rate they pay for class, you get paid less for prep.

yeah it's like 8 bucks or something.

I think that Kaplan also attracts a fair number of people who have not yet taken the LSAT just because they're the only prep company that will accept such candidates. If I had taken the test, the chance that I'd be teaching the LSAT is less than 1% (and, if I were, no way it would be for Kaplan).

i dont know what market you're in, but lets just say a lot of what you're posting fits somewhere between "not true everywhere" and "total nonsense"

I don't agree. See bold above. He does have solid evidence!

obviously what happened here is some people interviewed, sucked, didnt get hired, and tried to rationalize their rejections and nurse their throbbing egos by spreading the word to their friends that Kaplan "wasn't hiring."

Kaplan has *no reason* whatsoever to interview candidates they don't plan on hiring or putting to use. this isn't like on-campus recruiting where a company is obligated to do a couple interviews and hire a graduate or two each year regardless of their hiring needs just to stay on good terms with the school's career services. Kaplan offers benefits (as in health insurance, etc.) to its instructors. It may not be the best package you'll find, but it costs them money to maintain employees.

plus, they seem to be doing quite well lately: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1255911 ... lenews_wsj

this fits in better under "total nonsense"

Kaplan is hiring near me (CT/NYC area)

remember, Kaplan only hires 1 of every 6 that even qualify to audition.

an audition offer =/= a job offer

I saw fliers at the university where I live seeking tutors and offering $15 an hour. Seems pretty decent to me. But I thought it was weird when I took a free Kaplan test today, they had a sheet to fill out asking if you scored well on the SAT and would like to teach a class. If I got my LSAT score up, I would teach for them. It would be good practice for when I become a law professor.

So, can you become a Kaplan tutor without actually having taken the real LSAT?

theoretically yes. you can take their qualifier exam (just a pre-released LSAT) - though they generally dont let you tutor unless you teach a class first.

as far as pay I get minimum wage prep time, $19 teaching time, and $10 proctoring time.

They always seem to be hiring in my area (southeast) - I was one of two people who auditioned..both got the job(s).

Curious. I thought teaching a class required more experience than tutoring.

Can you give a few more details? How long is the prep time? How big are the classes? What exactly is proctoring (in Kaplan's world)? And if the test they ask you to take is one of the PTs, won't it hugely skew the results in favor of those applicants who've already taken it?

PM

The bolded is off.

I was a Kaplan classroom teacher, and a teacher trainer, for about 6 months. $30/hour to start, with a raise after my first class. About 20 hours in class per week and an equivalent amount out of class for prep. It was a great experience for me. I had terrific students, and I thought the classroom environment was a lot of fun.

I taught in a small city with a major law school, and we were constantly trying to find new teachers. Many centers don't let folks "test in" if they haven't taken the LSAT (your GRE/DAT?etc.) example, and I know ours had a higher score standard in order to get an interview.

They're most definitely hiring in many locations, as I moved two time zones away and was asked to continue teaching despite a Kaplan center not being in my current location.

I'd say tutoring is more intensive requiring more experience. The classes are pre-designed. The questions are organized, the material is set. You prepare that material, make sure you understand it cold and present it in an engaging manner (i.e., don't put the class to sleep!).

With tutoring, it becomes personalized. Tutoring students can bring in any question from any test at any time. You have to adapt to the student's needs, which requires an extra layer of understanding of student needs and how to use the test materials effectively.

That's not to say that you won't get random questions in class (which you should also be able to handle deftly), but tutoring will usually require more flexibility and adaptability to the student.

Class size varies. We try to cap classes at around 22-24. I'd say 15 is about a good average.

Proctoring involves merely timing the test, giving the class five minute warnings. That's it.

Please feel free to PM me if you have more detailed questions about working for Kaplan or any of our policies. I'll be happy to answer what I can.

- Chris