<p>Hi,
Just thinking about starting to tutor for Kaplan for SAT/LSAT. Looking for a very flexible part-time job (young child still at home) & wondered if anyone had any experience w/this? </p>
<p>I did v. good on the SAT/LSAT but that was eons ago (lol) & I'd have to re-study & re-test for both to qualify as a tutor (only $18.50 & hr). </p>
<p>Just curious if anyone had any experience w/this sort of thing? Was it fun? Worthwhile?</p>
<p>Not loving the idea of spending weeks relearning all that LSAT stuff..then again, I've been working w/my son on the SAT for months so have the whole 'tutor' thing down (although he wishes I didn't...)</p>
<p>It really is a good part-time job. Once you get over the initial re-training of yourself, you will have a few clients and it really isn't that hard. Wildchild did it last fall. It is a little deceptive in that you don't get paid for prep or travel time, so factor that in. It's still a good way to make some bucks.</p>
<p>My daughter's private tutor (CR) is $125 an hour. But she's a retired English teacher and had a lot of experience with SAT tutoring before we started with her. If you have a lot of score boosting success with one kid, and they tell to friends, you should get a lot of clients. So pick the first student carefully; you don't want a slacker!</p>
<p>Son suggested that he might want to do it (tests really well, met required SAT scores for tutoring). He's just 16 though, so will check into it -- didn't think he could, Momofwildchild -- good to know that others have, though.</p>
<p>I really like the flexibility idea.</p>
<p>Although, salary-wise, I've def heard higher, as you said, Muffy. I talked to an SAT tutor on Craig's List for my son (to get the last addt'l 200 pts) -- he was an Ivy league grad w/a master's degree in Comp Sci who wanted $70 an hr. He was an articulate, 20-something kid & my only thought was: "Why are you tutoring, dude? You could be making mondo $$ elsewhere." Made me a little nervous...!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Perhaps the best teacher I've ever met was a former math teacher at a top private school. She went into SAT tutoring to be able to stay at home with her kids when they were young, but was so successful at it she (a) quadrupled her income, and (b) had a nervous breakdown of sorts. She charged $120/hour five years ago, and turned away students. But she was fabulous.</p></li>
<li><p>Someone else I know used SAT tutoring as her day job while she tried to become a rock star. She actually succeeded to a considerable extent (five albums with two bands, SXSW showcases, critical praise), but never enough to make it viable as a full-time career. The tutoring was something she could fit around touring and recording, and adjust up or down with a little anticipation. It worked pretty well for her.</p></li>
<li><p>You'll have a lot of competition. Half the students I know at Harvard now or recently have done this to earn bucks during a few summers.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>D did it and thought it was a good part-time job. At least with the company she worked for, there are online opportunities (grading, for example) in addition to teaching, tutoring, and proctoring jobs. Overall the flexibility aspect is wonderful.</p>
<p>Thank you, JHS & Harriet! So sorry for having duplicate threads on this issue, but wanted to thank those who've posted helpful comments!</p>
<p>Like the rock star/tutor story, JHS! My night/alternate job--pursuing a niche area of public interest law (less glamorous). We'll see how that all goes.</p>
<p>Btw Harriet..guess you probably knew about the sequel to HTS? Daughter & I listened to that on CD in the car--it was excellent!!</p>
<p>Boy, I have so clearly not reached the necessary level of caffeination this morning. Sorry I missed the double-post bit!</p>
<p>Yes, Jolynne, the sequel is fun, isn't it? </p>
<p>I have an idea: Send your 6-year-old to play with mine while you study, train, and tutor. Deal? I'll watch them very closely . . . while I drink a whole lot more coffee. :D</p>
<p>Hee, Harriet--here's another plan--we get babysitters for the 6 year olds & take the college juniors on a college tour w/no younger siblings calling out embarassingly during admission info sessions (the high schoolers would thank us...!).</p>
<p>Not to hijack your thread too much farther, but we found the perfect solution to the 6-year-old on the tour: We took his fold-up scooter. 8 campuses, not a fuss or complaint - and no breath left to embarrass his brother. (And only one big wipeout, on a huge hill at Tufts. One of those situations where I'm thinking to myself, "Don't baby him just because he's the last, don't baby him, don't baby him - ACK!" He was fine.) We just folded it up when we went inside buildings and snapped it back out when we re-emerged. Even in torrential rain at CMU, he scooted happily along. I can't recommend this enough.</p>
<p>I know a kid who won a Rhodes last fall and has thought about tutoring this summer before heading to Oxford in the fall. </p>
<p>Any thoughts regarding what hourly rate a kid with this honor might charge? FWIW, he's a science/math type with dynamite writing skills (the latter essential for winning a Rhodes, I think...)</p>
<p>My s worked as an SAT tutor throughout his 4 yrs of college. He did it through a company who sent him very helpful training guides. The pay was pretty good, and I believe it went up as he progressed through college. He did factor in travel time, thought I am not sure of the exact details. He really enjoyed it.</p>
<p>The ease of entry at large national McSAT chains accounts for most of their extremely poor performance. It's not much different from asking medical advice to your local pharmacist and leaving with the hope that the non-prescription Advil in your plastic bag is really the cure to all ailments. </p>
<p>The biggest contribution of tutors who work for the biggest names is introducing the structure of the test to an army of students who would do as well or much better by spending half the time and 15 to 30 dollars to acquire the only books that are necessary. Add the online course of TCB and that is still less than $100.00</p>
<p>The only advantage to working for one of those companies is to pad one's resume and learn how awful those generic classes truly are. After the purgatory, one could always claim to have turned into an independent tutor after realizing that, despite the competition, there is still a great need for competent tutors. And, yes there are many competent tutors, including some who work for the PR and Kaplan of the world. However, they are far beyond the generic classes and restrict their work through one-on-one tutoring. Specialization is the key here. </p>
<p>One last warning: being an effective tutor requires a LOT more than having performed well on the test, meeting the VERY low qualiications, and toiling through the inadequate training of the likes of PR and Kaplan. </p>
<p>The area that presents the biggest opportunity and hardest challenge is reading. Aspiring tutors with the verifiable competence to increasing critical reading scores should not worry about finding clients.</p>
<p>Good points, Xig. My s worked for one of the smaller companies (not the ones you mentioned) and did have required qualifications and training. He did only individual tutoring-- addressing both the subject content and the test strategies. I believe they did mock testing too. His students (fortunately) did very well-- brought up thesir scores several hundred points. But agreed-- anyone considering doig this work should do their homework before signing any contracts.</p>
<p>xiggi,
Your 'learn by the book system' is definitely better than a group class; I've known that for a while (which is why son is not doing a class!). However, the 'McSAT' program does provide an avenue for entry into that area for someone who wants flexible work & enjoys helping kids do their best.</p>
<p>I wouldn't anticipate that mere proficiency at the 'McSAT' program admissions test would guarantee excellence in tutoring. My prior work gigs might bring something to the table (who knows?) & I plan to read up a good bit on teaching. Guess we'll see how it plays...! </p>
<p>I'm sure people have suggested more than once that you write a book on SAT prep? That could be helpful & lucrative...! </p>
<p>Harriet--love the scooter idea! Definitely will keep it in mind. At this point, we're doing the 'playtime w/grandparents' while son & I take road trips. It's turned out to be a great time. Six year olds can take a lot of attention -- nice for the teen to get some time as the center of things...!</p>
<p>Jolynne, I did not try to discourage you from starting at Kaplan. One of the very best tutors I know did exactly what you are suggesting as he specialized in SAT/LSAT tutoring for Kaplan. </p>
<p>I should have been clearer that working for the McSat can be a valuable steppingstone, as long as one remembers to "upgrade" to a better situation as soon as possible. And, again, the mere fact of being older than the typical recruit might hasten the promotion to the higher level of individual tutoring.</p>
<p>In the Bay Area, many tutors and parents use Craigslist to connect. You could scan the listings to get an idea of what market rates are in your area.<br>
The most in-demand tutors in our area are not SAT tutors, but ongoing math/science tutors for AP classes. They charge 70 to 90 dollars an hour, the students come to their house and they control their schedule. The downside is that most appointments are on weeknights and weekends, but maybe that's better from a childcare point of view. Tutoring in other subjects seems to range from about 35 to 70 dollars an hour.
I'm guessing that Silicon Valley prices are probably high compared to the rest of the country, but my cousin pays similar rates in West L.A. and my cousin in Manhattan pays a lot more.</p>