$20 an hour to be a talking corporate dummy? I'll take it! - SAT Teacher Kaplan Employee Review

4.0
Feb 27, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As a college student teaching is great job. Its flexible, pays well (better than micky D's at least) and after the first few rounds of classes its pretty easy. The system (at least for teachers) is set up well, so that you are never caught off guard or unprepared. The office I interact with is very competent in terms of organizing and keeping track of classes, students, and teachers needs. They are also friendly and almost creepily excited about the work.

Cons

I can't speak to benefits because I take just money. In terms of a career there is not a lot of hope here. The hardest part of the job the training, as well as getting confident enough to face down a bunch of tired and bored kids who weren't excited about. If you can't present yourself well or lose it in front of class they will cut you from training, but even after that class will be bad if you don't grip the reins tight. One of the major Ironies of working for Mr Stanley (kaplan, that is) is that for all the company promotes the fact that it will give higher scores, its a cold, heartless money making machine like every other big corporation. Therefore teachers receive raises based on how much the kids like class, not how well they were taught. Presumably word of mouth advertising is more important than actual results. This corporate attitude also leads to a very strict teaching method. You are essentially a puppet in front of the class. They tell you what to say, what questions to ask, and how to plan every activity down to the last detail. You also have to incorporate "buzzwords" into the lesson to drill the corporate mottos into the unsuspecting children's fragile minds. But whatever, I'm over it, and if you can put your education dignity aside and follow the script its pretty easy to teach.

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5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Anonymous employee
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Pros

Genuinely supportive community, lots of opportunity

Cons

Compensation could be higher across the board

3.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Remote and flexible. Good culture from higher up but team morale is down.

Cons

Turning more salesy than helping students. Too much focus on hitting budget.

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