Undervalued teachers helping cash cow students - ESL Teacher Kaplan Employee Review

2.0
Aug 19, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The other teaching staff was fine, and most of the students were great (some a total delight). The materials and curricula were acceptable.

Cons

The parent company (Washington Post Group) used the Kaplan ESL program as a cash cow. They never invested one penny in upkeep or materials, would not allow ESL teachers into the 401k plan, and intentionally kept all teachers just below the minimum where they would have had to pay benefits. To penny-pinch on costs, they made students "rent" books, and if any marks were made in the book, the student had to buy it (at $50, which was over the cover price). I was happy with what I was doing, and the impact I had on the students, but I felt terrible that I was a party to ripping them off at every opportunity.

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5.0
Jun 3, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

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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