Kaplan Reviews

Pros

flexible schedule
good support system
decent payscale

Cons

sometimes chaotic when programs are not up to par
workload can get stressful

Advice to Senior Management

my experience with leadership has been great...know its not always that way with everyone..pretty much satisfied with the ways things are...

Pros

Very positive atmosphere for youth and they have created a good program with good materials. The company values are also very positive.

Cons

The pay can always be better for any teaching job...it's such an important position that gets underrated. Also long training process.

Advice to Senior Management

Keep your great values and supportive staff, you're doing a great job finding the right people to help youth in need!

Pros

Excellently organized resources
Welcoming culture and people
Decent pay if you are OK with part-time, irregular hours
Clear expectations, training, evaluations, and feedback
Interactions with motivated students makes the job rewarding
No grading homework!

Cons

There are a ton of resources to learn about
Even with a really good training program, you may feel unprepared to answer specific questions
The nature of part time work and irregular hours

Advice to Senior Management

Keep up the good work. This has been one of my favorite places to work. I wish there were a way to work here during more traditional hours so that I did not have to be away from my family during prime family time. I understand that the courses have to meet student schedules, though. I think you offer solid training, feedback, and have a high job satisfaction rating from many short-term and ultimately transient employees.

Pros

Respect for the teachers, good training, can ask for help from management, get to help people

Cons

They do not want to pay you for all of your out of class time, which means that it is hard to end up making an appropriate amount of money for all of your time spent prepping classes and helping students through emails. To such a big company, paying people for all of their out of class time (which ends up being not much to them, but a lot to the teachers who are perhaps working multiple part time jobs) they should be gracious instead of making teachers feel like they are being greedy when they aren't.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't send memos to teachers chastising them for asking for compensation about their out of class time. Teachers are dedicated people who want to help the students, and they do not want to feel like their shoulders are being looked over.

Pros

*Can work part-time evenings and weekends
*Relatively Intellectually stimulating work
*Gain public speaking and teaching skills
*Pleasant people to work with

Cons

* Pay is average -- you can charge significantly more with private tutoring
*Scheduling can be a pain -- sometimes booked 3-4 months in advance, with limited flexibility

Advice to Senior Management

I think management is doing a good job overall. Kaplan has good brand recognition, has a good training program, and attracts talented part-time teachers. If they want to retain the teachers longer, or want them to make a career out of it, they would have to pay them significantly more.

Pros

You have a lot of freedom and it is a pretty easy job. You are on your own for most of it and that means free time at work to do other stuff.

Cons

The building is in poor condition. The students can be very stuck up and rude, and the company as a whole is not supportive of the individual centers.

Advice to Senior Management

Support your centers more. They need the resources to be able to support and treat your paying clients well so that they don't prep with anyone else.

Pros

Flexibility: I can easily schedule vacation time or other periods when I'd like off. The flipside of that flexibility is...(see below).

Cons

Inconsistent/ not enough hours to work. Often working during odd hours (nights and weekends). Students are often entitled and difficult to work with.

Advice to Senior Management

I don't have much interaction with the management, so I don't have a whole lot of advice to offer them.

Pros

$20/hr pay
relative independence in teaching your class

Cons

must stick to curriculum students feel is boring
management is a bit weird personality-wise, they also seem to live on-site

Advice to Senior Management

work-life balance
give more feedback

Pros

The Los Angeles management team was one of the best compared to other areas that I have worked in.

Cons

HR and Benefits were difficult to navigate

Advice to Senior Management

Be aware of how to provide available benefits to employees in a timely manner

Pros

Fast-paced work environment
Dynamic, young co-workers
Enriching student's lives is fulfilling
Discount for services is an added bonus
Casual attire is acceptable on occasion

Cons

High turnover among employees
Incompetent management
Poor communication between management and their direct reports
Low salary
Reactive not proactive management tactics
40+ hours per week, every week
Job description was misleading

Advice to Senior Management

Kaplan's initial mission and the one they are currently portraying do not align, whatsoever. While helping students is very satisfying, employees are overworked and under compensated, causing the center teams to be worn out by the daily grind while lacking motivation to actually do their jobs well. I am not sure what Kaplan expects to achieve by treating their employees as they do, but I hope one day experienced management is put into place within the centers and employees who actually work hard are rewarded. It's impossible to get ahead at Kaplan and I believe that is why there is such a high turnover rate.