Benefits of being a GMAT Tutor/Teacher : The B-School Applications

jallenmorris · 2008-09-08T18:33:14-07:00

I am interviewing with Kaplan to become a GMAT Instructor. While I am not 100% sold on the Kaplan information, I think that it could still be very good and I think the classroom setting has a lot to do with the instructor's abilities. I think you could get a great instructor at Kaplan and learn better/more than if you got a bad instructor at MGMAT. (Now don't debate if MGMAT even employs bad instructors, but you get the point). The pay is not great, but I'm weighing the benefits of being an instructor part time. Do top school even care? By the way...I've decided to wait on applying to schools until next year or maybe even fall of 2010. Much of it will depend on a few options that may materialize in a few months. I looked into Manhattan and they require a 99% score which doesn't concern me. I'm pretty confident I could raise my Quant to a 49 or 50 with more practice and my verbal to 44 or 45 which would be a 760 for a 99%. But I have also read on the MGMAT website that they require all their instructors to graduate from a top-ranked MBA program BEFORE teaching. I don't know if this is new, but I didn't remember seeing that before, and their website looks totally different now. I'd appreciate a few perspectives from people on the benefits of being a GMAT instructor. I don't think I'll be doing this with monetary gain as my #1 motive (it just doesn't pay enough for that to be a significant motive).

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08 Sep 2008, 19:19

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I don't understand why you would become an instructor for reasons other than for monetary gain. Are you thinking that admissions committees look upon working for these companies as an extra-curricular or something? I seriously doubt that would be the case.

jb32

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08 Sep 2008, 19:49

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From what I have read MGMAT pays their instructors $100/hr and Kaplan and PR pay about $20/hr.

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08 Sep 2008, 20:51

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jb32

From what I have read MGMAT pays their instructors $100/hr and Kaplan and PR pay about $20/hr.

I've heard that the Veritas rates are comparable to MGMAT in case you're curious about those. I also remember the MGMAT folks saying that their instructors earned $100/hour and the rate increased as your tenure at MGMAT increased...

hope this helps!
ac.
PS jallen - am sorry to hear that you're not applying this year...hope everything works out!

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08 Sep 2008, 21:26

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My MGMAT instructor was a Wharton grad.

MGMAT pays $100/hour while Veritas pays $50-$100/ hour according to various online job listings (still good money), though it's easier to become an instructor with Veritas (https://www.manhattangmat.com/blog/index ... -training/).

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09 Sep 2008, 05:08

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My instructor was a Wharton grad. She used to joke that when she was hired with a 750 GMAT it was 99th percentile but had dropped to 98th percentile shortly afterwards (when 760 became the new 99%ile). I wonder if they made her retake the test

My other instructor scored an 800 both times he took the GMAT, so no worries there

All I know is that they were both worth every penny they were getting paid; they were that damn good.

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09 Sep 2008, 05:51

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My GMAT instructor was a Kellogg grad, and an ex school teacher pre-MBA as well, so he was especially good I thought. $100 an hour is what I heard. Its definitely good money, unfortunately I didn't score high enough. Just a measly 97%

Out of curiosity, I have a friend who is considering the Manhattan courses - I thought they were great - anyone else here have any experiences with them I should pass along? (positive or negative)

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09 Sep 2008, 06:57

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Quote:

a measly 97%

It's no good reading this for someone that has his GMAT in 20 hours, rhyme!

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09 Sep 2008, 09:01

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sonibubu

My instructor was a Wharton grad. She used to joke that when she was hired with a 750 GMAT it was 99th percentile but had dropped to 98th percentile shortly afterwards (when 760 became the new 99%ile). I wonder if they made her retake the test

My other instructor scored an 800 both times he took the GMAT, so no worries there

All I know is that they were both worth every penny they were getting paid; they were that damn good.

I'm very impressed but why would anyone retake the GMAT when they scored an 800?

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09 Sep 2008, 09:16

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I believe if you are gonna tutor GMAT, you should be in it for the money because:

1.) you're not really going to learning anything about the GMAT that will help you
2.) Practically everyone who is applying to the elite schools qualify to become a tutor
3.) Tutoring for money isn't something you can really use on your application
4.) Way too much upfront time commitment.

I did an interview first round with MGMAT, and was invited to come back for second round, but I decided that the training (unpaid) was ridiculous. The pay is great once you start though if you get alot of hours.

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09 Sep 2008, 09:36

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Try to get an MGMAT teaching position. Kaplan/PR is a joke.

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09 Sep 2008, 09:42

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AZCFA

I'm very impressed but why would anyone retake the GMAT when they scored an 800?

Not sure, he did it once in France then again in the US. Here's his profile:

https://www.manhattangmat.com/gmat-prep- ... inawer.cfm

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09 Sep 2008, 09:44

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I believe veritas pays somewhat similar ALTHOUGH they are somewhat fishy on that front. Both require 99 percentile - They say they pay comparable to MGMAT But from reading around that's not always true, it's the same in certain cases other times it's only half of MGMAT.

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09 Sep 2008, 11:33

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AZCFA

I'm very impressed but why would anyone retake the GMAT when they scored an 800?

I guess it may have something to do with the 5 year validity period of the score (it could be - and would be logic - that MGMAT requires a valid 99%ile from its instructors).

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09 Sep 2008, 11:48

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rhyme

My GMAT instructor was a Kellogg grad, and an ex school teacher pre-MBA as well, so he was especially good I thought. $100 an hour is what I heard. Its definitely good money, unfortunately I didn't score high enough. Just a measly 97%

Out of curiosity, I have a friend who is considering the Manhattan courses - I thought they were great - anyone else here have any experiences with them I should pass along? (positive or negative)

I didn't take the MGMAT courses but did purchase their test bank and their 'Challenge' quant questions. The tests themselves and the answer explanations were incredibly helpful and def worth the money.

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09 Sep 2008, 13:16

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rhyme

Out of curiosity, I have a friend who is considering the Manhattan courses - I thought they were great - anyone else here have any experiences with them I should pass along? (positive or negative)

I did the MGMAT self study course that included recordings of the class. I thought it was a great prep course, very thorough.

RF

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I've been a Kaplan GMAT teacher for over 6 years, and I absolutely love it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed teaching when I first began, and it is extremely rewarding to make a difference in students' lives. May sound cliche, but you do get to see people improve and succeed and they are often really appreciative, which is what keeps many of us coming back for more. I have taught in Miami, London, and NYC, and know a lot of teachers who just really honestly enjoy it. They are often working full time jobs as well, many with MBAs at great companies, but want to do this because they enjoy the interaction with students, as well as have the opportunity to make some extra cash.

There are lots of opportunities at Kaplan, and given the 160+ cities in the US where there are centers, plus locations all around the world, it's great to have the flexibility of taking the job with you if desired. Pay may start lower than some other companies in some instances, but it varies greatly based upon your experience, location, and credentials. We also have a great program in which you are rewarded with pay increases based on experience and student survey feedback, so there is opportunity to make it very worth it financially. Training is paid.

If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer them! Good luck whatever you decide.

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10 Sep 2008, 14:55

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jkedro

I've been a Kaplan GMAT teacher for over 6 years, and I absolutely love it. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed teaching when I first began, and it is extremely rewarding to make a difference in students' lives. May sound cliche, but you do get to see people improve and succeed and they are often really appreciative, which is what keeps many of us coming back for more. I have taught in Miami, London, and NYC, and know a lot of teachers who just really honestly enjoy it. They are often working full time jobs as well, many with MBAs at great companies, but want to do this because they enjoy the interaction with students, as well as have the opportunity to make some extra cash.

There are lots of opportunities at Kaplan, and given the 160+ cities in the US where there are centers, plus locations all around the world, it's great to have the flexibility of taking the job with you if desired. Pay may start lower than some other companies in some instances, but it varies greatly based upon your experience, location, and credentials. We also have a great program in which you are rewarded with pay increases based on experience and student survey feedback, so there is opportunity to make it very worth it financially. Training is paid.

If you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer them! Good luck whatever you decide.

First post is unabashed love from a company insider...hmmm. Anyway, the pay at Kaplan is good if you are earning student wages, otherwise it's crappy. Both my brother and I taught for them (SAT, ACT, LSAT, GMAT)--we were both college age at the time.

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