tutor

school teacher

independent contractor

site director

area coordinator

Chess Wizards

As a Chess Wizards employee I did relaxed, meaningful work, strengthened my abilities as an educator, and felt my time was valued and well-compensated. I have run my own classes, substituted, advised, and run camps with Chess Wizards and have found this experience to be consistent throughout the years. The company communicates with employees remotely for the most part, and are quick to respond when you reach out. Chess Wizards works to ensure your wellbeing as an instructor. In my 4 years with the company I have had two situations in which a child's behavioral issues required external support, and Chess Wizards gave me clear and prompt instructions on how to handle each situation. Chess Wizards also backed me up entirely in these situations, engaging with the schools calmly and directly and following up with me. I would say that dealing with the occasional parent is the hardest part of the job. Driving through traffic in D.C. was annoying, but always fairly compensated. The workplace culture shines spotlight on accomplishment, with Chess content (lesson plans, puzzles, upcoming tournament information, "Wizard of the Month" series, etc.) shared with all employees.
These resources and quirks of the company are useful and made easily available for you to implement in your classes. This is one of the best parts of the job, as well as the flexibility of hours, high starting hourly rate, compensated travel opportunities, compensation for commutes, and supportive company infrastructure.

Being a Chess Wizard has been the best working experience of my life. Watching young minds pick up the game with the logistical and cognitive skills associated  with it is rewarding and gives me a sense of accomplishment and  triumph. As a wizard I bring all my talent as a performer to put on a show for the kids to make chess fun! They have a great time, I have a great time, and the hours fly by. Being a Chess Wizard is only part time but we have classes every day after-school, so scheduling is incredible flexible and easy. I have plenty of time to pursue work as a performance artist and fire spinner. Management is great, a network of over 250 Wizards! The head wizards are always looking out for their employees, finding the best enrichment educators out there and making sure everyone is happy having fun. The pay is great too, I make as much in one hour as I do in a six hour shift as a part time baker. If you are good with kids, enjoy board games, and like to have fun at work, then this is the job for you!

Being on time for class, preparing for class beforehand, managing anywhere from eight to twenty-one students who were K-6 pupils could be daunting. Chess Wizards gave me the necessary tools to have fun teaching, enriching the lives of my students. Chess Wizards gives me the opportunity to share my passion and effort I put into chess to pass it forward to the young learners. Enriching their lives by imparting logical thinking, decision making and analytical skills, applying strategies and promoting respect and good sportsmanship. My co-workers were friendly, helpful, diligent. The hardest part of the job was having the semester end. The most enjoyable part is hearing from the Mom's and Dad's expressing their compliments. "He/She can't stop talking about chess!"  Along with a few really nice, endearing letters at the end of the semester from parents.

Chess Wizards is a great place to work for part-time job seekers. The maximum number of shifts you can get per week is 5 one-hour shifts and they offer great pay. Usually, you are the only instructor or accompanied by one co-instructor so you can determine your own work environment. If you like children and have creativity, this job is virtually stress-free and very fun. There is no micro-management, no meetings unless there are issues with classes. For me personally, I have never received a complain from my students or supervisor. Very self-determined work culture with lots of room for freedom and creativity. The only down side is that you will most likely need a car for transportation since you are not assigned to just one school and usually after school programs start/end during rush hours.

The pay, training, and management are good, and if you can play chess and have teaching/tutoring/camp experience, they'll give you a chance.
The main issues are that there's not a lot of hours, schools can be far, getting equipment was slow, and it's new to the state. They reimburse for travel over a certain amount and again, 60 is a super high hourly for the state, but the most I ever had was 3 hrs a week and usually had 1-2. That seems ok but the travel/setup is another 1.5-2.5 hours per class, so it's more like 20 an hour. Also, you don't always know the number of kids beforehand, the bar to have a 2nd teacher for help isn't a set number, and I've had classes cancelled due to low enrollment pretty close to start date. Looking to leave b/c of too few hours, but I'd say it was worth working here, esp if you're looking for something part-time a few days a week. Just don't rely on it for main income b/c schedules can change a lot per cycle.

Being a Chess Wizard is the best!  Watching young minds pick up the game is a reward in itself. As a wizard I try to put on a show for the kids to make chess fun! Everyone has a great time and the hours fly by. The job is only part time but we have classes every day after-school so scheduling is pretty flexible. Good for Performers, musicians, and people who aren't into the 9-5. The head wizards look out for us by helping make each class the best and checking in to make sure everyone is having fun. The pay is great, I make as much in one hour as I do in a six hour shift as a part time baker. If you are good with kids, enjoy board games, and like to have fun at work then this is the job for you!

You come in with a lesson plan to teach chess. However, the people who come in do not communicate beforehand regarding the lesson plan, so it can get confusing. We have to evaluate how much the kids know and in some cases babysit them. We try to get everyone's attention and make sure they can comprehend in a fun teaching environment. After teaching them we apply what we learn to the chessboard and play some games. Afterward, we send a report of what happened in today's plan. Management is easy to communicate with, but it is always over the phone or e-mail. There is no real place to go and talk in person.

Relatively healthy work environment. Good pay, fun curriculum, this job will reward you if you go above and beyond. personally my manager is great but the higher ups above are less considerate of employees well being.  classes can be canceled last minute and if you are relying on that income you may end up in a pickle. great if you need a flexible part time job, but not a soul source of income. 

On a typical day, instructors will arrive 20 minutes before class begins an prepare for class. Students will arrive and instructors will monitor students during free play, then lead a chess strategy lesson. Following the lesson students will resume their practice, competing in games or drills suggested by the instructor until class is over. Instructor will monitor all games answering questions and providing instruction throughout.

I started working with Chess Wizards around the end of 2018.
They provided me with some job opportunities that I was glad to take on.
The different work locations aren't always so flexible and the HR department doesn't always answer but I am fairly happy with my experience so far. They seem to be pretty big but I am still waiting to hear for more work opportunities for myself.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Tutor 17 salaries reported	$34.50 per hour
School teacher 1 salary reported	$40.50 per hour
Independent contractor 3 salaries reported	$50.00 per hour
Site director 1 salary reported	$23.50 per hour
Area coordinator 2 salaries reported	$21.00 per hour

Working at Chess Wizards: Company Overview and Reviews

Chess Wizards

Chess Wizards Ratings

Popular jobs at Chess Wizards

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected