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instructor

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Mad Science

I would work there again in a heartbeat. If you're right for this job, it is fun, rewarding, challenging and an absolutely blast. Do NOT work here if you're NOT creative, energetic, have sharp classroom skills, are independent, reliable, self-motivated, willing to put in time to become very familiar with content ON YOUR OWN without being paid. Look, kids are stressful, challenging and oh-so rewarding to work with! Know what this is going in. Do not expect a full time job. But, I do recommend. This can be an amazing adventure... for the right person. I suggest parents, teachers (former or current) and/or actors. (If "just" an actor, BE SURE you know how to manage a classroom &/or children. You will deal with class clowns, hecklers and children who need a bit a extra attention. This is all fine and doable; you've got the school you're at to provide any actual discipline. [RARE] Additionally, if a Summer Camp, you've got the office to discuss next steps, if needed. [RARE] However, it is highly recommended that you are prepared for this going in. If you enter this position thinking it's just high-energy, fun and games, you will work the kids up to an unmanageable frenzy and won't get anywhere with your lesson. Conversely, if you go in as a task-master, you won't engage them and will also get nowhere with your lesson. You will need to strike a balance with fun & education. If this sounds rewarding to you- go for it! 

I worked for Mad Science of Central Oklahoma for two years as a member of the office staff. The owners gave me a chance with employment even though I had not had a job in several years due to military moves and having children. I learned so much from working for Mad Science and they were very patient with me and understanding, even when mistakes were made. We had fun contests to meet sales goals, celebration lunches and it was a fun and humorous work environment. When I experienced issues with my childcare, they worked with me so that I could still keep my job. They gave me an awesome birthday party for my son too! I really can not put into words how wonderful and caring these owners are. As with any company, you will occasionally have a disgruntled former employee. Personally, I did not experience negativity from the owners in my two years of employment. To be technical, this Mad Science is actually "woman owned" with the wife being the primary owner of the franchise. The husband and wife made an excellent team and it was cute how much he adored her. I was not a Christian when I worked for them, and I did not feel like religion was pushed upon me or that I was treated unfairly because of my beliefs. They were very accepting of differences. My only complaint is that they waited until I left to get a lab with a party room, and I hate that I missed it! Honestly, if I didn't have to be move out of state for my husbands career, I'd have probably worked for them forever. There really aren't many companies like this one and I'm sure that you could ask any current employee and they'd tell you the same thing. My advice, meet the owners and you will be able to see for yourself.

My husband got a great job and we had to move for it - so I took this job right away as something to do while I looked for new employment. My experience so far is that teaching kids is really fun, although my superiors who are doing the training have said a few things that aren't scientifically accurate (which is weird). Also, the pay is terrible, when you do the math about how much time you spend driving (especially in a high traffic area) my compensation is at best 10.00/hour. Some days it's been as awesome as 5-6.00/hour! I live in California...this is not enough. I have been given miss information on several occasions about the schedule and other important things, and I'm pretty sure they exploit working moms by selling flexibility and then shafting them in the way of pay. Plus when they hired me they told me I would be working 'full time' which turned out to be about 4 hours a week of paid work - plus 4 hours of sitting in traffic for each one of those paid hours. They do compensate mileage but only in excess of 30 miles...which is not enough to cover gas when you're sitting in stop and go traffic for that long, let alone my time. Basically, every week I think "I should quit" at least one time. And even though I have already given them a termination date, it's just not soon enough.

I was fresh out of high school when I started at Mad Science as a summer job. I worked there maybe 1-2 times a week for just over a month as an assistant in classes, which was great. When the time came for me to run my own class, I prepared as I was instructed to, taking detailed notes on the curriculum. I went to the class and it felt fine; I could have done some things better, but I didn't totally mess anything up. I did a decent job for my first time IMO. The management (who didn't witness my performance) disagreed. I got a call maybe a week later in which the manager attempted to fire me for my "poor performance" on my first solo gig. I explained to her that I did everything I was told to do and I didn't feel totally prepared to lead the class on my own, but that is what I felt was expected of me. I told her I was about to put my two weeks in because I was leaving for school soon anyway and she let me stay on assisting, which is what I would have done for the entirety of my employment, if I had been given the option. It was just disappointing to get a call that I was being fired after I had attempted something one time. I have never been fired from any other job I've had (I've had 6) and I am an honor roll student. I would expect a company to give their employees constructive criticism to help them improve, as opposed to firing them. Do better Mad Science.

Mad science was a neat job if you don't care about running around from event to event hoping everything in your kit is packed correctly and leaving at least a half hour for setup. If you are looking for experience working with kids and don't mind getting small paychecks, this is your place. 
A typical Mad Scientist would need to drive to the location of the warehouse to get your kit(s). Make sure that kit was packed correctly ( which half of the time there was something missing). Would need to get a roster from the office and make name tags for kids. Drive to the location of the event(sometimes very far away with reimbursement after a certain amount of miles driven), set up the class(which would take 15-30 mins depending on what the class was). Teach class, make take homes (which would sometimes take a full class with 20 kids at different age levels). Collect checks from parents. Clean up the class( which would take 30 mins most times). Then drive the equipment back after class to a office that was most likely closed for the day. 
If you are a student or retired looking for extra work, then this is your place. If you are looking for an actual paycheck with benefits and PTO, this isn't your place at all. But hey, at least you got some free pizza. 

I worked here for a brief two months, and was never given a chance to improve myself. I was an assistant instructor for one hour a week. There was no way I could learn the ins and outs in that little amount of time. And I was given only two days to become an expert at their complicated science kits. There is little actual training to speak of, just poorly put together Youtube videos for you to watch and "cheat sheets' that haven't been updated in years. Everyone is too busy to give you guidance, and will only reply to your emails occasionally. I was an English major, so science was a bit new to me. But if they didn't have the time and patience to train me they shouldn't have hired me in the first place.

If the instructor you are assisting doesn't like your performance due to your inability to be an instant expert, they'll back-stab you to the higher ups. After that happens, the manager won't have the courage to fire you outright, he'll just feed you lines like "we're not very busy and have nothing for you to do", a thinly veiled attempt to tell you to get lost. The old "cutting your hours to force you to quit" trick. If you're already as brilliant as they expect you to be, you're better off getting a real teaching job.

MS is a great company to work for.  However, please note that all offices are franchises, so environments my vary.

As a beginning instructor, you will get some training, so have no fear!  As with any job, what you get out of it will all depend on how much effort you put into it.  Therefore, if you want to just 'show up' and teach the bare minimum, then don't bother.  It is up to you to keep the students engaged and interested in the subject matter.  

Classroom management is VERY important, as is having a flexible personality.  In any given situation, you could be in front of a class of upper elementary (4th and 5th) or you could be in a mixed class of kinders through 5th.  You will need to be sure to be patient to instruct a wide range of students.

Also, don't be surprised if you find yourself driving all over the place, regardless of which office you work for.  For example, I know someone that taught 6 classes over a 2-week period and racked up over 90 miles.  I know someone that would drive from north of the city of Los Angeles all the way to the tip of Orange County, twice a week.

This job is not the worst job I have had. That being said, the management sucks to say the least. The manager would frequently come in after noon and expect everyone to stay until 7 or 8pm at night, even though everyone else would get there at 8am. The coordination involved in taking a day off is nearly impossible. The stress of the position and level of coordination required to ensure all programs are staffed is not worth the pay in my opinion. If the job was less stressful, the pay would be adequate for the expectations. However, there is absolutely no job advancement. There is a sales bonus at the end of the year, but that is about the only way to ever get more money. You will not get a raise here under any circumstance. Hiring and scheduling college students to teach the programs is nearly impossible due to the ridiculously high turnover rate. The management did not train anyone well and is often condescending to employees. If you feel like stressing daily, coordinating with school districts, and trying to manage 19 year olds with zero work ethic, then this is the job for you. If not, save yourself the stress and find other employment.

 The kids were great for the most part, but overall it was not a great experience for me. 

Here were my three main problems: 

1)You’re scheduled to work in different camps each week, some of which require a lot of driving time. Some weeks you may not be scheduled at all and they say you can ask for office hours to make up the loss in pay, but I was not given any when the time came around. I was not scheduled for three weeks throughout this summer and this caused stress for me because I was relying on those hours to pay bills. 

2)Some of the experiments are fun to do with the kids, but the products they have you use are old and cheap. Half of it is broken or breaks when you use it which is a let down for the children. Management acts like you’re hassling them by asking for working condition products. 

3)You have to store several large storage tubs filled with science supplies in your own home over the weekends and are responsible for lugging it back and forth between camps, the office, and your house multiple times per week. 

I worked here a few years back for a while doing aftercare and birthday parties. How much you make is based off how much you work. As a college student I was working about 3 Aftercare programs a week and about two birthday parties a week which would get me around $300 each period before mileage and tips. That is the typical average work load but the nice thing is that you can work as little or as much as you want!! If I had the time I wouldve worked everyday. If you are a high school senior or a college student looking who likes working with kids or wants to get into it, this is the PERFECT job for you. I learned so much about working with kids AND the company has a very strong presence. My experience at Mad Science has been nothing but a benefit to my career advancement. I have yet to come across a future employer who was unfamiliar with Mad Science. Amazing company ran by amazing people who employ even more amazing people!!!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Tutor 624 salaries reported	$38.97 per hour
Instructor 445 salaries reported	$33.18 per hour
Camp counselor 92 salaries reported	$564 per week
Performer 190 salaries reported	$41.97 per hour
Scientist 34 salaries reported	$38.04 per hour

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