tutor

teacher

mathematics teacher

center director

director of education

Sylvan-Learning-Center

DECEPTIVE job posting. If job title is "Test Center Administrator" or "TCA" then you'll actually work in Prometric, NOT in Sylvan (but it's in the same building).  Prometric does NOT offer tutoring services.  The management company owns two types of franchises and they interview people to tutor children and then they’ll have you work at Prometric Testing where you'll sit and stare at adults taking accounting exams all day and you'll sharpen their pencils.  Whether you work at Prometric or Sylvan, in either case, you'll get MONTHLY PAYCHECKS only (which is difficult with a low wage), no benefits, no time off, no breaks for employees allowed, ever, no lunch-breaks allowed, ever, and people generally hate the management here. It’s a rotating door, at all levels, employees and middle-management alike. After employees are hired, they are then informed only afterwards about the monthly paychecks, and then they feel mad, and then they look for another job, and then they leave within 2 months…always. The management refuses to change this, even tho they've been informed. The workers tend to resent the management because the management has a closed-door policy and refuses to talk to employees directly, so you must contact them through a proxy. They show up around 11 am Monday thru Thursday, and leave around 4 pm, and for Christmas, they will give you a single piece of chocolate for your bonus. The management treats employees like they are unworthy, both in Sylvan and in Prometric (it's the same set of problems in both places), and the employees hate the management for this, and the management keeps on doing the same things of course. 80% of all the employees and managers who have worked here within the last 3 months have left!!! 80% in 3 months?!?! Something is wrong, this place is a burning ship!

Normally I’d say that a job doing nothing or even tutoring is an alright thing, but it’s so terrible here (IN BOTH PLACES) that I am absolutely done with this nonsense.  It just stinks rotten like a place with extremely poor management and it doesn't care.  And even if you do work at Sylvan tutoring, you can be sure that you'll encounter all the same exact problems as with Prometric, because the leadership is exactly the same. They hide behind fake smiles and then give you mean behaviors and monthly paychecks.

Working at Sylvan is fine--workdays depend on which students you're with and how well-behaved they are. The work itself is easy and the more you like education and/or working with children, the more you'll get out of the job. The program is fairly well-designed and the model works for learning new concepts. Watching kids go from being unable to read to confidently reading aloud, or raising grades from Ds to Bs, is genuinely rewarding.

The workplace culture is extremely laid-back with no interpersonal conflict to distract you from actually doing your job. Everyone's friendly and welcoming and I like coworkers/management on a personal level.

The pay isn't great ($17 to $20 depending on how strong you are with math/sciences), but it's ultimately fine if this is just a side gig for you.

Hours are wildly inconsistent unless you have a strong educational STEM background and can teach/tutor English as well. If not, then get ready for 25 one week to 4 the next. The schedule is decided on Sunday and then changes consistently throughout the week due to last-minute cancellations/additions, so get ready for a lot of coming in early, staying a little late, or getting to go home an hour early. Management is usually understanding if you have plans/commitments, though.

At my location, things would run out quite frequently (we haven't had paper cups for the cooler in MONTHS) and this usually wasn't addressed in a timely manner. There's usually supposed to be a "Center Assistant" but hiring an administrative assistant to only work part-time for just about the minimum wage isn't really appealing and management hasn't picked up slack/raised pay/raised hours. Not sure if this is on a per-center basis or comes from higher up, but definitely can be aggravating when students need something and it isn't readily available.

Most students are great, but there are some with serious emotional issues who, quite frankly, need additional support that Sylvan can't offer. Pairing these students with others ends up leading to everyone's learning being hampered, and management rarely has these students work one-on-one in a back classroom with a teacher to offer them assistance while keeping other students focused and successful. The 3-to-1 ratio maximizes profits 

This is a great "first job" in education for active college students or those working on teacher certs, as you gain experience teaching a curriculum and working directly with students. Beyond that, it's a solid way to supplement income in afternoons/evenings, but I wouldn't recommend the job if you have an English background and you're looking for a consistent workload.

A typical day or afternoon at Sylvan's Learning Center consists of signing myself in once I enter the building. Once I am settled, I commence the process of preparing students' learning materials for the hour. I would do so by reviewing the prescription in each students' binder, that is, the activities that they are expected to complete within the hour. The activities are assigned based on their academic needs (i.e. weaknesses in Math, English, writing). I would then sign the students in by the date, hour, and my own initials. I am required to place the hour and grade that the students received for an activity in order to not only keep track of the activities the students completed, but to pinpoint their weaknesses and strengths in specific skill areas (i.e. probability, inferencing, context clues, etc). At the completion of each hour, I am required to fill in the communication log, which should consist of comments relating to the students' academic progress and behavioral conduct. Moreover, I assign tokens to each student that i work with so that they can purchase toys from the Sylvan store at the end of the hour. I maintain a cordial, somewhat amicable relationship with most of my coworkers, with an exchange of small talk ever so often.

Perhaps the hardest part of my job is ensuring that my students are on task at all times. There have been several instances in which certain students will engage in conversation with one another while they are supposed to be working on their individual independent activities. They tend to do so while I am working with another students who may need extra assistance, particularly if they think I am not watching them. There are situations in which they may complete an activity ealry while I am helping another student and I will have to provide them with an extra activity just to keep them busy. The purpose of this is to avoid unhappy customers, which in this case are their parents. Parents want to see that their children are receiving the attention and help that they need. The most enjoyable part of my job is knowing that my students are able to open up to me and share certain tidbits of their personal lives with me as well as knowing that I was successful in helping students to grasp the material that they need to know for their grade level.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The Sylvan Learning Center in Salem, OR  is a great place to work! They have a created one of the most engaged and positive work teams I have ever had the pleasure of working with!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
This team as experienced a great deal of changes during the time I worked there. While the teaching and admin team communicate effectively with each other,  the owner seems to struggle with her leadership style in that she vasilates between Laissez-faire and micro- managing. This results in fear-based reactions from the staff. When a concern or challenge in her staffs performace she reacts with disjointed conversations based on missing or misundserstood information.  

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Most days the environment is upbeat. The culture of the Salem center is contrary to the cooporate philosophy which I believe is due to the administration staff neglecting their responsibility and commitment to developing a strong knowledge base and deep understanding of how to implement the full scope and sequence taught in the complete series of the Sylvan trainings.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
The term 'trial by fire' fits. This practice is often viewed through a negative and judgmental lens. Which unfortunately is based in a majority of employees being critized, disciplined through emotionally charged and impulsive reactions where the employee carries the full weight of the responsibility. This was often what I experienced. However, the trail by fire practice has the potential to be highly effective when paired with a Transformative Leadership. Where in the heat of a mistake or misunderstanding of the inner workings of the work environment/culture leaders respond to new staff with respect, acceptance and commitment to the success of the individual as they learn how their unique talent, skills and experience either need to be adjusted or eliminated.  This is then followed by genuine interest and suppot of the individual integrating their unique talents,  skills and experience into the inner workings of the team.

Everyone is different, but from my experience, my sister-in-law, and other colleagues have had issues with the Sylvan companies, in general.  There have been issues with the checks, with the pay, and with time issues.
As I said before, for the 'right' person; they may think it's great, but I know for a fact that most teachers do not feel this way.   
It seems that administration has their favorites and it is fine for them to do something that if a teacher (who is an adult and a professional at that) does one little thing they don't like, then they are scolded.  There is tension in the air at this place.  They don't like teachers to say anything to a fellow teacher nearby.  I don't understand that!  It is not like we are chatting with each other the entire session and ignoring the students.  Most of the teachers are kind and professional.  We are not machines.
      But, I saw a male employee playing on his phone constantly several times while older students were at his table and it seems that was tolerated.      If an experienced teacher just glances at their phone, then something is said.  There is a double-standard here. 
I worked at a Sylvan closer to a larger city 4 years ago and I was paid $4.00 more an hour than the one where I'm at now.  It is just not worth the aggravation and unprofessionalism and stress.  Teachers have enough stress to deal with in their 'regular' teaching position.  
These are not 'petty' issues; they are serious issues.
On a positive note, there is one person in administration that is very kind, professional, caring and a good listener.  Something that is very important when a person is in 'charge' of others and that is trustworthiness.  This person is just that, always friendly, discreet and supportive as it should be.  The admin. doesn't even allow teachers enough time to put in their information on the tablets as is required about each student seen.  Immediately, a new group of students is sent in.  I have seen some teachers stop about 10 mins. before the end of the hour Again, I did work at another one whereby a few mins. was given for teachers to breathe between each hourly sessions so they can be prepared and 'ready' for the next group.
However, I feel it could be so much more if more care and empathy was put into the atmosphere and the general day-to-say mechanics of this company.

I have had nearly no negative experiences working at Sylvan. I work both as a math tutor and as an ACT/SAT tutor, and the management at my current location has been both receptive and accommodating. While my previous location occasionally put me in positions that were not my forte (e.g. teaching young children reading), even they only did it when it was necessary due to teachers calling off ill. Additionally, while it's just a part-time job for many teachers, you can get extra hours filling in for IT, proctoring, etc. when it's your sole job while you work towards an additional degree. Working with the children is fantastic, and I always felt that my skills and weaknesses were respected while also offering training toward additional programs if you were interested and capable (e.g. robotics). The only issue I've had is that occasionally I get placed with low-level readers when it's really necessary. While I am happy to read, discuss, etc. concepts and vocabulary with younger children, I am not trained to teach them to read or understand very basic concepts... that is a very specific skill.  But, honestly, that is very rare, and I am happy in my role 95% of the time and during those times I feel that I am truly am helping students.  Overall, this is a great place to work, but I wouldn't make a full-time place to work unless the owner is heavily involved like how the current owner at my location is. At both locations (my previous location and my current one), this was a great part-time job for anyone who has good math skills. Early-learning tutors were also heavily respected. Just make sure you understand that this is a part-time job for many, and you should be good. It may be different for different locations, but I've worked for two and have always been happy to show up to work. I was given a raise promptly under employment terms in both locations. I took the job in a new location because the experience was great in my first one. 

(Disclaimer: I mainly tutor algebra I to pre-calc students. I cannot speak much for other groups, but they also seemed to be treated well.)

I’ve worked at Sylvans for several years but of all the centers, Guam’s my favorite.  It’s run by a family of educators who dedicated their lives to the academic betterment of Guam.  It’s because of the owner and director’s passion for education that gives me pride in working here.   

Typical day
Leave school at 2:30, arrive at Sylvan by 3pm/4pm and simply teach the students based on personalized programs designed by a pretest taken by students before they enroll.   Everything is laid out for stress free teaching (no lesson plans).  The only real expectation is to provide a positive learning environment with immediate feedback and encouragement. 
 
Pay isn’t that great $10-$15 hr, depending on experience, availability, actual teaching abilities, likability and so on.  

Don’t expect stateside pay.  This is Guam, a tiny island with a population of 150-200k- not Washington, not California, not Texas, not Virgina with demographics 10x larger or with GOPs of a sovereign nation. 

And don’t expect to get paid more for your masters degree or doctorates for a job that only requires a bachelors with certification. It’s like having a masters degree and applying to be entry level salesperson and expecting to get paid the same as the manager.  

If you love to teach in a positive work environment with a boss who truly cares and understands that life happens- this is an awesome place to work part-time for extra cash, or to simply help students learn at their level and at their pace.  

 This is not a full-time job so don’t expect benefits as if it were one.   Expect to work M-F 3pm-6pm/7pm and Sat 8am-12pm.  Easiest job for educators - no lesson planning, no conferencing with parents, no progress reports. The director and the Sylvan system does it all with computer adaptive systems and a parent portal that is accessible 24/7.  

Only con is that’s it’s only part-time teaching.  If only it were full -time.  Imagine teaching only 1-4 students an hour with lesson plans already set for you!! 

Sylvan Learning Centers are a large tutoring outfit in the United States with offices in various States across the country. As a tutor you can expect to have a very flexible schedule that meets the demands of your other work places, however, your schedule is subject to change so expect no more than 3 to 4 hours tops per day. Work days are Monday through Saturday. It may be hard for you to find enough hours to meet your demands if you do not have any teaching experience. Most sylvan instructors are preferred with teacher certification, but a 4 year degree will suffice. They give preference to their certified teachers, but if you show you are capable, willing and hardworking they will give you preference. Still be advised that tutoring is mostly in the afternoons due to school hours and thus your schedule may still be limited. 

A typical day at work consist of greeting students and teaching them for periods of 1 hour or more using the Sylvan Sync software on the iPads.  A period consists of exactly one hour comprised of 50 minutes of instruction and a Short 10 minute break to log students work and prepare for the next hour.



Skills I learned included and improved included reading, math and sciences tutoring. Student management, and parental interactions, and how to assist students with learning disabilities.


The management is strong and reliable with a friendly disposition.
Co-workers are friendly and committed to their work.

The hardest part of this job will be managing students who might possibly have some form of learning disability. Sylvan Learning does not directly test for learning disabilities. As such, you must have a calm and collected personality, and be able to cope with the stress of managing kids who may provide significant challenge.

The best part of this job is watching the grin on the faces and the glint in the eyes of the kids when they finally get what you are trying to explain to them. It's satisfying,  believe me.

As a former Sylvan franchise tutor I can personally attest to how poorly things are run at the franchise level. My center director's main goal was to bring in students at any cost, outright lies were told to parents regarding what programs were available - (i.e. biology and advanced languages being offered but no credentialed teacher in that subject matter being on staff to actually teach the subject). 

Parents often ask about the 3:1 ratio that Sylvan touts as being beneficial to independent learning - though the truth is that it has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with the owner capitalizing on squishing as many kids onto one teacher as possible to maximize profits.

Our center director would even feed the kids answers on the post evaluation test to ensure parents saw progress being made.

Pay for most teachers is woefully inadequate, topping in most states around 10-12 dollars an hour. Scheduling is a constant nightmare, teachers are asked to be "on call" and available close to seven days a week, especially during holidays, but given few hours (usually under 20/week) - forcing many of us to get 2nd and 3rd jobs. There are no medical benefits given to teachers.

Curriculum is adequate at best and bizarre and outright incorrect at worst. Most programs have kids plunking away at pre-calculated lessons (often repeated) and though teachers are told to spend as much time as necessary to help a student master a skill, so many kids are placed at tables (often needing extra help, or having behavior problems), real and meaningful one on one instruction is really not possible. 

Corporate often takes little to no interest it seems when it comes to dealing with technical issues on the Ipad, and very little oversight is taken on the franchise owners themselves. 

Sylvan's best programs are probably math, and some of the reading program, It's worst are study skills, homework support.

Avoid working here if you can help it. Theres literally no upward mobility, no raises, no professional growth, and no respect given to those doing the real educating.

Pros: Sylvan was good for a temporary tutoring position when you are not in need of lots of hours and are satisfied with  an average pay for a paid tutor (probably should get more though with how much they charge. The CEO of the franchise boasted at one point that Sylvan was so worth it that parents were taking out mortgages on their homes - which I don't think is how a "child centered" education system should work). You go there, help with questions they have from their ipad lesson and managing the students, and don't have work at home. 
Cons: Not dependable hours for paying bills, don't expect pay raises (even for lead positions and communication about it), teacher to student ratio is too high, students are bored since they stare at ipads the whole time (digital worksheets). The management cares more about getting four lessons in an hour/student rather than taking time on the lessons that are hard. It can also be difficult to address the things students need because of the 3 to one ratio (each student is completing a different lesson, so you can't teach them all at once). As a lead teacher in a satellite location (we used the city library since the management didn't want to pay for a center there even though they often had more kids attending there than the actual center), I was completely dependent on management for schedules, parent contact info, when to do testing, etc. Because of this, I felt that I was not trusted, as well as lacking in information when emergencies happened. It was also an unfortunate location because we always had to ask the kids to be quiet and calm when kids need a chance to be loud in their learning occasionally. I also never got the chance to get to know other employees or have times set aside besides the initial training to improve my quality of teaching and enhance camaraderie. 
While there are definitely good tutors and good directors with good intentions in certain centers, I believe that the management restricts employee potential for giving students the help, attention, love, and financial understanding they need.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Tutor 725 salaries reported	$18.11 per hour
Teacher 167 salaries reported	$17.60 per hour
Mathematics teacher 182 salaries reported	$17.83 per hour
Center director 76 salaries reported	$51,433 per year
Director of education 44 salaries reported	$53,974 per year

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