tutor

teacher

center director

academic coordinator

sales assistant

Sylvan Learning Center

Being a tutor at Sylvan must be viewed as what it is; a low paying hobby job. Since the turnover at these centers is very high/fast, most instructors do not even really consider the degree to which they are being taken advantage of financially, before they leave for greener pastures. For example, students pay $50/ hour and an instructor who tutors on average of 3 students per hour makes $10-$15/hour; a tenth of the incoming revenue. For whatever reason, judging from the majority of the reviews here, most Sylvan instructors think this is perfectly OK. This may be attributable to the fact that most Sylvan employees are housewives, retirees and/or students and are therefore able and willing to overlook the fact that the only person benefitting financially from the arrangement is the franchise owner. And in the context of a fun, hobby job it is rewarding to work with small numbers of students. These students do sometimes benefit from the very expensive attention given to them since the role of the instructor is to be a supportive, nurturing presence.  

For most people Sylvan does not represent a career path but a filler or temporary job that can give a person extremely valuable insight into the necessity of labor unions and fair employment laws which Sylvan is barely within the parameters of, at times; and definitely clearly exploiting highly educated people and their credentials for personal gain. Make no mistake about that, if you choose to donate your time & talents to this organization.

A typical day at work was teaching kids aged anywhere from pre-kindergarten to university at a table with three students max. at a time.Their was no planning involved as most of the work was on iPads. The majority of the kids that come have fallen behind in school and just need to catch up to their current grade. The kids are (usually) happy to be there and excited to have more time with a teacher that they probably don't get at school.
Wish I could be as glowing about management. They are only concerned with making the most money possible and not always the well-being or development of the students attending. Management is often oblivious to what is happening with individual student's struggles or what they are learning. They want people with Education degrees and expect you to treat the job as a professional position, but are not willing to pay you even closely to the equivalent of a real teaching position.
The hours are not the greatest, but it's for kids, so it's after school and weekends. If you are willing to work seven days a week, they will be happy to have you and work you every single day, that is unless there are cancellations and not enough students to teach so they will send you home after an hour and only pay you for the one hour while collecting money from the student's parents for not cancelling in time.
The kids and other teachers are the best parts of this job, but I wouldn't recommend it to any aspiring teachers.

I can say that each Sylvan Learning Centre is going to produce a different experience for those looking to work there.  I was fortunate to have met the employers that I did, as I gained valuable skills that serves me later in my other careers.

I worked under a franchise location (as opposed to a corporate owned & operated location).  My franchise owner was phenomenal to say the least.  If you are looking for a full-time pay with this company, you're not going to get that.  It was pretty much minimum wage with less than 20 hours per week.  4 hour shifts during the weekdays are the norm, unless it's summer.  Then you can actually put in an 8 hour day.  Weekend hours are typically 6 hours, and likely only on Saturdays.  This all depends on the owners.

In short, it is good for any teacher looking for a supplemental income.  Unless you get promoted to that of a Director of Education or a Centre Director, you won't get a salary nor benefits.  In such case, you aren't working full-time as a teacher elsewhere either. 

I worked at Sylvan Oakville for 1 year as a part time tutor and 1 year as a full time lead teacher and I loved it! The work Sylvan does is truly rewarding and every day is unique. Having lessons planned for you and materials ready to go really allows you to develop your skills delivering lessons to a variety of students. I left Sylvan a way better teacher then I was when I started, and was definitely way more prepared to take on the challenge of my own classroom because of this. The team at Sylvan Oakville is exceptional! They repeatedly go out of their way to make sure staff are prepared, comfortable and in a position to be successful every day. The kids and families love it at Sylavn Oakville and being a part of that community every day was special. Highly recommend any passionate teacher to spend some time developing their skills at Sylvan Oakville!!

Working as a Sylvan Education Instructor has its ups and downs. On the positive side, the staff is incredibly friendly and supportive, creating a welcoming atmosphere for both instructors and students. Additionally, the standardized class material ensures consistency across sessions, making it easier for instructors to prepare and deliver lessons.

However, there are some drawbacks to consider. The hourly rate is disappointingly low, which may not adequately compensate for the level of expertise and effort required. Teaching multiple students simultaneously can also be challenging, as it limits the amount of individualized attention each student receives. This can be frustrating for both instructors who want to provide personalized support and students who may struggle to keep up in a group setting.

Overall, while working at Sylvan can be a positive experience due to the supportive staff and standardized materials, the low hourly rate and group teaching format may be significant drawbacks for some prospective instructors.


The other tutors were normally all good people and my manger when I left was good, but the management before hand and the higher ups in the company were truly awful. The longer I stayed with the company the more apparent it was that student success was secondary. There were times getting orders for erasers and pencils was difficult, when tutors were given several difficult students at a time with no support. Minimal training, confusing seating arrangements and favoring certain staff for work even if they did not have the knowledge set (biology, chemistry or English) was a common occurrence. If you plan on working there once and a while for extra cash, that is fine, however it is worth warning I worked there for five years and never once was given a raise or any recognition for my loyalty to my students or the company. Even if you get hired, there is no guarantee  that person will be offered any hours. Honestly, for barely over minimum wage it is not worth the time. If you have a passion for tutoring as I do, this is not the place to go.     

At Sylvan Learning, I worked as an instructor and a homework assistant for kids from ages 4 to 17. As a bilingual employee, I assisted the students who were attending Sylvan Learning for help with French. Students worked with me on an hourly basis and practiced grammar, reading and writing in French. 
I worked with an excellent team of instructors and management who were friendly, respectful and professional. 
With my job duties I was given the opportunity to learn how to work with children and adolescents, which taught me a unique set of interpersonal skills. My employment at Sylvan Learning taught me a lot of patience, which was the hardest part of the job, as working with children can be challenging at times, and requires one to have a very calm and positive attitude. The most enjoyable part of my job was working with students and helping them learn new skills and gain confidence in their work.

Whether you are on track to become a teacher or not, Sylvan is a great place to challenge yourself and learn new skills while building a positive and meaningful relationship with students. Management is supportive and caring. The Directors at Oakville Sylvan are not only extremely experienced but know how to create a positive team environment. As a current teacher, Sylvan helped me to further develop the confidence and skills I needed o transition from teachers college to the classroom. You will learn many skills to help struggling students but also how to communicate to a variety of a different learners. Technology is also a huge part of Sylvan program and helped me in understanding how and when technology can really aid students in their learning. For most students, Sylvan is an extremely positive experience thanks to great families, staff and directors.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Feeling like I made a positive impact on students learning 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Inconsistent hours. Poor student management from owners. Sylvan is a franchise so owners may have little to no understanding how to schedule kids. 
Work hours canceled at last minute on occasion. 
No guarantee of weekly hours. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
There was little time to get to know other employees. Lots of employee turnover.  The centre I was at did not like the employees to talk to each other. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
-check online schedule for hours
- arrive 15 m before students 
- gather materials and review student’s previous session notes
- students arrive 
- sessions are 1 hour so it’s back to back 
- have 15 at end of shift to put away materials and tidy work space

The management does not care about their tutors or students -- only money. If a student does not show up to a lesson, the tutor only gets paid for 15 minutes of their time, while the centre still receives full payment from students. There is a general lack of respect toward employees - berating them for not showing up to a meeting on a date/time they were unavailable (as per availability submitted in advance). Also the extremely unorganized structure contributed to the low-quality experience. This would include last-minute scheduling without notice, as well as errors in scheduling that caused students to show up to an empty centre. Tutors were also told by management to talk about google reviews to students (who are minors), so that they would ask their parents to leave positive reviews. Overall the pay is not worth the experience.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Tutor 45 salaries reported	$18.13 per hour
Teacher 10 salaries reported	$19.75 per hour
Center director 2 salaries reported	$40,000 per year
Academic coordinator 3 salaries reported	$19.00 per hour
Sales assistant 6 salaries reported	$36.69 per hour

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