Complaint Review: Sylvan Learning Center

I'm a current sylvan teacher and I, like several posters before me, am writing to confirm that Syvlan is an absolute rip off. I would never send my kids here, and though I work at one (basically because it works with my other day job schedule), I wouldn't reccommend it. The reasons are numerous but it all boils down to these three things.

1. They absolutely don't personalize the curriculum (unless a post it note on top of a photocopied worksheet is personalized) to meet each student's needs. Our center gets an influx of NCLB/SES funded students each fall - all of whom need tons of help with reading and math skills, and we throw the same ILO (learning plans) at all of them. Zero adaptations, no extra help with ELL students, no extra training - nothing.

2. They overcharge and underprovide. As many posters have said, most of the credentialed teachers only make $12/hour. Sylvan claims they need the rest of the money for supplies but that's a load of b.s. We use 50/50 books and ipads. The books are literally falling apart. The manipulatives are broken and the ipads all need servicing. The real profits go to the franchise owner and corporate salaries. Syvlan also claims 3 students to 1 teacher is beneficial for teaching independent learning - that's a total lie. There's ZERO evidence that shows less individualized attention leads to more independence. When your kid sits at a sylvan table they're getting maybe 15 minutes of real one to one instruction if they're lucky, you're paying for a full hour though. Good deal right?

3. They upsell you on courses your kid doesn't need. As some others have mentioned, a lot of the kids that come to Sylvan simply need supervision and perhaps a kick to the backside to motivate them. Our study skills and homework support programs are hugely overpriced for very little content that isn't common sense, every day things any half invested parent could teach. Even if a students aces the pre-test Sylvan will give the parents the idea the kid still needs some kind of program.

There you have it. Sylvan is a joke. Hire a decent private tutor, shop around but don't buy into Sylvan's hype.