Shockingly unprofessional. My initial contact with them was positive, and the interview process was pretty fast. The people I met in that process (tutors) seemed friendly and enthusiastic. Once that was over, though, everything changed. I received an offer letter that was curt and contained boilerplate legalese from someone on the business side of the operation (not a tutor). I was considering other tutoring companies at the same time, but wanted to give these guys a fair chance, even though the rate they offered was not competitive with the market. Given the anonymous nature of this site, I'll refrain from providing identifying details of the experience, but I'll note that in addition to non-competitive compensation, their communication was terrible: after issuing the offer, they either never responded or responded very late with lame excuses for their delays - and this was during the time they were theoretically trying to get me to join. I can't imagine how they treat people they feel they already have on board. The entire interaction left me feeling very jerked around, and with an overall sense that they view tutors as fungible and disposable. By the time our interaction was over, I'd accepted an offer from another company at more than 25% more, with a lot less hassle involved in the hiring process, as well as basic courtesy, which was sadly absent in dealing with PrepMatters. It seems like they rely on (prospective) tutors not recognizing the market value of their services and not expecting to be treated with basic courtesy - probably not a good basis for a healthy working relationship. Based on my experience, I not only would recommend strongly against working for them as a tutor, but I would also be concerned about the quality of service that parents and students receive from a company that behaves in the way I saw this one behave. Sadly, this market is a bit of a cash cow for the companies, taking advantage of parental anxiety. PrepMatters may sometimes get talented tutors purely by virtue of who's out there and looking for work (a bit naively), but it was pretty clear that their focus is on profits and not people.

The process consisted of an online application, phone interview, in-person interview, tests (sample SATs) and a "teachback" presentation (topic of my choice) to staff members. Everyone I met was extremely friendly and helpful. The interview was very interactive and my main point of contact was prompt and helpful as she guided me through the admittedly thorough process. You can tell that they really care about what they do and really enjoy working there.

A friend working at PrepMatters suggested I apply to be tutor there. I emailed the address she gave me and received a response after two days, which I thought was pretty prompt. After some back-and-forth regarding scheduling I was able to come in. The office was a beautiful ensemble, decorated stylishly, and the employees seemed friendly and dedicated. My interview consisted of questions about my teaching experience and style. The interviewer seemed very friendly. She asked about how I would handle different types of students or different situations. After about half an hour of this, I took a sample SAT, consisting of one section each of reading, writing, and math. This was on a Friday, and my interviewer promised I'd hear back by Monday, and that she'd schedule for me to do some sample teaching. On Wednesday my friend reassured me that yes, they were incredibly disorganized on the hiring, but I'd hear back from them. My email on Friday went unanswered, as did my call the next Monday. It felt incredibly rude and off-putting not to receive a response - even a polite "thanks, but no thanks" - when it had been explicitly promised.