We are always looking for passionate, dedicated educators to join our community of mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors.
Here are questions we’re commonly asked, so you can make a great decision.
Sylvan Learning is a leading provider of supplemental education services for students of all abilities. We provide tutoring with our proven adaptive learning programs, homework support, test prep, and more for students in grades K-12. We have served millions of students for over 40 years with proven outcomes and more confident students. We are now partnering with tutors and teachers like you to bring the best of what Sylvan offers in our learning centers to more students in your area.
At Sylvan, we believe that education is everything and that a child’s learning should be personal. That’s why our programs are adaptive and personalized to target each student’s unique academic needs to ensure success with his or her goals.
mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors are there every step of the way to encourage students and foster a love of learning. Across our 750+ locations, millions of students have experienced real results and success, averaging 2-3x more academic growth than their peers. We’re honored that families continue to turn to Sylvan for all of their educational needs.
mySylvan Marketplace+ connects great tutors with families who need them through an easy-to-use website and mobile app. Parents can browse and book tutors with the click of a button, with convenient online scheduling and payment. Tutors can set up an online profile, define their hourly fee, list subjects and grades tutored, and set calendar availability to facilitate matches with parents looking for tutors. Parents and tutors can also access our support team for personalized help at any step of the process.
As a tutor, mySylvan Marketplace+ is a convenient way for you to easily find more tutoring opportunities, earn additional income, and gain access to Sylvan’s proven method of adaptive learning on a personalized program and amazing tools and resources.
Because we believe so strongly in our Sylvan programs and your success as a tutor, we aim to offer competitive commissions so you can keep more money in your pocket and save time to focus on what you do best: teaching and inspiring kids. We will take care of the rest.
We also offer effective business support tools and educational resources — like scheduling and payment systems, communication tools, content libraries, skills practice tools, and instructional learning plans — to save you time, increase your productivity, and enable you to deliver successful outcomes that will boost students’ confidence levels and leave families satisfied.
mySylvan Marketplace+ is an easy way for you to grow a rewarding tutoring business. mySylvan Marketplace+ offers many benefits for tutors, including:
Yes, convenience is key! As a mySylvan Marketplace+ tutor, you determine the days and times you’re available on your tutor profile. You have the flexibility to maintain and update your schedule as needed. Families will be able to see your availability and request sessions directly from the website or mobile app.
You can accept or decline session requests as you receive them, and you can work with families to find other times, creating an ideal tutoring schedule that fits your life. You can work as much or as little as you like. This is all about providing tools and resources to make it easy for you.
Absolutely! This is your business after all. We’re simply here to make it easier for you and to help you succeed. You’ll have the ability to set and/or adjust your pricing anytime via the website or mobile app. Your hourly rate will then be updated on your profile page for parents to view.
There’s NO fee to get started with mySylvan Marketplace+. We even reimburse tutors for the cost of their background check. (*certain requirements apply)
In order to have access to all of the mySylvan Marketplace+ resources, including but not limited to: Our Sylvan Method™ adaptive learning plans, content library, assessment suite, tests and educational tools, and our website and mobile apps (complete with administrative tools to manage your tutoring business and session booking technology), mySylvan Marketplace+ automatically deducts a per hour admin fee* from each tutoring session. Overall session fees are charged to the family based on your hourly rate and the actual tutoring session length, rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. (*admin fees vary by market)
You’ll find that hourly fees are standard with all tutoring platforms. Unlike others, mySylvan Marketplace+ offers you additional educational tools, content libraries, a proven method, adaptive learning plans, assessment suites and tools in the fee — all of which save you prep time and deliver proven results.
We encourage you to keep the mySylvan Marketplace+ hourly fee in mind when you set your hourly rate in your profile.
In order to receive online payments, you will be charged $2/month in months when you are actively delivering tutoring. The $2 fee is a charge by our payment gateway for enabling online payments. If you do not tutor in a given month, you will not be charged the $2 fee that month.
Your payments are processed easily online and can be transferred right into your bank account. We keep it simple.
mySylvan Marketplace+ uses a secure payment gateway to handle all payment and financial transactions. As part of setting up your online profile, you must create a Stripe Connect account and connect it to your bank account to receive payments.
After a parent is charged for a tutoring session, the payment will automatically be transferred into your Stripe Connect account. Payments will be directly deposited from your Stripe Connect account into your bank account on a weekly basis. A $2 per month fee will be deducted from your Stripe Connect account to cover the processing fees for easy online payments. We think this is a small price to pay for having your money conveniently delivered right into your bank account. (Plus, you get to avoid all of those awkward conversations with parents about payments!)
You will only be charged the monthly processing fee in months when you actively provided tutoring services.
We look for the best and brightest. We know that parents care most about the quality of their tutor and the connection their tutor has with their children — if they click, the rest falls into place. We take great pride in our stringent evaluation and vetting process, so you know when you join the mySylvan Marketplace+ community, you are among the stars. Parents have that confidence, too.
Every mySylvan Marketplace+ tutor must have a completed college degree, a clear and evident passion for teaching, and successfully complete the application process, which includes a phone interview and a background check. We look for three types of individuals:
Teachers with proven classroom or tutoring experience;
State-certified teachers; and
Professionals who have completed college degrees and/or subject matter expertise in their fields of study.
Yes. mySylvan Marketplace+ requires that every tutor successfully pass our background check prior to joining the mySylvan Marketplace+ team. We use a secure, third-party platform with an outstanding reputation for protecting your data and information. Unlike other tutoring companies, mySylvan Marketplace+ reimburses tutors for the full cost of their initial background check*, and we take care of all annual background checks as well. (*certain requirements apply)
In addition to the application background check, we also run background checks annually on all mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors to ensure students’ continued safety.
Background checks are very important to us — and to parents who are allowing you to work with their child(ren). It’s a safety stamp for parents and for Sylvan.
Applying with mySylvan Marketplace+ is quick and easy! Click here to sign up and access the tutor application online, or download the mySylvan Marketplace+ mobile app from your smartphone’s app store (available for Android and iOS). Make sure you download the app specifically for tutors (you’ll see mySylvan Marketplace+ Tutors in the label and a green icon).
Once you create a tutor account through the website or mobile app, you’ll be able to complete our online application. It usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. You’re welcome to start it, save it, and complete it at another time.
After signing up for a free account on our website, found here, or mobile app (search mySylvan Marketplace+ in the Android or iOS app store), open and complete the application.
As part of the application, we’ll ask you to tell us about your background experience in teaching or tutoring and your education credentials. We’ll also collect the details you will use to create your tutor profile, including your preferred tutoring age range, subjects you’d like to tutor, and your hourly rate.
After you submit your application, if your credentials meet our qualifications, a member of our team will reach out to you to schedule a phone interview.
Following the phone interview, as part of the final phase of the application process, you’ll need to pass a background check before we can approve you.
If you pass both the phone interview and the background check, a member of our team will approve your application and online profile, and give you access to the full set of mySylvan Marketplace+ tools on the website and mobile app.
Once approved, you’ll need to set up your Stripe Connect account (to receive payments) and set your schedule availability online in order to activate your online profile (which means your profile will be searchable by families) and receive session requests from parents.
You can begin tutoring immediately as a Sylvan Approved tutor. This means you can tutor in any subject in grades K-12.
If you’ve opted to go the extra mile and become Certified in the Sylvan Method™, we’ll send you everything you need to access and complete your product training, as well as instructions for setting up your personal iPad for SylvanSync instruction. Training takes about 2 hours to complete and can be completed online and at your own pace.
Once you have completed the SylvanSync product training, you’ll receive a “badge” on the site to show parents that you are Certified in the Sylvan Method. You’ll also receive credentials to access SylvanSync™, our digital learning platform. *Note* An iPad that meets operational requirements is necessary for SylvanSync instruction.
We’ll have best practices and tips available to all mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors. We encourage you to watch these tutorials prior to starting, but it’s up to you.
Once you complete and submit your application, the process can take as little as a few days, but occasionally, it may take up to two weeks or more. It depends on how long it takes to schedule and complete the phone interview and receive background check results. Background check processing times also vary by state.
Your online tutor profile is your opportunity to highlight your skills, experience, and areas of expertise for families seeking a tutor. It’s your dedicated space to tell parents and students why they should hire you as their personal tutor.
For a complete professional profile, you’ll want to upload a clear photo, set your hourly rate, and give some thought to your headline and description. This is your chance to make a great first impression!
Once we receive your application, our team will review your experience and qualifications carefully and you will be notified about next steps. If you’re a good fit and we wish to move your application forward, one of our team members will contact you to set up a phone interview.
mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors are considered independent contractors of Sylvan In-Home, LLC. When filing annual tax information, Sylvan will provide you with a 1099-form for any tutors with annual earnings of $600 or more per year. You and Sylvan are both required to file 1099 forms with the IRS for tax purposes.
We recommend that all of our mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors review our resources and best practice tips, but there is no specific training required.
Tutors who choose to become Certified in the Sylvan Method and have access to our Sylvan Insight Assessment suite will be required to complete product training. We want to make sure you’re prepared and comfortable with using our tools. It will also help you understand how to deliver targeted teaching with Sylvan’s personalized instructional platform, enhance instruction for students, track progress, and communicate with families. Product training for tutors interested in becoming Certified in the Sylvan Method consists of fewer than two hours of online, self-paced instruction.
Once you have completed the application process and been approved, you’ll receive an email from one of our team members with instructions on how to log in to the product training platform to get started. The product training platform houses all of the resources you need.
If you have questions regarding product training, you can contact our team for help at any time by email at Tutor@SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
Once you’ve successfully completed the application process, background check, and your profile is approved, you are Sylvan Approved! You can help with everything from homework support and SAT/ACT prep, to drilling into subjects that align with your expertise, such as math, reading, or science for grades K-12.
If you become Certified in the Sylvan Method, you’ll complete additional product training and have access to SylvanSync — Sylvan’s digital adaptive learning platform for reading and math — including instructional tools and teaching resources.
Tutors who are Certified in the Sylvan Method will be able to deliver the Sylvan Insight Assessment, which will develop a personalized support plan in math or reading. It identifies and addresses skill gaps efficiently and effectively.
SylvanSync saves you time and makes lesson planning easy. It sets up a personalized adaptive learning plan with the content and skills tests needed for each session. Just open the app on an iPad and the plan will be right there, session after session. SylvanSync will adapt based on a student’s progress and performance, and it will deliver exactly what the child needs based on how he or she is advancing on the learning progression. The plan will adapt to get harder or easier depending on certain cues, such as how well students can perform and display mastery of skills during instruction. Best of all, students who use SylvanSync in our Sylvan Centers have shown up to three times more academic growth than their peers.
Regardless of the route you choose, all mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors share a dedication to providing students with personalized instruction that builds confidence, motivation, and achievement!
Although being Certified in the Sylvan Method is not required to become a mySylvan Marketplace+ tutor, the better question is why wouldn’t you become certified if you are a math or reading tutor?!?
When you’re certified, you gain access to amazing tools and you make yourself even more appealing to potential tutoring families. Plus, our Sylvan Method has been proven with third-party research and student outcomes time and time again. Students in our Sylvan Learning Centers show up to three times more academic growth than their peers.
Plus, there’s no additional cost to you. All you need is a compatible iPad and to complete a few hours of training. Then, you’re ready to go.
In addition to the Sylvan Insight Assessment suite, tutors who are Certified in the Sylvan Method have access to SylvanSync, which is our digital learning and content platform. SylvanSync allows you to further customize instruction for students and accelerate their success. What makes SylvanSync so great is that planning is done for you. Plus, tutors who are Certified in the Sylvan Method will have a special badge on their profile page. It tells prospective families that you have gone through additional product training and can bring a lot of extra resources and value to a tutoring session!
Once you are Certified in the Sylvan Method, you will have access to our SylvanSync digital adaptive learning platform for reading and math and the product training that comes with it.
Here’s how being Certified in the Sylvan Method can help you increase your impact. You can:
Plus, parents will see the badge on your tutor profile page which indicates that you are Certified in the Sylvan Method and they will know immediately that you have access to a host of additional resources which other tutors may not offer.
Our Sylvan Insight Assessment can pinpoint a student’s exact skill gaps and tell you exactly where to start and how to tailor your instruction to make an impact right away. Sylvan’s assessment tool includes three components:
The assessment results give you and your families a baseline measurement and invaluable insight into a student’s academic strengths and weaknesses. This information can explain why students may be struggling with homework and in the classroom with certain skills or subject areas. Additionally, you’ll also be able to observe how a student responds in a testing situation or simply independent assignments. You can follow-up with effective test-taking strategies to practice and employ in the classroom.
For tutors Certified in the Sylvan Method, the assessment enables you to accurately place students on the learning progression in SylvanSync and create a personalized plan for each student. Each child’s personal plan moves along this progression, adapting to his or her individual performance. With every activity, SylvanSync monitors and adjusts, adapting to the child’s pace, ensuring he or she is challenged, but never frustrated.
SylvanSync™ is Sylvan’s digital adaptive learning platform in reading and math.
It’s a tool to help you deliver personalized, adaptive instruction in an engaging, interactive learning environment. Because SylvanSync is delivered using an iPad, you can easily deliver student instruction online or from any physical location with Wi-Fi access. Not to mention, students love working on an iPad!
Once a student completes the Sylvan Insight™ Assessment, a tailored learning plan is generated. SylvanSync gives you the tools you need for adaptive instruction and customized lesson plans for each tutoring session.
SylvanSync™ reading spans content from Pre-K through grade 12. SylvanSync math spans content from kindergarten through Algebra I.
For you, it will dramatically reduce the amount of planning time and materials needed for each session because it adapts to each student’s learning progress, and it updates his or her learning plan automatically.
The daily lessons for your SylvanSync™ students will be right at your fingertips whenever you’re ready to get started with a tutoring session. Because the plans adapt to each student’s skill level and pace, your instruction will always be focused on exactly what the child needs. As a result, you, your student, and your student’s family will see results faster!
In our Sylvan Learning Centers, students using SylvanSync see up to three times more growth in their math and reading scores than their peers.
You can also use SylvanSync for instruction with online students or in-person using your iPad in any location with Wi-Fi access.
If you are Certified in the Sylvan Method, SylvanSync allows you to enhance instruction for all of your tutoring students. Whether you’re adding a hands-on component through manipulatives or running an on-the-spot search for a lesson to address a specific topic, YOU are the driver of the student experience.
If a student is struggling on a specific concept, after completing the Insight Assessment you can also use the SylvanSync Skills Search to access a content library of thousands of adaptive lessons to get your student the on-the-spot help they need.
No. We believe in the outcomes and our proven method and want to find a way to help more kids so there is no additional fee to use SylvanSync for tutors who are Certified in the Sylvan Method™, but you must own or have access to an iPad. If you have your own iPad and it meets Sylvan’s device requirements, you are all set!
Yes, you can! However, we need to make sure your iPad meets the compatibility requirements that support SylvanSync. To be compatible with SylvanSync, iPads must have:
You may purchase an iPad at any major retailer that you choose. Before purchasing a used or refurbished iPad, please refer to the device requirements above to verify that the device will be compatible. Sylvan is not responsible for any purchased devices that do not meet compatibility requirements.
Absolutely! We encourage it and make it easy for both you and your families. You can use a special referral code to invite your existing tutoring families to sign up with mySylvan Marketplace+ on the website or mobile app. Once they have signed up and you have completed your product training, you can begin using SylvanSync as part of your tutoring sessions.
On the website or mobile app, you can click “Refer a Friend” to find your special referral code to use with your existing tutoring families. Have them use this code when they sign up in order to receive this benefit! You can also contact our team for help at any time by email at Tutor@SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
Families will use the website or mobile app to view your schedule and request a session with you. Once you’ve received the request, you can either accept or decline it depending on your availability and location preferences. Parents will receive an automatic notification of your response.
If you’re declining, we recommend that you follow up with the family directly if there are other scheduling options or locations you have available.
If you do not respond to the request within 24 hours, the session request will automatically be declined, and the parent will be notified to find another tutor. Keep in mind, being responsive is very important to parents and to creating and maintaining a successful tutoring business.
mySylvan Marketplace+ tutoring is all about total convenience for you and your tutoring families — that’s why we offer tutoring support anytime, anywhere! You can even meet with students for online instruction.
When you receive a session request from a family, the parent’s desired location or online will be listed as part of the request. If the location does not work for you, you can contact the family and suggest an alternative location, such as a library, community center, or online.
We recommend choosing a meeting environment that is conducive to learning. If you’re meeting online and/or using SylvanSync, you will need a Wi-Fi connection.
If you need to cancel an appointment with a student at any time, please contact the family as soon as possible to notify them that a cancelation is necessary. (We ask families to do the same for you.)
As a mySylvan Marketplace+ tutor, when setting up your profile, you’ll be required to choose one of four pre-defined cancelation policies. You can select the policy that best fits your needs. The policy you choose will be displayed on your profile page for families to see.
Here are the four cancelation policy options:
If a parent does not cancel or communicate in advance and the student does not show up for a booked session, 100% of the expected session fee will be charged to the parent. You will receive payment for the canceled session according to the defined policy, minus the mySylvan Marketplace+ hourly fee.
If you do not show up for a scheduled session, the parent will not be charged. The mySylvan Marketplace+ team will follow up with any tutor directly if a parent reports a “no-show” session or a tutor that is regularly unresponsive to session requests, and we may elect to remove a tutor upon any such occurrence.
If a family would like you to communicate with the student’s classroom teacher, you can discuss next steps and the best method for communication. Ask parents to give the teacher advance notification that you will be in touch and provide you with the teacher’s contact information.
If you agree to contact the teacher, make every effort to contact the classroom teacher as soon as possible. Communication with classroom teachers should be limited to information regarding a student’s academic progress and instruction only.
Your success is important to us, and we are in this together. We are committed to your success and are here to offer guidance and support at every step of the process. If you have questions or need help at any time, feel free to contact our Marketplace Success team via email at Tutor@SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
Yes. If you do not plan to return to tutoring and wish to delete your tutor account entirely, you can submit an Account Deletion Request. As a reminder, mySylvan Marketplace+ tutors have the flexibility to tutor as much or as little as they want at any time. Tutors may even step away from tutoring for a short time and return when they are able.