We are always looking for amazing individuals to join our community of Sylvan In-Home tutors.
Here are questions we’re commonly asked, so you can make a great decision.
What is Sylvan all about?
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 almost 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.
Sylvan In-Home 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.
What is Sylvan In-Home?
Sylvan In-Home connects great tutors with families who need them through an easy-to-use website. 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 to define their price, list subjects and grades tutored, and set calendar availability to facilitate matches with parents looking for tutors. Parents and tutors can also access Sylvan In-Home’s support team for personalized help at any step of the process.
As a tutor, Sylvan In-Home 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 the lowest commissions in the industry, bar none. This means you keep more money in your pocket, so you can save time and 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.
Why should I become a Sylvan In-Home tutor rather than just tutoring on my own?
Sylvan In-Home is an easy way for you to grow a rewarding tutoring business. Sylvan In-Home offers many benefits for tutors, including:
Can I set my own schedule?
Yes, convenience is key! As a Sylvan In-Home tutor, you determine the days and times you’re available on our website. 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.
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.
Can I set my own rates?
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. Your hourly rate will then be updated on your profile page for parents to view.
What are the fees for becoming a Sylvan In-Home tutor?
What if I want to transition existing students I tutor to the Sylvan In-Home website to make scheduling and payments easier?
Because we believe so much in the value of our services, you can bring your existing tutoring clients over for FREE! This means that if you have students you are tutoring now, you will not be charged any hourly fee. You will receive 100% of the total session fee, and you can use our platform for scheduling, payments, and teaching your existing students. The referral code will also give 10% off to your families who join with you, allowing you to adjust your rate when you join if you choose, with little or no impact to your existing families. We’ve made it so easy, and at no cost to you!
In the website 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@InHome.SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
How do I get paid?
Your payments are processed easily online and can be transferred right into your bank account. We keep it simple.
Sylvan In-Home 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.
What qualifications are required to become a Sylvan In-Home tutor?
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 kids — if they click, the rest falls into place. We take great pride in our stringent evaluation and vetting process, so you know if you join the Sylvan In-Home community, you are among the stars. Parents have that confidence, too.
Every Sylvan In-Home tutor must have a college degree and successfully complete the application process, which includes a phone interview and a background check. We look for three types of individuals:
Do you do background checks?
Yes. Sylvan In-Home requires that every tutor successfully pass our background check prior to joining the Sylvan In-Home team. We use a secure, third-party platform with an outstanding reputation for protecting your data and information. Background checks are performed at no additional cost to you.
Background checks are very important to us — and to parents who are allowing you into their homes. It’s a safety stamp for parents and for Sylvan.
In addition to the application background check, we also run background checks annually on all Sylvan In-Home tutors to ensure students’ continued safety.
Where can I apply to be a Sylvan In-Home tutor?
Applying with Sylvan In-Home is quick and easy! Click here to sign up and access the tutor application online.
Once you set up a tutor account on our website, 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.
What is the application process?
How long does it take to get approved?
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 varies by state.
Why do I need a tutor profile?
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 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!
What happens after I apply to be a Sylvan In-Home tutor?
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.
What is my relationship with Sylvan In-Home?
Sylvan In-Home 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 earnings of over $600 per year. You and Sylvan In-Home are both required to file 1099-forms with the IRS for tax purposes.
Am I required to do any training?
We recommend that all of our Sylvan In-Home tutors review our resources and best practice tips, but there is no specific training required.
Tutors who want 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.
How do I access training?
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@InHome.SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
What is the difference between a Sylvan Approved tutor and a tutor that is Certified in the Sylvan Method™?
Once you’ve completed the application process and background check, you become Sylvan Approved. Sylvan Approved tutors can start working with families immediately. 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 Sylvan In-Home tutors share a dedication to providing students with personalized instruction that builds confidence, motivation, and achievement!
Do I have to become Certified in the Sylvan Method™?
Although being Certified in the Sylvan Method is not required to become a Sylvan In-Home 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 an 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!
What are the benefits of becoming Certified in the Sylvan Method™?
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.
What is the Sylvan Insight™ Assessment?
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:
What are the benefits of using the Sylvan Insight™ Assessment?
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. 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 a child’s pace, ensuring a student is challenged, but never frustrated.
What is SylvanSync™?
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 from any 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.
What grades can use SylvanSync™?
SylvanSync reading spans content from Pre-K through grade 12. SylvanSync math spans content from kindergarten through Algebra I.
What are the benefits of using SylvanSync™?
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.
It also enables you to deliver tutoring sessions from any location with Wi-Fi access.
How can SylvanSync™ help my homework support students?
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 homework support student is struggling on a specific concept, you can use the SylvanSync Skill Search to access a content library of thousands of adaptive lessons to get your student the on-the-spot help they need.
Do I have to pay for SylvanSync™?
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 have access to an iPad. If you have your own iPad and it meets Sylvan’s device requirements, you can use yours!
If you don’t own an iPad, you can purchase your own. Apple has partnered with Barclay’s to offer 6 months of interest-free financing on an iPad purchase – you can learn more here.
Can I use my own iPad to deliver SylvanSync™?
Yes, you can! However, we need to make sure it’s a version that works with the SylvanSync platform. Any iPad used to deliver SylvanSync must have 16 GB of storage and be equipped with Wi-Fi access. (As a point of reference, new iPads come with 32 GB standard.)
The following iPad models are compatible with SylvanSync:
The following iPad models are not compatible with SylvanSync:
If I don’t have an iPad, where can I purchase one?
You may purchase an iPad at any retailer such as Best Buy, Target, or Amazon. Additionally, Apple has partnered with Barclay’s to offer 6 months of interest-free financing on an iPad purchase – you can learn more here.
I already have some students who I tutor. Can I use SylvanSync™ with them?
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 Sylvan In-Home on the website. 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, 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@InHome.SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145.
Can I meet with students in locations other than their homes?
Yes, Sylvan’s In-Home tutoring is all about total convenience for you and your tutoring families — that’s why we offer tutoring support anytime, anywhere!
When you receive a session request from a family, the parent’s desired location 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 or community center. You also can list locations where you prefer to offer tutoring on your tutor profile page, which helps parents to see possible location options before sending a request!
We recommend that any meeting environment be conducive to learning. If you’re using SylvanSync, you will need a Wi-Fi connection. For homework support tutoring, Wi-Fi is not required.
How do Sylvan In-Home families schedule sessions?
Families will use the website 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.
What is the cancelation policy?
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 Sylvan In-Home 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 Sylvan In-Home hourly fee.
If you do not show up for a scheduled session, the parent will not be charged. The Sylvan In-Home team will follow up with any tutor directly if a parent reports a “no-show” session, and we may elect to remove a tutor from the website upon any such occurrence.
What if my student’s family wants me to communicate with his or her classroom teacher?
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 for contact information and to give the teacher advance notification that you will be in touch.
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.
How do I get in touch with the Sylvan In-Home team if I need help?
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 us via email at Tutor@InHome.SylvanLearning.com or by phone at 888-997-0145. For technical questions or if you are experiencing problems with SylvanSync or the website, please contact TechSupport@InHome.SylvanLearning.com.