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NovaStar Prep Review Summary
NovaStar Prep is a US company hiring American teachers with degrees to tutor Elementary to College-level students 1v1 online. They pay $25-35 per hour, with high teacher satisfaction, though hiring can be selective and most hours are after school.
| Pay (per hour): | $25-35 |
| Native / Non-Native Speakers accepted? | USA |
| TEFL / TESOL / CELTA required? | No |
| Degree / diploma required? | Yes |
| Adult / child students? | Both |
| Class size: | 1 |
| Minimum hours (per week): | 0 |
NovaStar Prep Pros and Cons
Pros:
- High rate of pay
- Can tutor a range of subjects and levels (not just English)
- Amazingly high teacher satisfaction
- No TEFL/TESOL/CELTA required
- No minimum or maximum hours
Cons:
- Selective hiring process
- Only American teachers with a bachelor’s degree can apply
- Most tutors possess a master’s degree
- After school hours primarily
- Must commit to a semester
Is NovaStar Prep Legit?
NovaStar Prep (not to be confused with NovaKid) is a legitimate tutoring company, founded in 2008 and based out of Virginia, USA. While they offer physical at-home tuition, they also have an online provision. The company’s students range from Elementary to College-level, and their 500+ tutors teach a range of subjects:
- Mathematics (Basic Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I&II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus I-III)
- English (Reading Comprehension, Writing Skills, Literature, Public Speaking, AP)
- Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, AP)
- Social Studies (US History, World History, European History, Civics/Government, Economics, AP)
- Test Prep (PSAT, SAT, ACT, SOLs, GRE, MCAT, LSAT)
- College Application Advising (College Essay, College Application, Interview Prep)
NovaStar Prep Salary
NovaStar Prep pay ranges from US$25-35 per hour, depending on the subject and level being taught. For example:
- $25 for any elementary or middle school student or subjects
- $27 for high school students/subjects
- $30 for college students/subjects or test prep
Bonus incentives are also available, though the specifics of this are not advertised (contact us if you have this information).
The company pays its tutors every 2 weeks via direct bank deposit.
NovaStar Prep Hours
NovaStar Prep’s hours are primarily daytime after-school, and are agreed by the tutor in negotiation with the students/families they are matched with (depending on the latter’s needs, availability and time zone). There are some home-schooled children looking for tutoring during the middle of the day.
NovaStar Prep’s tutors must commit to a semester but are otherwise flexible in choosing their own schedule. There is no minimum or maximum number of hours that one may work there.
For cancelations, tutors must give at least 12 hours notice. In the case of emergencies, the tutor will have to make up the time with the student, either by arranging a replacement session or by lengthening the duration of subsequent tutorials (whichever works best for the family).
NovaStar Prep Requirements
NovaStar Prep tutors must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree or higher
- Recent tutoring or teaching experience in the selected discipline
- A genuine passion for education and teaching
- Clear communication skills
- Reliable internet connection
- Computer literate
- Willingness to commit for at least a semester
- Must be able to pass a background check with excellent references
A Master’s degree is an advantage, with over 75% of NovaStar Prep tutors possessing one.
NovaStar Prep Application Process
You can search for NovaStar Prep tutoring jobs on the company’s careers page. Whilst some jobs list a physical location, online options are available; here is a direct link to the Online Tutor job (open at the time of writing).
Once you’ve read the job description and clicked on the ‘Apply Now’ button to the right of the page, you will be asked to upload your resume. You are then taken to a NovaStar Prep application form where you must complete and submit the following information:
- Uploaded resume
- Zip code
- Name
- Mobile phone number
- Address
- City
- State
- Date available
- Skills
- Current employer
- Email address
- Educational institution
- Subject matter expertise (specific areas of subject expertise and length of time)
The application process can take around 2 weeks, though expect some delays due to the current surge in applications from teachers formerly working for Chinese companies.
NovaStar Prep Interview
Should your application be taken forward, you will receive an email inviting you to a short (10-minute) screening interview which will take place over the phone. A couple of days later, an online interview will be arranged on Zoom, where you will be asked about your background and experience, how you would approach different tutoring assignments, told about the company’s mission, and given the opportunity to ask any questions. Successful candidates are usually informed immediately after the interview, pending a background check (the cost of which will be deducted from the first month’s pay).
NovaStar Prep Interview Questions
To help you prepare, these NovaStar Prep interview questions have been posed to previous candidates:
- Tell me about yourself
- What is your teaching experience?
- What subjects are you familiar with?
- How do you perform under a deadline?
- How did you get into tutoring?
- Why do you want to be a tutor?
- Why do you love to teach what you teach?
- What is your teaching philosophy/learning style?
- How do you tailor your teaching method to each student?
- Have you ever had any difficulty while tutoring a student?
- Have you ever worked with challenging students?
- How would you motivate a student to work on their homework?
- What would make a student want to work with you?
- What do you think you can pass down personally?
- What do you think you could do to help your students succeed?
- What do you hope to do in the future?
NovaStar Prep Tutoring Reviews
The NovaStar Prep Glassdoor page has the company receiving the quite remarkable score of 4.9 out of 5 (at the time of writing), with 96% willing to recommend them to a friend. Furthermore, out of 38 reviews, all but one gives them 4 or 5 stars, with the lowest awarding 3 stars (and that was from a Sales Executive). The majority of NovaStar Prep reviews since 2017 list no cons at all, while there is fulsome praise of the company’s management and the support given to tutors:
This overwhelming positivity is echoed on the NovaStar Prep Indeed page, where the company has a score of 4.3 out of 5 (from 9 reviews). The majority here also award 4 or 5 stars, with these the only critical comments (dating back to 2018):
This is the most-recent Indeed NovaStar Prep review (at the time of writing):
Conclusion – Is NovaStar Prep Worth It?
It is rare to find a company in this space with such high teacher satisfaction scores. That, along with the very competitive pay rates that exceed most ESL companies, makes NovaStar Prep worth serious consideration by any American teacher with a Bachelor’s degree. The only notable downsides are that the hiring process can be selective, and most hours will be after school.
You can apply to NovaStar Prep here.
A full list of other online teaching companies can be found here.
