Are you a busy parent or a traveller or a student who is looking for some passive income by teaching? VIPKID is an amazing platform for you. It is an online teaching application. Thousands of people are connecting with the platform and getting flexible jobs from their busy schedules.
In the list of 2018, Forbes has listed VIPKID at number 1 in the list of Top Work from home jobs. So what makes VIPKID the best platform to start your work from home?
The Internet has become very accessible which is increasing the opportunity to find a suitable online job, and VIPKID is one of them that has made the world even smaller. Teachers on the platform can earn around $1500 a month. If you are also looking for a job that is flexible in time, place, have an interest in teaching children and can also help you to get easy money, then you must try VIPKID. If you are keeping track of your net worth you can see by joining VIPKID you will get a hike in your net worth.
In this article, we will discuss everything related to the incredible platform, VIPKID, how you can connect with it, how much one can earn, what are the pros and cons, and many more. We will try to answer all possible questions that might have struck your mind.
Table of Content:
Brief Description about VIPKID
How Much Can You Earn with VIPKid?
How Can You Become a VIPKID teacher?
What a Class in VIPKid Looks Like?
What do Teachers Like About VIPKID?
What Don’t Teachers Like About VIPKID?
Tips For Interview with VIPKID
Tips and Demo for VIPKID for Mock Test
Ready to Work as VIPKID teacher
Brief Description about VIPKID
VIPKID is a Chinese online education platform that brings the teacher and student together. It was founded in 2013 and was formally launched in the year 2014 by Cindy Mi. The platform helps to connect the paying students with the teachers of Canada and the United States. VIPKid is an online classroom of 25 minutes for English classes from some amazing fluent English speaking teachers.
The founders of the VIPKid thought that it would be an incredible way for students to learn the English language in a more creative way, that involves critical thinking, curiosity along with the fun!
Students from 4 years old to 12 years old can participate or enrol for the English class in VIPKid.each student of VIPKid will be connected with one American or Canadian teacher for an online class of 25 minutes. It is a one on one classroom format that provides them the comfort of home and also allows them to show their flaws and work on them. The classes are meant to be silly, playful, fun, creative, everything that could engage a kid and help them to grow but in the English language. The students not only learn the English language but also learn about American traditions and culture.
Currently, there are over 30,000 teachers connected with VIPKid and it has enrolled over 200,000 students in this platform. In 2015, Tencent was called VIPKid the Most Powerful Education Brand in China. And in the year 2016, the platform has become the official provider of the TOEFL Primary assessment in China. TOEFL is a test for students who want to pursue their studies in the United States.
How Much Can You Earn with VIPKid?
First thing first, how much can one earn by teaching on an online portal? Well, over $1,000 a month. However, it majorly depends on how much time you are committing.
The more time you will spend on the platform the more you can earn. Some teachers who spend around 30-35 hours a week can earn over $3,000 in a month, plus they can earn more money by activating the bonuses.
Making money with VIPKid could be also a little bit confusing, so if you are planning to join the platform sooner or later, then settle down for some real calculations.
If you are chosen as a VIPKid teacher then we will be getting the base pay rate between $7- $9 per 25- minute and around $14- $18 for an hour class. The base pay is solely based between the experience you have, credentials, and performance during the initial interview.
Interestingly, you will get the full payment if a student cancels his/ her class.
Already feeling satisfied? Wait for the bonuses, base pay is not all that VIPKid pays to its teachers.
VIPKid wants to encourage and appreciate its teacher to teach on their platform hence they provide the incentive to the teachers according to their performance, commitment, and active time to the platform.
- The teacher will receive an extra dollar for showing up on time and taking the class.
- If one would teach 45 hours or more than that then he/ she can get an additional bonus of $1.
- The teacher can get an extra $2 to take classes on short notice.
- If you teach a student for a trial class and the student later signs up, then you would get an extra $5 for each signup.
The company wants to keep high-quality teachers for high-quality performance and hence tries to pay them happiness. It pays its teacher on time on the 15th of every month. And if by any chance the 15th is on weekends then, they can pay the teacher beforehand.
Turns out pretty long math to do? Let’s make it easy using an example!
Suppose, Jennifer is working with VIPKid for three months now. She is getting $8 for each class. She is taking 2 hours morning class and 1-hour evening class on her weekdays and only two hours on her weekends. So she teaches for 19 hours a week.
Therefore she could earn 8 X 2 X 19 = $304 per week.
Now if Jennifer can attend every class right on time, then this will add $1 on her base pay for every class.
With such several hours, Jeniffer can easily achieve the 45 hours per month target and hence can get another $1 added to her base pay.
That means, now she can get paid $10 per class.
Therefore, according to new calculations, now Jennifer could earn around,
(10 X 2 X 19) = $380 per week.
And (380 X 4 weeks) = $1,520 per month.
Hold your hat for a little longer, the calculations are not finished yet!
Now, if Jennifer had given 10 trial classes and only 5 of them signed up with VIPKid, then Jen can get $5 extra for each of the 5 students. That adds up to $25 to the total salary.
Hence, her salary becomes $1,545 per month.
Phew! Yeah, now we are done.
After completing your first six months, your base pay might get increased and you can even get a raise based on your performance.
How Can You Become a VIPKID teacher? (VIPKid Requirements)
VIPKid has a five-step process to hire its teacher.
Step 1: Apply
Step 2: Interview and Demo Class
Step 3. Training
Step 4. Mock Paper
Step 5. Contract Signing
Step 1: Apply
Before applying, make sure that you have met all the requirements. VIPKid is very strict in selecting their teachers, so be prepared before applying.
What all do you need to apply?
- Bachelor’s degree
- Must be a Native English Speaker (that means you must be an American or Canadian)
- Should be experienced for teaching kids between 5- 12 years old.
- Must have a working computer or laptop and internet connection
- Do not have any criminal background
If you met all the requirements then, go ahead and apply for the job. Visit the official website of VIPKid and enter your basic information, your resume, and your current location.
Step 2: Interview and Demo Class
After successfully applying, wait for the interview round. You will only enter the step after the acceptance of your application. In this round, you have to give a Demo class, it could be done in two ways, whether face to face or recording.
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Face to Face Interview:
In a face to face interview, the applicant has to give their interview in person (online) with VIPKid admin. The interview will start with your introduction, about your qualifications and teaching experience. And then you have to give a demo class according to a 5-year-old child.
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Recording:
The recording version of the interview is convenient to the majority of the applicants. In this version, you have to give a class to an imaginary 5-year-old kid. You will be given ten slides and you need to teach all the slides in ten minutes.
Your performance in this step will decide your selection in the next step. However, if you had an amazing interview then let’s move on to the next step.
Step 3: Training
In this step, you will be given 6 hours of training materials to review. It will include PowerPoint, study materials, videos, and an overall overview of the VIPKid. One has to go through all of them and then attend a quiz. The trainee has to give around 80% correct answers to the quiz. It will be a multiple choice type question, and you can edit it multiple times before submission.
Step 4: Mock Class
If you also pass the third step, then it will lead you to the fourth step, Mock Classes. In the mock classes, there will be two more mock mentors who will judge your ability to provide a class and handle students. They might also enact the role of Chinese students. A mock class could last for around 1 hour and is divided into three parts: Introduction, Teach Class, and Feedback.
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Introduction:
The first five minutes will be an introduction. In these five minutes, you can ask your doubts regarding the mock class, how to teach a slide, etc.
Utilise the first five minutes fully.
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Teach Class:
For the next twenty-five minutes, you will be teaching. The mock class will be divided into two parts as Mock Class 1 and Mock Class 2.
Mock Class 1- It consists of two levels: For Beginners (Level 2) and Intermediate (Level 5)
For Level 2: The Applicant will be given 15 minutes to teach to the mock teachers. After fifteen minutes, they will stop the applicant and provide some feedback, like areas you should improve and whether it is going well or not. Then you will reach the next level, Level 5.
For Level 5: it will be 10 minutes. Make sure that you have applied the feedback that is just given by the mentors.
Mock Class 2- In Mock Class 2, the applicants will be given 14 slides to teach for 15 minutes. The mock mentors will again stop you, give you feedback and then continue with the remaining slides. You will get only 10 minutes for that
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Feedback
In this section, the applicant will be given the overall feedback of his/ her performance. The mentor might guide them for further procedure, that could be another mock test, or straight into teaching, or sadly, getting rejected. Whatever it will be, the result will come via mail.
Step 5: Singing Contract
If you have reached this step, Congratulations!
The VIPKid will then give you a contract, you have to sign it and then upload it with required materials and documents.
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Government-issued ID
- Teaching certificates
What a Class in VIPKid Looks Like?
A teaching platform for students across the globe is an innovative concept. So if you are looking for working as a VIPKid teacher then, the following points might help you to get some ideas.
How many hours does one require to work as a VIPKid teacher?
As many hours as you like! Ain’t that amazing?
Initially, VIPKid had the policy to work for at least 7.5 hours a week, but that changed in 2017.
The students are China-based, how will that affect the working hours?
Yes, you have to account for the time difference. So before getting into the job make sure that you can manage with the timings. Otherwise, it will be hard.
Do Teachers Need to Come up with Their Study Plans?
No! VIPKid provides study material to each and every teacher. The teacher will receive slides before 12 to 24 hours of class.
However, using appropriate props and a friendly technique helps a teacher to coordinate well with the kid.
What are the basic requirements to take a class?
Some simple classroom setup that is suitable for teachers who are away from home and living in a hotel room.
We have prepared a list of needs and wants that could help you to improve your teaching experience with VIPKid.
Needs:
- Headset
- Webcam
- Good internet connection
- Solid colour t-shirts (it seems more professional than any patterns)
Wants:
- A Board (white/ black/ green)
- Erasable markers
- Puppets
- Flashcards of Alphabets and numbers
Class with VIPKid
One VIPKid class lasted for 25 minutes. Platforms like Google Hangouts, Zoom or Skype are more likely to take VIPKid classes. After the starting of a class, the presentation is loaded, and the student can circle the slides, write on them, or even draw. The whole session is very interesting for both students and teachers.
Over time the VIPKid is improving its platform and making it even more interactive and amazing every day.
The student selects their teacher
The teacher needs to fill their time slots prior to the month according to their availability. The students or the parents can then choose their teacher. If a student or his/ her parents liked your way of teaching then they might become your permanent student as well.
What do Teachers Like About VIPKID?
There are many features and facilities that make the platform very popular with amazing teachers. The teaching experience is fun and flexible. Below are a few points that make VIPKid the best teaching platform.
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The Pay
Let’s be honest, the pay is truly incredible in VIPKid. One teacher can potentially earn around $22 for an hour without investing, leaving home, or going after clients. It also promises you job security.
Other professions like freelance writers can make enough money with the same work environment, but they need to spend a heck of a lot of time to reach there and get potential clients.
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Flexibility
You can schedule your classes ANYTIME! Of course during the daytime. But you can easily manage the schedule according to your other plans, like piano classes, hockey matches, holidays, etc.
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Classroom Environment
VIPKid might not be like a traditional classroom, but the relationship teachers and students create in this platform is incredible. The students are more enthusiastic to learn and they also have more engaging interaction, where they can learn about a different culture, lives, etc.
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Community and Support
VIPKid has a whole community of teachers where the teachers can join for free to learn about more new techniques and advanced skills. There are many FaceBooks groups and communities where the teachers can trade ideas, props, rewards, etc. The groups are really amazing to grow professionally as a VIPKid teacher.
ThingTeachers Don’t Like About VIPKID?
Well, every job has some pros and cons, so does VIPKid.
Therefore go through the cons and decide if the disadvantages are worth the benefits.
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The teaching hours can be difficult
The peak teaching hours for VIPKid is early morning on the weekdays and at nights on weekends. For some teachers, the timings are not that flexible to work on. So it’s your call.
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It has a stick cancellation policy
Once your schedule has been set, and students have booked their slots it is hard to cancel your classes. For obvious reasons, VIPKid does not want to portray a bad image of the platform out there and hence it wants to make sure that minimum or no classes are cancelled after being booked. So teachers are allowed to cancel only 6 classes during six months (contract term). Any cancellation more than that would terminate the applicant’s contract.
However, VIPKids does include some expectations like natural disasters, serious illness, death, birth, etc. If the teacher can provide the documents then it will not affect the pay or record.
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It does not notify for new bookings
Shocking! A platform that is so perfectly designed and programmed does not have a notification feature.
So to check, if you have got any new bookings, you have to sign in to your time slots and check the portal. However VIPKid notifies 15 minutes before the class, which isn’t much of a help if you are sleeping or away from your computer.
Tips For Interview with VIPKID
VIPKid is looking for some top-notch teachers to join their platform. It is very selective about its teachers and hence less than 10% of the teachers get selected for the job. So prepare for your interview seriously.
As we have discussed above the whole interview and demo class session takes roughly around one hour. Here are a few tips that might help to be one of that 10%
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Have a good internet connection
One of the most important parts of this interview is ensuring that the applicant’s internet connection is strong enough to sustain for 30 minutes while connecting to a Chinese server. A poor internet connection will disqualify you.
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Location is Important
Make sure that your background is clear and looks professional. Please choose your interview place in a well lightened up area, from where you can be easily seen along with your teaching tools and backgrounds.
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Prepare yourself for the interview
Read all the slides very carefully to get ready for the interview. Strategies your class from a child’s point of view.
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Start with an ease
You will be interacting with 5 years olds, hence you first need to make a connection with them or make them comfortable first before starting the class. Take a moment to greet them and build the required connection to get the kid’s attention.
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Energy is a must!
Remember, you are teaching small children. If you get inactive or monotonous you will lose them. Be goofy, sing songs, have actual fun with them, the more you engage, the more kids will interact.
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Timing
Very important! You have to be clear, active, effective and also cover the slides. SO calculate how much time you need to spend on one slide and do not get stuck to one place for too long.
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Make it interactive
DO not make it about yourself. A class should be at least 50% interactive where the student can hugely participate. Ask questions, use flashcards, props and add other fun elements.
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Appreciate student
Appreciation is a great way to encourage kids. Make sure you are praising your student enough for their hard work and enthusiasm.
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Do not Rush
Some areas are tough and require more time, so do not rush. Give sufficient time to one topic and give extra attention to those which are difficult.
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Talk slowly
We adults hardly speak even a full sentence most of the time and slang has become our new language. You need to talk at a pace that is understandable to kids. Careful and slowly pronounce the words you are speaking.
You are Ready to Teach!
VIPKid is no doubt one of the most wonderful workplaces for teachers and works from home job seekers. It will help you to manage your personal and professional life easily. We have tried to cover all important aspects of the VIPKid. Hopefully, it is helpful to you. Share the blog post with your friends or family members who are searching for these types of job opportunities.
If you have any confusion or questions regarding VIPKid then comment below, we will try to reach you as soon as possible.
