I have been with VIPKID a little over 2 months, and I get several questions about what I do, how it works, the hours I teach, what is the salary, etc. So I wanted to create a simple blog post for those who have been interested so that I can attempt to answer many of these questions.
1. What is VIPKID?
VIPKID is an ESL teaching firm that allows Americans the opportunity to teach English to Chinese children in real time.
2. What degree/certifications do I need to be hired?
All that is required is a Bachelor's degree and at least 1 year of experience working with children in any capacity (brick and mortar teacher, homeschool mom, any mom, Sunday School teacher, etc). You do NOT have to have a teaching certificate. And you must be a resident of the U.S or Canada.
3. What equipment do I need?
You will need:
- a computer device (laptop, desktop, ipad)
- a headset (Use a headset with a microphone, stable output and input)
- camera (HD External camera or HD integrated camera)
4. What is the typical pay scale?
The pay can vary from person to person. Each teacher has a base rate pay which is determined during your application process. It ranges from $7-$9 per 25 minute class. My base pay is $8 (so $16 per hour.) VIPKID offers incentives each month to increase your pay. If you show up on time for class, you receive a $1 bonus PER class taught. If you teach 30-45 classes in a month, you will receive $.50 per class. If you teach more than 45 classes in a month, you will receive $1 per class. So your pay could be anywhere from $14/hr to $22/hr based on your base pay and your participation. Other incentives are typically offered for opening up teaching slots during peak times (the times of the day when most students are booking). If you mark your opened slots as short notice (meaning you could have that slot booked with less than 24 hr notice) and a class is booked as short notice, you will receive an additional $2 for that class.You can also be deemed eligible for a raise after your 3rd contract (the contract period is 6 months). You also receive a nice bonus when you refer someone to teach with VIPKID.
5. Do I have to teach super early in the morning?
You get to teach the hours with which you are most comfortable. Time slots are available for you to open from 12am - 7:30am then from 6:30pm-11:30pm. The hours between 8:00am-6:00pm are not available because the Chinese children are sleeping at this time. Here in the Central Time Zone, China is 14 hours ahead. So if I am teaching a class at 6:00 am, it is 8:00 pm in China.
The peak times for teaching are 5:00am- 7:00am. This does not mean you have to teach during those hours. I know VIPKID teachers who teach from 11 pm-3 am. I, personally, like to start my first class at 5:30. I never open the 6:30 slot because that I when I am getting my children off to school. So you have the freedom to set your own schedule. Below is a screenshot of my actual schedule for the following week.
6. Where and what do you teach?
The VIPKID classroom can be almost anywhere. You want a quiet space with the wall behind you set up to look like a classroom (white board, magnetic letters, bulletin board, welcome sign, etc). You really get to use your creativity here. You can teach from your office, spare bedroom, your own bedroom. I teach from my garage because, having no spare bedrooms and small children who might want to interrupt, this is the space that made the most sense. I have even heard of people creating a portable "classroom" using a trifold board so that they can teach while they travel.
Your lesson plans are provided by VIPKID. There is a power point presentation for each class that is loaded for you in your teacher portal. You go through the slides one at time using the provided teaching tips. You can review the materials for each lesson as soon as a class is booked.
7. How do I get started?
And this really is the money question. Once you've decided that VIPKID is something you want to pursue, then you begin the application process. There are a few steps to the process, but I will try to be as brief as possible. You can click this link to start the application process today.
- Submit your resume. This is just a basic screening of requirements and experience.
- Submit a 3 minute pre-recorded demo of a lesson provided to you by VIPKID. There is a plethora of YouTube videos available on how to do your demo lesson.
- Once you pass these steps, you will teach a 10 minute lesson to a VIPKID mentor who is pretending to be a 5-8 year old. This is called your Mock Class. Most people will do 2 mock classes before being hired, but it possible that you only have to do 1 or that you will have to do 3. Your performance during your Mock Class is a big determining factor in your base pay rate.
- If you pass all these steps, you will be hired and given a contract to sign. You will create a bio, upload a profile pic, and upload a 15-30 second introductory video. Below you will find my intro video. It is super simple and super cheesy, but it works for me.
I hope I have answered most of your questions. If there is anything I left unanswered, please leave me a comment. I would love to help you get started with VIPKID. If you decide to apply, I would love for you to use my REFERRAL CODE: ALLIS0335.
