How to Start Teaching with VIPKid Today
I have been able to be a Stay at Home Mom for 6 years! It is amazing. I enjoy being home to support my husband and children with love and comfort in our home. There is a scarafice to this- money is tighter and becasue of that the weight on my husband is heavier. Now that my youngest is starting some school I have more time on my hands. I truly want to help with the financial load while keeping my Stay at Home status. Here in Mom’s Side Hustle I will be telling you exactly how I make that happen!!!
I discovered VIPKid from an old Army Wife buddy. She kept showing off how she was getting BILLS PAID. She really liked the teaching relationship she had with the kids in her classes as well. Money- something I need. Teaching- something I can do! So I signed up! Now I teach English online while my kiddos are sleeping. The commute is a walk down to the basement and the dress code is a shirt to cover my PJ’s!!
What is VIPKid?
VIPKID is a company that offers English language learning lessons to students in China. The lessons take place in online classrooms and follow a company supplied, powerpoint curriculum. All the teachers hired are English speaking, independent contractors, from America or Canada. The lessons last 25 minutes. Kids are taught one-on-one and they are in class with you for only 25 minutes. The goal of the lessons is to immerse the children into the language with fun, creativity, and interaction.
I’m interested! What are the job requirements?
- Bachelor’s Degree (Doesn’t matter in what, but it will help if it’s related to teaching or children)
- Stable internet connection.
- At least one year of some kind of mentor or kid experience (coaching, daycare, babysitting, homeschooling, etc.)
- Computer, webcam, headset with a microphone and some props. (Don’t worry the props are easy to come by and create. You don’t need to have a full supply of props when first interviewing).
- Ability to pass a criminal background check.
Here is what you will be getting yourself into…
Pros
- Teach from anywhere there is an internet connection! For example, home, a hotel, your mom’s house, and on vacation!
- Sign up to teach as little or as much as you want. To clarify, there is not a required # of classes to teach. You get booked when you open time slots, teach those classes and get paid for however many classes you teach. And there are bonuses for teaching more!
- Teach during hours your own children are asleep and as a result, be able to give them more time during the day. Have the freedom to make your own schedule and not teach when you have vacations and holidays. The job is flexible enough to teach on vacations and holidays if you need it!
- Immerse yourself into the Chinese culture by learning more about China and cultivate very fulfilling relationships with your students and their parents.
- The curriculum is already prepared for you. All you need to do is review the material and gather props. NO LESSON PLANS!
Cons
- It can be very slow to get started. If you don’t hit the timing and perfected profile just right you consequently may be waiting a long time to get noticed and booked. (So don’t wait if you are interested go for it now and I am ready to help with the process.)
- Some of the technology can be frustrating. (I am ready to help in any way I can to get you through!)
- If you are a teacher in a real-life classroom many of your skills can transfer but some do not. Therefore you may find yourself having to relearn how to teach certain things.
- The time difference- Bejing is where the company is based and they are about 12 hours difference give or take from us here in North America. Because of this if you really want to teach the maximum times you will be teaching through the night and early morning.
I’m totally interested I want to Start Teaching with VIPKid!! What now?!
Step by Step Application Process for VIPkid
#1. Submit your application.
Make sure you meet the above-mentioned requirements Go here to the sign-up page.
Filling in the application process will only take you about 5 minutes. Add my referral code when you sign up. I will be ready to help you through the whole process. I’ll give you access to some things I have created to make teaching go a little easier once you are in and you can message me at any time with questions! My Code —->ASHTO0025
My Army Wife friend referred me and she was amazingly helpful! I still message her to talk about students and classes. I am excited to add some more people to my personal network of VIPkid teachers!
#2. Interview and Demo.
When your application is accepted you will participate in an interview and demo class. This will be for hiring purposes but it also is where they decide your teaching base pay. The interview could be in one of two formats:
- A live interview with a VIPkid Admin. They will ask a few personal questions. Next, you teach a 15-minute demo lesson. The interviewer acts like a 5-year-old student and evaluates your teaching and classroom environment (lighting, professionalism, etc.) I recommend going this route.
- If there is not an interview time slot that works for you, there is an option to record a demo class. Here there will be no “student” to interact with and you will have to pretend to teach someone. (This is harder than it seems. Especially when you are just learning all the ropes.)
I was quite nervous when I had to go through these stages but the more you are on the camera and in the online classroom the easier things get. This is part of the reason they do several stages of the interview this way, to get you practicing! My mentor was an excellent cheerleader!
The interviewer is looking for great lighting, the use of at least 3 props, a reward system, and good TPR. (What the heck is TPR?- Total Physical Response. Because you are teaching English and online, you need all the help you can get. Move your hands almost like sign language to get those kids understanding.) Check out this youtube link for tips and ideas to pass the interview and demo.
#3 Teacher Training.
VIPKID will give you more access to the curriculum, videos, and reading materials to train yourself after you have made it through the interview and demo process. Workshops will be available with experienced teachers giving out great advice. There are also many Facebook Groups with plenty of teachers ready to answer all your burning questions.
Facebook Groups to Check out:
This will be a great time to use me as a resource! Questions about the classroom, where to get props, best ways to prep for classes, etc.
Workshops are not mandatory but they are very helpful. They are taught by very experienced teachers and are full of other new teachers. People will be asking questions you didn’t even know you needed to ask! I took several workshops and they were during the day time when my children were home. I was able to keep my camera off and microphone muted. This way I could listen, participate by chatbox, and still not have my kids interrupt.
#4 Mock Class
Next, you will complete a mock class. This is a live class with a mentor interview teacher.
- First, the mentor interview teacher will ask you a few questions, give some advice, and answer any questions you may have.
- Next, you teach a sample of the curriculum (this is one of two power points available for you to review and prepare beforehand). You will be given the powerpoints and you can do a youtube search for specific pointers. This is where they want you to practice and learn how to teach their content.
- After teaching for only 10 minutes the mentor interview teacher will give you some feedback based on your teaching.
- This could end in three ways- you are approved as a teacher, you are asked to complete another mock lesson, or you are rejected as a VIPkid teacher (don’t worry there is a possibility of applying again.) If you do get called back for another Mock class, think of it as more time to practice and perfect your skills.
- Check out this link for tips to pass the mock class.
#5 Signing Your Contract
Once passing the Mock class you will move on to signing your contract and going through the background check. You will upload copies of your Bachelor’s Degree and identification while waiting for the background check to go through. Also, here you will complete your personal profile- which is very important for getting noticed by parents.
Personal Profile
- One profile photo- should be professional, make sure it’s of your face, and does not have a distracting background.
- Two featured photos- something that shows your personality and or interest. Think about photos that convey your experience with kids or your temperament/teaching style.
- Introductory Video- This is only about 15-30 seconds long. If you don’t have a view of your classroom or teaching background in one of your photos make sure the video has it. You want to convey your teaching energy to the parents who will be watching. Including some fun music and graphics really help. (My first video had none and I had no one book me for a long time!) I just used a free video editing software downloaded on my phone to doctor up the video I had already created. It worked like a charm.
- Your Bio- Make sure to put your teaching, childcare, or mentor experience here. Parents like credentials. I also described my family and hobbies in this section as well.
#6 TESOL -Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
You will have to complete a TESOL Foundations course if you do not already have a comparable degree in teaching. There is also an Advanced version to complete and add to your credentials as well. The course has lots of videos and reading material. You must complete several short quizzes at the end to pass and get the certification. The quizzes were not super easy but not impassable. Just do the reading and you can get through no problem.
#7 Open those booking slots!
After the background check has passed you are in! You will be placed into one of the certification levels. This is the only level you will be able to teach until you apply for and record other mock lessons for each level.
- Pre VIP or Level 1
- Interactive Level 2
- Level 3
- Level 4
- There are also 5, 6, and Trial 3.0 certifications. You can apply to these as well once you are in but will have to complete a recorded demo and/or have a certain number of classes under your belt.
You can now start the process of opening class times and cross your fingers for bookings. It may take a long time to get booked. You can take workshops to practice and make you more ready for actual teaching.
Once you have more experience under your belt there are more supplementary type classes you can become certified to teach. More certifications equals more students and more bookings.
If you choose to use my code when signing up I will give you all the information I know to help you get booked. Go here to the sign-up page.
If you are really interested and sign up please think about subscribing to my email list. You will get a monthly email and acess to my Reward Freebie Library<—– Click Here.
I will be giving away my Trail class feedback templates and prop checklist to anyone who subscribes from this page or uses my referral code (ASHTO0025) when signing up for VIPKID. Other freebies will follow!!
18 Comments
Jamaar sampson
It’s always great to make money from home!! This seems like good hard work that can be very enjoyable keep it up!
Savorthemomlife
Yes thanks. It is very rewarding to work with the kids and see their improvements.
Marites Ritchie
I attempted to VIP Kid and I realized I am not made to be a teacher so kudos to you for doing it! Keep up the good work.
Savorthemomlife
I was a regular teacher in a Kindergarten classroom before teaching for VIPKid. Where some things are very similar it is a whole different style teaching online. Something I had to get used to especially since I took 5 years away from teaching all together!
Rodarrick
This is very handy to me right now and I’m grateful you shared this many details on VIPKID. I have learned of the platform for quite some time but just decided to give it a trial. Should in case I cannot offer my bachelor’s degree certificate, can I just use a TEFL certificate to replace that? I’m a college dropout and as such, I don’t possess the required certification. Thanks as I await your answer
Savorthemomlife
You will need to have a bachelors degree to work for VIPKid. I am sorry. They do require you to scan in a copy of your degree for proof.
Henderson
Okay,so I’m not a mumbut I am looking for a job that I can do at home because I’d have to stay at home with my sick aunt. This is a very good idea and I’m happy you can confirm that it really works. You have listed here the outline to do before joining on vipkid. Thank goodness I have a bachelor’s but it’s in literature. Does that go?
Savorthemomlife
A bachelor’s in lit will work just fine as long as you have a little experience working with kids as well! You definitely do not have to be a mom to do this job. I would love to help you out if you want to get started. Send any questions to me at Savorthemomlife1@gmail.com
Shelley
Teaching English language online is becoming quite a business and if well done, can be very lucrative. VIPKID is actually one of the top platforms made available to teach English online and I cannot agree more with you that it comes with so much convenience and ease. I have taught on italki, native camp and palfish before. If I’m getting back to online tutoring, this would definitely be a good place to get started back with a side hustle. Thumbs up
Savorthemomlife
Thanks Shelly! I enjoy it!
John
This is a very nice post. Thank your bringing this here. A friend of mine who is a widowed mother is looking for a good job that she can take to at home. She has tried out some surveys that didn’t pay very well and she has a bachelor’s degree in language so she’s in good luck. I’m going to share this with her now so she can join and start earning from vipkid. Nice one!
Savorthemomlife
Thanks John! Please tell her to contact me if she is very interested and needs any help in getting started!
Savorthemomlife1@gmail.com
Steve Tuggle
Even though I have no experience teaching, anything that doesn’t involve commuting should be very appealing to many people. This could even be a sweet deal for retirees to supplement their retirement income. Staying up all night doesn’t sound great, but getting paid at home does.
I also like that their target market is Chinese families. They should be able to afford the cost and they are highly motivated when it comes to education. Here in Colombia there are many ESL teachers, and everyone wants to learn. But not many can afford the cost. You are blessed to have found this niche, and I wish you well. (But try not to stay up all night too often. And talk with your husband about moving to Thailand or Singapore.) 😊
Steve
Savorthemomlife
Thanks Steve. I like to sleep too much to stay up all night. But I can be an early waker. It is most awesome to not have to commute. I love my home and being in it! As for you idea for supplementing retirement income- I’m trying to get my mom on board. She is a teacher soon to retire and I think she would love this job.
jeana knapp
I have a bachelor’s degree, 15 years of classroom teaching experience, and an ESL teacher certification. Would my ESL cert satify VIPKids’ requirement, or would I have to obtain a TEFL ?
Savorthemomlife
I believe you still need to get their TEFL Cert. SOrry for the slow response. First day of school yesterday.
jeana knapp
Will VIPKids provide training for the TESL certification once hired, or is that something you must do on your own?
Savorthemomlife
Yes, they will give you training materials and a quiz. You don’t get a physical copy but you will be certified for their platform.