VIPKID Reviews: The Truth About VIPKID

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Looking for VIPKID reviews? This post outlines all the pros and cons of working for VIPKID.

If you are looking to work online from home, an option you have is to teach English as a second language or ESL. Working for VIPKID is one way you can do this. Become a VIPKID teacher, you will be able to earn money from home.

Here’s everything you need to know about becoming a VIPKID teacher:

What is VIPKID?

Perhaps the first question on your mind is “Is VIPKID legit?”

This is a valid enough question especially if you’ve been scammed before online. The good news is the VIPKID is definitely legit and is a fast-growing Chinese company based in China.

VIPKID recently was featured in Forbes for the #1 spot in the Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs in 2018. They also have received numerous awards and have growing investors.

They offer English lessons to children in China between the ages of 4-12. This program aims to link North American English speakers as teachers to these kids and provide one on one lessons.

The lessons last about 30 minutes with 25 minutes for the actual lessons and 5 minutes for a question and answer session. This is all done through the VIPKID portal which is their own version of Skype or Facetime.

You will be given all the tools and materials you need. You just need to prep for the lessons that are provided for you.

Later on, as you become more familiar with teaching the classes, you will only need a few minutes of prep. Although you are given the curriculum, you have the freedom of teaching them the way you want to.

The only thing you need to do aside from teaching classes is to give feedback on each student. This is a part of what completes one teaching class/session. What’s also great about the company is that they strive to follow the US’s Common Core State Standard curriculum and guidelines.

VIPKID Application Process

Sign up for VIPKID here.

The VIPKID sign up process is super simple. Just follow the few steps below to get started!

1. Create a profile and fill out the online application

Fill out the application form with your experience. Make sure to mention if you have any previous teaching experience.

2. 10 Minute Interview

This first interview will be a demo class with one of the interviewers. During the interview, you will teach them a lesson like they are a five-year-old. This is an opportunity to demonstrate your teaching abilities and will determine your base pay level so practice beforehand!

3. Training

VIPKID offers teacher training. Once you’ve completed your first interview you will enter the “certification center” where you will do all of your teacher training. It should only take you a few hours and will prepare you for your mock class!

4. Teach A Mock Class

Once you’ve gone through the initial training you will do a mock class. This is another 10-minute lesson that you will do with current VIPKID teacher. You will teach them a lesson and this will help them gauge if you are ready to teach one on one.

If you don’t pass the first time, don’t worry! You can redo the mock class until you pass.

5. Sign Your Contract

Now that you’ve passed your mock class you are ready to become a VIPKID teacher!

It takes a little bit of time to go through the sign-up process, but it is worth it to get the best job ever!

VIPKID teacher pay

As a VIPKID teacher, you can make around $14-$22 per hour. 

Here’s the breakdown VIPKid teacher pay breakdown:

Teaching one session is around $7 to $9 for the 25 minutes worth of lessons. This is just the base pay. The rate would depend on your teaching experience as well as your initial interview.

Later on, you might be eligible to get a raise in your base pay or when you are renewing your 6-month contract.

VIPKid Teacher Bonuses

You will also get a $1 participation bonus just for every class that you complete.

Another finished classes bonus of $1 per class would be given if you have completed more than 45 classes a month. If you have finished 30 to 45 classes in a month, you can get an additional of $.50 per class.

There is also a short notice booking bonus of $2 for a class that you would teach if it has been booked 1-24 hours ahead of time.

A VIPKID sign up bonus of $5 will be given to you if you have a trial student that has signed up after taking your trial class. A student is allowed to take 3 trial classes to try it out before they will have to become a paying student.

You can also receive additional bonuses for teaching more classes or adding more classes in a week. The company is growing so there will always be opportunities that you can take advantage of.

It is important to remember that if you have just started, you may have slower bookings until you’ve taught a few classes and begin having repeat students. This means you shouldn’t expect to make a lot of money from the get-go.

As time goes on and you book more classes, you can steadily earn more, increase your rate, and get various bonuses. Patience and perseverance is key!

VIPKid Teacher Payments

VIPKID teacher payments happen via direct deposit usually around every 10th to 15th of the month. VIPKID will pay once a month for the last month’s work. You are also responsible for your own taxes.

How VIPKID works

Lessons are provided for you (around 26-30 slides), but there are a few things that you will need.

Necessary Items For VIPKid Teachers:

• A laptop,
• Webcam,
• Headset,
• Internet connection.

Later on, you may want other things like a whiteboard, crayons, markers, stuffed toys, or whatever things you would want to use to supplement your teaching. It’s all up to you on how you would want to implement the curriculum.

VIPKid Hours

When it comes to VIPKid hours, you are in control of your schedule and you can teach however little or how much you want. There are no maximum or minimum hours that you should follow.

However, there are VIPKid peak hours.

You can choose your time slots from 9:00 am to 9:30 Beijing time.

Below is a table to help you figure out what the VIPKID peak hours are in your timezone (these are based on standard time).

VIPKID PEAK HOURS

You can choose your schedule for a month in advance. Students will usually book on a weekly basis. You can then alter the schedule as long as no one has booked it yet.

With VIPKID, students are the ones booking your classes and not the other way around. Unless you have a regular student who favors your class, you won’t have the same student all the time.

VIPKID also has a rule that only English is to be spoken during classes and so that means you don’t need to learn Chinese.

VIPKID is also setting up updates enabling more interactive PowerPoints. This can be more fun for the students since they can play sounds, drag and drop things and others.  

VIPKid Teacher Requirements

Some basic requirements VIPKID has include:

• You should at least have a bachelor’s degree (can be any major) – If you don’t have a bachelor’s degree but still want to teach English check out QKids. 
• Experience teaching K-12 in U.S. or Canada will give you a competitive edge
• 6-month renewable contract

Ready to get started? Click here apply to be a VIPKID teacher!

VIPKID Teacher Pros

VIPKID Pay –

You can have the potential of earning $22 an hour, which is great for an online job. Some are even committing to being full time to being a VIPKID teacher since it pays better than their regular full-time jobs!

Flexibility –

You have the ability to choose when you want to teach. You can set up your own teaching schedules and slots. Whatever fits you and your lifestyle. The more you work the more you will make, but it is easy to customize around your schedule. 

Extra bonuses –

VIPKID is fond of giving bonuses and gives you opportunities to earn extra money. VIPKID reviews your work and they like to reward you for going the extra mile or if you have good parent feedback. Some have also reported receiving some holiday gifts and bonuses.

Easy to do –

You have all the lessons given to you, so all you need to do is teach the curriculum in your own fun way and give feedback on your student afterward. You don’t need to worry about giving tests, assignments, or grading papers.

Training and workshops –

VIPKID continuously offers trainings, workshops, evaluations, in order to help teachers become better at their job. You are constantly improving yourself and as much as possible, giving the best quality of English education to your students.

VIPKID continuous improvements –

A sign of a good company is when they are constantly finding ways to better themselves. VIPKID tries to provide the best working environment and learning environment for teachers and the students.

VIPKID reviews feedback and suggestions from teachers and parents, they continuously improve their systems and curriculum to make sure they are giving the best to their clients.

Supportive Community –

When you join VIPKID, you aren’t just alone by yourself teaching. There is a group of teachers out there that you can reach out to that are willing to share tips, ideas, advice, and support. You can join chat groups, forums, Facebook communities, and you can even do meetups.

The Kids –

There are a lot of feedback from VIPKID teachers regarding the kids they teach saying that most of the kids are very excited and happy to take the classes and are generally very sweet. They are also generally well behaved.

Done-for-you Curriculum –

You will be given all the tools, materials, and lessons you would need so you don’t need to make them yourself. This makes it easier and you would just need to use the slides on the day and teach in your own unique way.

Time Commitment –

The contract is for six months only but you can renew it. The good thing about this is that you won’t be required to work too much during the week and you also aren’t bound to a long contract (if that benefits you). If you are looking for a long time stable job though, this might not be the one for you.

VIPKID Cons

VIPKid Peak hours –

VIPKID classes are only taught from 9:00 am to 9:30 pm Bejing time.

If you are in the U.S, most of the time during the weekdays you will end up working early in the morning and on the weekends, you could be working from within nighttime to early dawn.

Teacher cancellation policy –

During your contract, you are only allowed 6 official cancellations. If you are planning to cancel, doing it 2 weeks in advance is ideal. If you have canceled officially for more than 6 times within your contract, VIPKID may terminate your contract.

Anytime you don’t show up for a class for whatever reason and not inform VIPKID or whenever you inform them that you will cancel less than 2 hours before the class, you will get a $10 deduction from your pay. 

Taxes –

When you work with VIPKID, you are considered an independent contractor. This means you need to pay more taxes (this is because federal and state taxes are not withheld from your pay). 

No health insurance –

Like all part-time jobs, you won’t be given any benefits or insurance.

Unpredictable source of income –

You won’t always have work or booked classes so its not a stable source of income. Some days you could have a lot of classes while other days you might not have. This kind of pattern makes it unreliable so it is always a good idea to have other sources of income just in case.

They can be selective –

If you are still trying to apply for VIPKID, it is important to know that it can be difficult to get in. Don’t get discouraged if you aren’t selected for the job the first time. You can always apply again! 

Once a month payment –

The system is set up that you will get paid once a month. Some people won’t mind being paid once a month but some also require a frequent payment scheme so this is something to consider.

Conclusion: VIPKid Reviews

VIPKID is a great way to earn extra income or have a part-time job if you are interested in teaching English to kids online for not much effort at all. If you have a bachelors degree, enjoy working with children and are looking to make some extra money VIPKID is a great choice! 

Apply to be a VIPKID teacher now!

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