How To Become A Successful VipKid Teacher
Are you looking for a way to make money online as an English teacher?
Well, then you have come to the right place. You will get all the answers you will need here today to make the most out of your online teaching English job hunt.
Thousands of teachers find online teaching English a rewarding job because they are making differences in people’s lives.
At the same time, they get paid well and have the freedom to be mobile.
There are many companies out there for you to work for, and they continuously grow as the demand for learning English online grows.
I am here to share with you a reputable company, who has set itself apart from the rest.
One of the highest-ranking online teaching site company is VIPKID Teachers. According to TeachAway, they are also one of the highest-paying online English teaching companies right now. VIPKID achieves this high status because of their process of hiring teachers and working with the best of the best. We will go through what it takes to become a VIPKID Teacher, prepare you for the job so that you can teach online and get paid.
What is a VIPKID Teacher?
The company VIPKID is a web-based company whose mission is to teach online English to Chinese kids. They connect young kids (ages 4-12) who live in China to English teachers from Canada and the United States. The teachers conduct one-on-one lessons through video-conferencing. Each session is 30 minutes long, allowing for 25 minutes of instruction and 5 minutes for questions and feedback.
Why choose VIPKID?
VIPKID has its perks and many benefits.
Here are nine great reasons to work at VIPKID:
1. In 2018 it was ranked #1 in the Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs, according to Forbes. And in 2019, it has been ranked #3.
2. It is featured in publications such as Forbes, Huffington Post, WallStreet Journal, and many more.
3. They have high teaching standards.
4. You can set your schedule, so you have control over your lifestyle and working hours.
5. You do not need to do any lesson planning. They provide you with lesson plans.
6. You are part of a very supportive team at VIPKID, so you are well prepared for your classes.
7. A good salary for teaching Engish online, and easy to achieve bonuses, by just doing the requirements of your job.
8. A fulfilling job. You are part of a community with like-minded people who have the best interest of the students as well as the teachers.
9. And of course, we can’t forget the flexibility of teaching from anywhere in the world (as long as you have a good internet connection).
Now that you know why you should work for VIPKID, let us get into the how.
Qualifications of a VIPKID teacher
Do you meet the standards of VIPKID, check out our list to see if you are eligible:
- A Native English speaker
- A resident of the USA or Canada (but you can work anywhere in the world)
- A 4-year Bachelor degree (or equivalent, and in any field of study)
- A TEFL certificate is highly recommended (not mandatory)
- Ability to work with and enjoy working with kids ages 4-12
Technical requirements:
- A well-working computer (laptop or desktop)
- A good internet connection of at least 20 Mbps
- An excellent headset
- An HD camera
If you meet these standards, then you are ready to start teaching.
Now, to answer the question you want to know.
How much do VIPKID teachers earn?
Let me explain the VIPKID payment breakdown.
Your wage ranges, depending on things such as retaining students, completing classes, not missing scheduled classes, and how long you work.
You have the potential to earn up to $22.00/ hour. Pretty good right? It’s excellent income if you’re living somewhere where the cost of living is much lower then the USA and Canada, then you’re making excellent income.
Each class is 30-minutes, your pay is per-class, and your minimum payment is $7.00 – 9.00 per class, but you have payment incentives.
When starting, your starting base pay is determined by your demo lesson and credentials. Make sure you are well prepared and do your absolute best.
To increase your wage from the base pay, if you show up on time and are teaching the lesson according to the schedule, then you get a Participant Incentive, which is up to $1.00 USD. You earn another $1.00 USD based on the number of classes you complete in one month. You are rewarded for having more students who continue to book with you.
These incentives and bonuses to me don’t require much of you, except for teaching a good class, which you would be doing anyway, am I right?
Therefore, you can earn $7.00 – $11.00 per 30 min session and a total of $14.00 – $22.00 per 1 hour.
Your potential VipKid average monthly income could range anywhere from $660.00 – $3,520. I am basing this range on the minimum number of hours you should work a week to a typical full-time job of working 40 hours a week.
Sounds great, right? Get started with VIPKID.
What will your teaching schedule be like?
One of the benefits of working online and teaching English, especially one-on-one, is that you have flexibility in your schedule. With VIPKID, as long as you can teach during Beijing peak hours, how you schedule your class time with the kids is up to you.
Hours (Beijing time):
Monday-Friday 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday-Sunday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
They do require that you be available for a minimum of 7.5 hours a week and keep your schedule up to date, at least one month in advance.
As contractors, you are responsible for your schedule and ensuring you do not miss a lesson.
More benefits
Once you are an employee of VIPKID, you will sign a 6-month contract, and you will be up for review every six months. Having a contract gives you stability in your job. Even though you are signed up for six months, this does not mean that you cannot have any vacation time.
If you complete your classes, work on holidays and show up on time, you will receive bonus income.
There is potential for a raise at the time of your contract renewal, which is after six months.
What about vacation time?
For some of us, we feel a sense of security of having a six-month contract with a company, as for others, it may feel like too much commitment. If you are someone who loves to travel a lot and find it challenging to be on a work contract, do not worry.
At VIPKID, if you want to go on vacation, they only require that you provide at least 2-weeks notice.
In cases of emergencies that you need to attend to, or if you get sick, you must give at least 24 hours notice.
If you are canceling the lesson last-minute, it will result in you having to pay the penalty for not showing up. It may seem harsh, but it’s not. The kid who is ready for the lesson has paid for it, and if you don’t show up to teach it, well, then you have to take responsibility.
How to get the job at VIPKID
Now that you’re armed with all the information, you are qualified for the position and are excited. It’s time for you to apply to become an online English teacher and get the job at VIPKID.
Step 1: Application Process
This is the apparent step, just like any job, you need to apply for the position.
- Go to the website and sign up using your email and information about yourself
- Submit your resume, educational certifications and any other documents of relevance
- Answer a 5-minute questionnaire and make sure you’re honest while filling it out
- Be patient, in a couple of days, VIPKID will send you an email
- If you are successful at this stage, and VIPKID feels you could be a good fit, then an interview will be set up using the VIPKID web interface
Step 2: Preparation
Once you have passed the application step, now you have to prepare for your demo.
Practice as much as necessary until you feel confident going into the interview with a representative of VIPKID. You can expect to have approximately 30-minutes for the interview, and it is one-on-one.
How to deliver an amazing interview and demo class
Types of interviews
There are two types of interviews you can do. For both, you will receive information about the VIPKID curriculum and their technological requirements.
The first option you can choose is to do a one-on-one live interview. Here you will have to perform your demo class. Make sure you prepare yourself with all the materials for your class demonstration. VIPKID does provide you with the slides you will need to teach, but it is up to you to have the content of the slides well prepared.
- The benefit of this option is that your talent, authenticity, and ability to be comfortable teaching in a live setting will show.
- The disadvantage of this option, if you get nervous easily, you may make more mistakes and might get tripped up.
The second option is a pre-recorded interview. If you prefer this method, you have to create a really great mock class recording. Then submit it for evaluation.
- The benefit of this option is that you can take your time and submit a demo class, which is close to perfection; you can record it many times until you are completely confident in your mock lesson.
- The disadvantage is that your teaching style may not come off as natural, so make sure to keep this in mind while putting your recording together.
Interview Preparation Tips
1. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” To be confident and ensure your preparedness, make sure you practice, practice, practice before your interview. Know your slides and material well. This will mentally prepare you.
2. Ensure your computer equipment works well. Check that your speakers, headset, video camera, the overall function of your computer work well.
3. Have a reliable internet connection. You do not want a situation where you lose connection during your interview; this will not look good on you. It is recommended that you have a minimum of 20 Mbps upload speeds available.
4. Check your working environment. Make sure that you are in a room with excellent lighting and that it’s quiet. And of course, make sure you look presentable.
5. Speak clearly and confidently. While you were practicing, hopefully, you were also playing around with your tonality and rhythm. You want to talk loud enough and clear enough, as well as sound confident that you know what you are doing. Make sure to add some of your personality as well, to show that you can build rapport with kids.
6. Simulate a true lesson. Although it is a demonstration, treat it as you would teach a regular class. If you have experience in teaching, then this will be easy for you. If you do not, then you can do some online searches for sample demos, by doing a search on Youtube for VIPKID videos. Watch as many videos as you can and study them, then practice for yourself.
7. Check out the Performance Indicator Checklist provided by VIPKID, to know what they are checking for in your demo class.
8. Relax. If you have put in all the practice you can put in, then you must relax and trust that you are well prepared for your interview. Don’t stress about it; you’ve got this.
Step 3: The Mock Lesson
Once you have successfully passed the interview stage, which I’m sure you will, since you’ve prepared well for it. The process is still not complete. Before getting hired, you have to do mock classes.
A mock class is when you are simulating being a teacher leading a classroom session. Your evaluator will play the role of an ESL student and at the same time will assess your ability to teach them.
Before you do a mock lesson, VIPKID will give you the materials you will need ahead of time.
How to have a successful mock class
1. Build rapport. Show your communication skills, your ability to connect and engage the student. Show your personality, show that you’re having fun, be energetic and enthusiastic.
2. Be professional. Start and end the class on time. At the same time, it is not all about completing the material, but being able to assess the child’s ability and managing the class pace with the skill of the child.
3. Know the content well. You will not know ahead of time which one of the mock VIPKID course you will be asked to teach. This means you should get to know all the course materials well.
4. Have props for your mock class. You are expected to use these for your lesson. Although lessons happen online and not in person, create an environment where it feels as if you are in-person with the child. Use your props when appropriate in your lesson.
Step 4: Get hired
If you have completed the previous steps, then congratulations are in order. All your hard work has paid off, and now the fun begins making money teaching English online.
You will now sign your contract with VIPKID, set up your teacher profile, provide your availability, and soon start teaching kids.
The classes are all one-on-one, so it’s up to you how many hours you teach, but you have to be available for at least 7.5 hours each week.
Now that you are armed with information, take the plunge and work at VIPKID.
If you didn’t get the job, don’t give up
If you were not successful in getting hired the first time, try again. Repeat the steps above, practice more, and give the process another try. In fact, VIPKID encourages you to do so. This shows your commitment to wanting to work there.
Conclusion
I hope that after reading all the tips and advice I am sharing, you feel well prepared to work at VIPKID. You do have some initial investment to make in regards to working at VIPKID, but the benefits of working here outweigh the initial investment of time and commitment to this company. You will be well rewarded for your hard work and efforts.
You must remember that it is still a job and you are working for someone else. Working online requires you to be professional, show up on time, and do your best. If teaching English online as a career path is something that interests you, then you will find that this is a satisfying job.
You are changing a kid’s life by giving them the tools to speak English well, and giving them confidence in themselves, at the same time, earning an income doing what you enjoy, on your terms.
Are you ready to start making money teaching English online with VIPKID?
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