I have been teaching online with VIPKid since November 2016. Having taught ESL in Korea for a couple of years, the idea of educational activity ESL online to young Chinese students didn't seem too far off. Now that I'm nearing my end of my offset contract, here'southward the honest truth – a VIPkid Review.

Related: Teaching ESL Online with GoGoKid (A Review)

What is VIPKid?

VIPKid is an online pedagogy service. Teachers from North America teach students in China. Well-nigh are betwixt ages five and 12, merely they are expanding to more than ages (I occasionally get a 2-year-former!). The pay varies; they advertise "up to $22 USD an 60 minutes" and while technically true, it's realistically $fifteen-20USD per 60 minutes. I personally get $19.

How exercise I teach for VIPKid?

Yous can sign up for VIPKid hither.

The awarding process was pretty straightforward; with base requirements of being from Due north America, having a bachelor'southward degree in anything (or a college diploma in early babyhood education or something of the sort), and have some sort of teaching, tutoring, or coaching experience. See this post for updates on their hiring procedure.

Not from North America?Check out my list of other sites you tin can teach online with!

teaching online

The Application Process

Commencement, you fill out the application and go together whatsoever supporting documents (TESL Certification, a copy of your caste, etc.). After this stage, y'all'll exist asked to do an interview. During this interview, yous'll also be doing a curt mock lesson where the interview pretends to exist a 5-year-onetime. Having an adult that you just spoke to and you know speaks English pretend to be a small child with no English abilities is a little bit awkward, to say the least – only this role only lasts most 10-xv minutes. Y'all're given the lesson ahead of time so you're told exactly what to teach and how to teach information technology.

One time that'southward over in continues on nearly what yous did well and what you could improve on. Then, assuming you pass, you'll get an electronic mail that is like a rubric with your score and comments inside each section of your strengths and weaknesses. Along with this rubric, you are given your base pay which volition be between $7 – $nine USD per course. Which each class running 25 minutes, you make $14 – $xviii USD every bit your base of operations pay, plus bonuses, which are mentioned below.

Afterwards your interview, yous'll be asked to sign a contract. This contract is contingent on completing the teacher grooming and teaching practicum. The training consists of watching a bunch of youtube videos that explains their teaching methods, the dos and don'ts and general data about booking, how to use their platform, etc. Later on these video, you lot need to take a quiz to prove yous know your stuff. It's an incredibly easy quiz if you watched the videos and a sort of easy quiz if you didn't.

Every bit for the practicums, yous may take two, simply if they feel you lot're gear up after the beginning one they'll move y'all onto teaching direct away. It is similar to the demo class in the interview, withal, you'll be pedagogy a total class. It will be done through their platform (like the demo class) where you can click through the power point and draw on the slides.

Roughly one-half way through the form the "educatee" aka practicum teacher will stop pretending to be the pupil and tell y'all how you lot're doing. And then it will continue once again and yous are to implement the tips they told y'all well-nigh. I was moved onto didactics after my first practicum, merely I've been told that in the second practicum they're mostly looking for you to implement what they told you in the outset one to improve upon.

Tips!

They dear  "TPR" (which stands for Total Physical Response). This is a education method that is based on the coordination of language and physical movement. Basically, use a lot of mitt and body movements while teaching. Also, beingness bubbly and smiling a lot will practise wonders.

Actually Working In that location

Once you become into the pedagogy part, information technology's pretty simple stuff. Yous open upward your availability on the scheduling tab and wait to be booked. Filling out an crawly teacher profile is a big role of this. You take an introduction paragraph, a short video, and a few (grin!) pictures. That's it.

There are also TONS of Facebook groups where you lot tin talk to other teachers, get tips and ideas, and ask any other questions you may have. About answers can be plant on VIPKid's Freshdesk site (forth with all the updates y'all need to regularly check), merely sometimes they're confusing and request the veteran teachers in the Facebook group is helpful. You lot can likewise bank check out my Teacher Resources folio for my favourite stuff for teaching online!

The Pros & Cons:

PRO: At that place is nearly no prep work. You can 'enter the classroom' the evening earlier and review the slides you lot'll be educational activity the next day. The slides are there and fabricated for you and they tell you lot exactly what they want yous to teach. Yous have to prepare the props y'all want to utilise with it (letter flashcards, peradventure a puppet or stuffed animal if they're young, etc).

CON: The instructions aren't always clear. Occasionally y'all'll come up beyond a slide that is a sort of game with limited instructions at the bottom and you either have to figure information technology out or make information technology up for yourself.

PRO: Y'all set up your own schedule. They no longer have the vii.5hr commitment per week which you may meet on some older preparation textile, only you will still need to work over xxx or 45 classes per month to become the related bonus. Also, your schedule doesn't need to be the same each calendar week, it's actually whenever you are available and want to work.

CON: Once something is booked, it's booked. At that place's no changing it unless yous want a counterfoil – which you lot simply go six of per contract. If y'all want to build up regular students and bookings, it's meliorate to accept regular availability.

PRO: Short time commitment. Like with the hours, you're not required to work too much a calendar week, and your contract is but six months long – many other online teaching positions crave a year with a regular schedule – non ideal for travellers.

– No con to go with this one, simply good stuff –

PRO: The bonuses. VIPKID is great for bonuses. You become a $1 bonus for starting and finishing all classes on fourth dimension (you'd think you'd do that anyways if you want to keep your job), except for those with tech problems. You likewise will receive a 50 cent bonus (per grade) if you teach xxx-44 classes per month, and a $1 bonus if you lot teach more 45 classes per month. This bumps my base pay from $7.50 per class to $9.50 per grade – that'southward $19USD per hour. Also if a student books you short notice (inside 24 hours) you get an actress $2 for that form. If they're a 'trial student' (not a regular course student), you receive an extra $5 if they sign up. And then there is potential for $16.fifty for one course!

CON: Trials are sometimes difficult, you have to switch the lesson around and figure out their level. Also, if they don't show up, you get paid half rate, unlike if class students don't prove up – where you'll all the same become paid. Trial students are less likely to show up, but I guess the sign-up bonus helps make up for that.

PRO: The students are generally well behaved and they oft have their parent with them to help them. You hear sweet stories and they go really excited to talk to y'all and learn. It'southward typically a one-ane surroundings where you get to know the kids and run into how they grow and progress with English.

CON: VIPKid has started accepting younger children lately (ii-3 years onetime) which can't stay focused during grade. Also, not all of them are so well behaved. If they decide to go upward and run around, at that place'south footling you can practise about it. The immature ones are likewise sometimes a little scared and nervous and start crying.

PRO: They use a ticketing system (Freshdesk) when errors do occur. It'due south a growing company so sometimes things don't run 100% smoothly, merely they tend to reply to issues in a timely manner likewise as any questions yous might have.

CON: Sometimes you go random emails that seem poorly worded and can come off every bit harsh. The particularly occurs if you had a network or tech mistake on your end (or they deem you did whether or not information technology's the case). I think it may be that the person sending the email isn't a native speaker and it can come off equally really harsh when you go something like "if you continue to take technical issues your contract will exist terminated." So getting those certainly makes me question my job security.

Final Thoughts

So far so practiced!

In general, I'm a large fan of working for VIPKid and discover that the Pros outweigh the Cons. Due to it being a new company, they accept some growing pains. But from what I've seen things just seem to be getting better. You can run into another review of my thoughts on the changes they've made on VIPKid, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. There are some things I don't understand or discover transparent. These things include how they determine their base of operations pay, (people with multiple years feel and masters degrees have the same base of operations pay I practise, and some with less experience have more), but hey, whatsoever works for them. If VIPKid seems similar something that would interest you, experience free to drib me a line or sign up hither!

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VIPKid Review