My Experience with VIPKID
After recently posting a photo of my 1,000th class taught with VIPKID, my messages have been blowing up with inquiries about the process, how I do it, and the benefits. So, I decided to put all of the information in one place regarding my experience with VIPKID!
Last summer after I graduated, I knew I wanted to make as much money as possible in my year off before grad school because DC is NOT cheap. I want to preface this entire post by saying that this is not an easy job, but it is completely worth it if you want to do something meaningful and something you can actually make a salary off of. I don't want to give personal details, but I can say that over a 6 month period, I made enough money to pay for an apartment in DC for an entire year. YES. THIS IS WORTH IT IF YOU WORK HARD. So, if you read this and think...ehhhhh....that's a lot of work. I will stop you here and say don't waste your time because yes, it is work!
After hearing my friend's mom's experience (shoutout Megan!) with teaching English to students in China, I thought well, I have nothing to lose (except sleep...just wait lol). I will break down my experience below based on what I have experienced since I started last September. PLEASE NOTE *** I am not a representative of VIPKID as some of the bloggers/YouTubers out there are. This is just my personal experience as a "normal" human working for this company!
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Before I start, a ton of you have asked - what is VIPKID, and how do you teach students who live in China? VIPKID is a Chinese business that hires free lance teachers (us) to teach students ages 3-16ish (varies) in China. VIPKID supplies all of the lessons, so you do not create ANY content on your own except for "extension" meaning that you bring your own twist to the lesson from your perspective. It kind of works like Skype where you login to the VIPKID platform and go to the "classroom" for the student you are teaching, the lesson is loaded, and then you teach them via video and a PowerPoint slide lesson that you go through for 25-28 minutes. So, you teach one student for 25-28 minutes. China is 12 hours ahead of us (if you live in EST - if not then I'm not sure sorry lol) so that is why the hours I teach are between 8PM - 8AM my time, aka overnight.
*You have to have a Bachelors degree, and that is a harsh requirement unfortunately :( So for all my soon-to-be-May grads who have asked, hang in there! As soon as you get a degree (just a picture will do!) you are eligible!
-1) fill out a basic application like any normal job
-2) if selected, you will submit a "demo lesson" of 10 minutes showing off your skills. The best way to prepare for this is by watching YouTube videos of how to do it - there's a million out there, just search "VIPKID 10 minute demo lesson"
-3) if you pass that section, you will move on to the mock class. This is where you teach a 10 minute mock class to a mentor (someone who works for VIPKID, aka not me) and you get feedback on your skills, classroom environment, speaking speed, etc. WATCH a million videos on how to do the mock class. Every mentor is different, so it's good to get a good range of what to expect.
*** you'll notice a lot of videos say that you need to have a background/props for the mock class. This is semi-true. You will NOT pass the mock class without them, BUT, they can be as simple as possible. I personally printed out a sign that said "Teacher Lyndsey" on Microsoft Word and then I went to the dollar store and bought little animals, a ball, and a star reward and that was sufficient. DO NOT SPEND a ton of money on this. I will leave details on props down below once you get into it!
*** it is VERY common not to pass the mock class on the first try. I think I did each lesson (you certify for either levels 1/2 or levels 3/4 to begin with) at least 2 times through because I talked too fast, forgot things, etc. DON'T GET DISCOURAGED. You will get it!
-4) if you pass the mock class, you will then have a background check to ensure you are not a serial killer trying to teach kids lol.
*BECAUSE OF COVID 19: based on what I have heard due to the current situation, there is an influx of applicants, so you may see that the background check takes a couple weeks to come back :/ Sorry!
-5) if you pass all of the above, you will then set up your profile: pictures, a video, an introduction of why they should choose you. Basically, this is where you have to sell yourself because there's thousands of teachers on this platform trying to get students! There are also a MILLION YouTube videos on "marketing yourself" for VIPKID students, so be sure to spend hours watching those, too, to get a good feel for what your profile should look like.
-6) PAYMENT DETAILS: this is the part I didn't believe. I didn't think I'd actually get paid, only because I was like there's no way this is real. Well, it is real, lol. You can choose how often you get paid via direct deposit. I chose every 2 weeks, but you can do once a week or once a month. Up to you!
TIME TO TEACH:
CONGRATS! You are now a VIPKID teacher, yay! Now...the teaching.
If there's ONE thing I've learned from this experience, it is BE. PATIENT. I read this a million times on the VIPKID newbie Facebook pages, saw everyone say it in YouTube videos, but I didn't believe them. You have to be patient because of how the bookings process works.
From what I have heard, when you first start out, you are "bumped to the top of the pool" where you are visible to parents for the first 2 weeks after you start. This is wildly helpful because when you get your first booked class, you scream with excitement and nerves. At least I did, lol.
HOWEVER - here is the challenge. You have to create what's called a "regular base," meaning you create a pool of "regular students" who have you as their teacher for their classes. This is where your teaching skills and marketing come in to play because you have to not only get the attention of these parents, but you have to KEEP the attention of the parents, just like with any business.
It's quite shocking the amount of business skills I've acquired from this experience now that I look at it because essentially, you are a free lancer running your own business with VIPKID's platform.
There are, of course, a million videos on how to get a regular basis - USE THOSE. Do not go into this thinking "I'm the best and I will get students" because that isn't how it works, even if you have a degree in education and have taught kids your whole life!
You'll hear what's called the "newbie struggle." This means that after your first 2 weeks, your bookings WILL be low. I haven't heard of a single teacher whose bookings aren't low in the first few weeks-few months with VIPKID. Everyone thinks it's just them, because I thought it was just me, but the community is so reassuring that it is how it works. I was frustrated, because obviously I wanted students and wanted to make $$$ fast, but I said OK, I will be patient *** key word.
Then, one day, like a miracle, about 2 months into my time with VIPKID, I woke up to 7 bookings in one day. 7!!!! At most, I had had 2 back to back classes and thought I was going to die.
Guess what. I now teach 16-18 classes back to back. I am still alive. LOL.
You probably just read 16-18 classes and choked. When I read that other teachers did that, I said "I will NEVER do that." Jokes on me, I should've known myself better! BUT - I teach that many because I choose to. When my bookings started picking up in October/November, I opened my schedule 24 hours - meaning every hour I could - in hopes of getting bookings. They trickled in, and then I started getting regular students. Over the months of December - March, I solidified this base of students, and still got new students, so my schedule as of mid-April is 8PM - 8AM EST, with some gaps in between.
YES, I choose this schedule. My goal when I started was to save money, and that's exactly what I am doing. YES, I still work full time for High Point. It is tough. I don't sleep much, but to me, it is worth it because I know it is temporary. The reason I've been lucky enough to work so much between 8pm-8am is because of how COVID19 affected students in China, most of whom are still out of school. If this wouldn't have happened, my hours probably would have been 4am-8am Monday-Friday.
I could go on and on about the teaching aspect, but it's different for everyone. If you have specific questions on this part, please message me!
TEACHING PROPS/REWARDS:
When I started VIPKID, I spent HOURS cutting out props, rewards, trying to be creative, spending money at the dollar store, etc. Luckily, I probably didn't spend more than $100 total, but still - it was a lot of effort.
Then I discovered Google Slides. Ohhhh, Google slides. A true VIPKID teaching miracle. There is an entire Facebook page dedicated to VIPKID Google slides for every teacher to use for every single lesson that exists, and this changed my life.
I do not prepare for my classes ahead of time now. I simply pull up the Google slide lesson, have it ready to go on my laptop, and I use a software called CamTwist to share my screen in class so the students can see my props/rewards. GOD BLESS GOOGLE SLIDES A TRUE LIFESAVER!!!
PARENT FEEDBACK/GOOD STANDING:
So now, the downfall of VIPKID. Every parent can leave up to 5 apples (like 5 stars) for a class. I have 200+ 5-apple reviews. BUT - if you get one bad review, literally for something as small as taking a sip of water in class, you could drop below a 5 rating, and I've heard that this seriously affects your bookings because parents want a 5 star rating, and these won't drop off easily. This is something to look into when you start, because you have to ensure you are putting all of your energy into each class - don't be sloppy. These parents pay a lot of money for these classes!
I have also heard some negative things about their cancellation policy. Luckily, I haven't had to cancel a class, but if you do, it's a pretty serious process and you have to have a legitimate reason for cancelling because this makes parents mad. For example, you can't just decide that one Friday night you want to cancel your classes to go drink with friends. They will cut you off for that. Yikes! Look into their cancellation policy for more info. As I said, I have never had an issue with it, so obviously it isn't something that should turn you away if you're that interested.
I think there's a million things I've left out, but I did my best to answer all the frequently asked questions I get about this job. I do plan on continuing this in DC and grad school, but certainly not these hours. I love my relationships with these kids so much, and some of them have really changed my perspective on life.
If you have specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!
If I convinced you to apply, CLICK HERE!
XOXO, happy teaching! Lynds
Last summer after I graduated, I knew I wanted to make as much money as possible in my year off before grad school because DC is NOT cheap. I want to preface this entire post by saying that this is not an easy job, but it is completely worth it if you want to do something meaningful and something you can actually make a salary off of. I don't want to give personal details, but I can say that over a 6 month period, I made enough money to pay for an apartment in DC for an entire year. YES. THIS IS WORTH IT IF YOU WORK HARD. So, if you read this and think...ehhhhh....that's a lot of work. I will stop you here and say don't waste your time because yes, it is work!
After hearing my friend's mom's experience (shoutout Megan!) with teaching English to students in China, I thought well, I have nothing to lose (except sleep...just wait lol). I will break down my experience below based on what I have experienced since I started last September. PLEASE NOTE *** I am not a representative of VIPKID as some of the bloggers/YouTubers out there are. This is just my personal experience as a "normal" human working for this company!
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Before I start, a ton of you have asked - what is VIPKID, and how do you teach students who live in China? VIPKID is a Chinese business that hires free lance teachers (us) to teach students ages 3-16ish (varies) in China. VIPKID supplies all of the lessons, so you do not create ANY content on your own except for "extension" meaning that you bring your own twist to the lesson from your perspective. It kind of works like Skype where you login to the VIPKID platform and go to the "classroom" for the student you are teaching, the lesson is loaded, and then you teach them via video and a PowerPoint slide lesson that you go through for 25-28 minutes. So, you teach one student for 25-28 minutes. China is 12 hours ahead of us (if you live in EST - if not then I'm not sure sorry lol) so that is why the hours I teach are between 8PM - 8AM my time, aka overnight.
*You have to have a Bachelors degree, and that is a harsh requirement unfortunately :( So for all my soon-to-be-May grads who have asked, hang in there! As soon as you get a degree (just a picture will do!) you are eligible!
-1) fill out a basic application like any normal job
-2) if selected, you will submit a "demo lesson" of 10 minutes showing off your skills. The best way to prepare for this is by watching YouTube videos of how to do it - there's a million out there, just search "VIPKID 10 minute demo lesson"
-3) if you pass that section, you will move on to the mock class. This is where you teach a 10 minute mock class to a mentor (someone who works for VIPKID, aka not me) and you get feedback on your skills, classroom environment, speaking speed, etc. WATCH a million videos on how to do the mock class. Every mentor is different, so it's good to get a good range of what to expect.
*** you'll notice a lot of videos say that you need to have a background/props for the mock class. This is semi-true. You will NOT pass the mock class without them, BUT, they can be as simple as possible. I personally printed out a sign that said "Teacher Lyndsey" on Microsoft Word and then I went to the dollar store and bought little animals, a ball, and a star reward and that was sufficient. DO NOT SPEND a ton of money on this. I will leave details on props down below once you get into it!
*** it is VERY common not to pass the mock class on the first try. I think I did each lesson (you certify for either levels 1/2 or levels 3/4 to begin with) at least 2 times through because I talked too fast, forgot things, etc. DON'T GET DISCOURAGED. You will get it!
-4) if you pass the mock class, you will then have a background check to ensure you are not a serial killer trying to teach kids lol.
*BECAUSE OF COVID 19: based on what I have heard due to the current situation, there is an influx of applicants, so you may see that the background check takes a couple weeks to come back :/ Sorry!
-5) if you pass all of the above, you will then set up your profile: pictures, a video, an introduction of why they should choose you. Basically, this is where you have to sell yourself because there's thousands of teachers on this platform trying to get students! There are also a MILLION YouTube videos on "marketing yourself" for VIPKID students, so be sure to spend hours watching those, too, to get a good feel for what your profile should look like.
-6) PAYMENT DETAILS: this is the part I didn't believe. I didn't think I'd actually get paid, only because I was like there's no way this is real. Well, it is real, lol. You can choose how often you get paid via direct deposit. I chose every 2 weeks, but you can do once a week or once a month. Up to you!
TIME TO TEACH:
CONGRATS! You are now a VIPKID teacher, yay! Now...the teaching.
If there's ONE thing I've learned from this experience, it is BE. PATIENT. I read this a million times on the VIPKID newbie Facebook pages, saw everyone say it in YouTube videos, but I didn't believe them. You have to be patient because of how the bookings process works.
From what I have heard, when you first start out, you are "bumped to the top of the pool" where you are visible to parents for the first 2 weeks after you start. This is wildly helpful because when you get your first booked class, you scream with excitement and nerves. At least I did, lol.
HOWEVER - here is the challenge. You have to create what's called a "regular base," meaning you create a pool of "regular students" who have you as their teacher for their classes. This is where your teaching skills and marketing come in to play because you have to not only get the attention of these parents, but you have to KEEP the attention of the parents, just like with any business.
It's quite shocking the amount of business skills I've acquired from this experience now that I look at it because essentially, you are a free lancer running your own business with VIPKID's platform.
There are, of course, a million videos on how to get a regular basis - USE THOSE. Do not go into this thinking "I'm the best and I will get students" because that isn't how it works, even if you have a degree in education and have taught kids your whole life!
You'll hear what's called the "newbie struggle." This means that after your first 2 weeks, your bookings WILL be low. I haven't heard of a single teacher whose bookings aren't low in the first few weeks-few months with VIPKID. Everyone thinks it's just them, because I thought it was just me, but the community is so reassuring that it is how it works. I was frustrated, because obviously I wanted students and wanted to make $$$ fast, but I said OK, I will be patient *** key word.
Then, one day, like a miracle, about 2 months into my time with VIPKID, I woke up to 7 bookings in one day. 7!!!! At most, I had had 2 back to back classes and thought I was going to die.
Guess what. I now teach 16-18 classes back to back. I am still alive. LOL.
You probably just read 16-18 classes and choked. When I read that other teachers did that, I said "I will NEVER do that." Jokes on me, I should've known myself better! BUT - I teach that many because I choose to. When my bookings started picking up in October/November, I opened my schedule 24 hours - meaning every hour I could - in hopes of getting bookings. They trickled in, and then I started getting regular students. Over the months of December - March, I solidified this base of students, and still got new students, so my schedule as of mid-April is 8PM - 8AM EST, with some gaps in between.
YES, I choose this schedule. My goal when I started was to save money, and that's exactly what I am doing. YES, I still work full time for High Point. It is tough. I don't sleep much, but to me, it is worth it because I know it is temporary. The reason I've been lucky enough to work so much between 8pm-8am is because of how COVID19 affected students in China, most of whom are still out of school. If this wouldn't have happened, my hours probably would have been 4am-8am Monday-Friday.
I could go on and on about the teaching aspect, but it's different for everyone. If you have specific questions on this part, please message me!
TEACHING PROPS/REWARDS:
When I started VIPKID, I spent HOURS cutting out props, rewards, trying to be creative, spending money at the dollar store, etc. Luckily, I probably didn't spend more than $100 total, but still - it was a lot of effort.
Then I discovered Google Slides. Ohhhh, Google slides. A true VIPKID teaching miracle. There is an entire Facebook page dedicated to VIPKID Google slides for every teacher to use for every single lesson that exists, and this changed my life.
I do not prepare for my classes ahead of time now. I simply pull up the Google slide lesson, have it ready to go on my laptop, and I use a software called CamTwist to share my screen in class so the students can see my props/rewards. GOD BLESS GOOGLE SLIDES A TRUE LIFESAVER!!!
PARENT FEEDBACK/GOOD STANDING:
So now, the downfall of VIPKID. Every parent can leave up to 5 apples (like 5 stars) for a class. I have 200+ 5-apple reviews. BUT - if you get one bad review, literally for something as small as taking a sip of water in class, you could drop below a 5 rating, and I've heard that this seriously affects your bookings because parents want a 5 star rating, and these won't drop off easily. This is something to look into when you start, because you have to ensure you are putting all of your energy into each class - don't be sloppy. These parents pay a lot of money for these classes!
I have also heard some negative things about their cancellation policy. Luckily, I haven't had to cancel a class, but if you do, it's a pretty serious process and you have to have a legitimate reason for cancelling because this makes parents mad. For example, you can't just decide that one Friday night you want to cancel your classes to go drink with friends. They will cut you off for that. Yikes! Look into their cancellation policy for more info. As I said, I have never had an issue with it, so obviously it isn't something that should turn you away if you're that interested.
I think there's a million things I've left out, but I did my best to answer all the frequently asked questions I get about this job. I do plan on continuing this in DC and grad school, but certainly not these hours. I love my relationships with these kids so much, and some of them have really changed my perspective on life.
If you have specific questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to me!
If I convinced you to apply, CLICK HERE!
XOXO, happy teaching! Lynds
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