Are you a stay-at-home mom who wants to make some extra money? Perhaps you are looking for something more flexible. Working with VIPKID just might be the best job for you!

Becoming a VIPKID teacher is an awesome way to make extra money from the comforts of your home or anywhere in the world. If this sounds like something you might be interested in, click here to apply (Referral Link) or keep reading to learn more about this teaching with VIPKID. This post contains referral links. 

Who and what is VIPKID?

VIPKID provides an international learning experience that allows Native English speakers to teach Chinese children from the comfort of your own home. One-on-one classes based on the US Common Core State Standards.

You can enjoy the flexibility of working from home or anywhere that you want. You set your own schedule and work as many or as few hours as you would like. Teaching on an online platform of more than 200,000 students.

Lesson plans and communication with parents is all provided by VIPKID. Children range from ages 4-12. The company launched in 2013 and is headquartered in Beijing. VIPKID has enrolled 500,000+ students and hired 60,000+ teachers.

VIPKID is listed as the #1 work from home company in 2018 on Forbes.

How much can I earn with VIPKID?

This is really one of the top things you want to know about working at VIPKID? What’s the pay? Well, it depends… Based on your teaching experiences, credentials, and how well you do during your initial interview, the base pay can be between $14-22 an hour. Also, I will mention you are an independent contractor.

But, wait there’s more. On top of the base pay as teachers receive an extra $1 participation incentive per class just for showing up and doing their job. You can earn an additional $1 incentive per class if you teach 45 or more classes in one month.

VIPKID also offers extra incentives as well. For each short notice class (a class that is booked 24 hours or less before class) teacher receive $2 in addition to the base pay and bonuses. If a teacher teaches a trial class and the student signs up for VIPKID, there is an additional $5 for sign up.

Yeah, I know it can sound like the pay is confusing, I thought that too when I first looked into becoming a VIPKID teacher.

Also, once hired it may be a slow start, you may or may not be booking students on day 1. Be patient and attend the online workshops that provide training, tips to help you.

What’s the hiring process?

First, make sure you meet all the requirements before applying. VIPKID is very strict about the teachers they accept.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (at minimum an Associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education may be accepted – so I’ve heard.)
• Native English speaker (American or Canadian)
• Experience teaching kids between 5 – 12 years old
• Working computer with high-speed internet,  audio and video capability
• Pass a criminal background check

If you meet those requirements, go apply to VIPKID. You’ll start by entering your basic information – name, location, resume, etc. Make sure to highlight any teaching experience you may have.

Hint: experience teaching kids can include homeschooling, bible school, etc.

Interview + Demo Lesson

Once your application is accepted, you can move on to the next step of the application process. There is two way you can do the interview, either face-to-face or with a recording.

When I interviewed I did the recording. For me, this was best for me, because as an introvert I get super anxious in interviews.

Face-to-Face Interview – You will do a video interview online with a VIPKID interviewer. The interviewer will ask you about your teaching experiences. Once that part is done, the interview will act like a 5-year-old child and you will teach a demo lesson for 15 minutes. You will get the teaching material (powerpoint slides) ahead of time so you can review and practice before your interview.

Record Interview – For this one, you will record yourself teaching the demo class to an imaginary kid. It’s recorded within the VIPKID system. You will have 10 minutes to teach the material. You will submit the recording once done.

The interview process is the step where your base pay will be determined if VIPKID sees you as a good fit.

Tips for the VIPKID interview

Be prepared – The material is given beforehand for you to go over it and practice. Prep for the class using props that may be mentioned in the material. For example my recorded interview I used a ball as a prop. It was a ball I grabbed out my daughter’s toy box. Don’t just show up, be prepared.

Smile, praise the child, and have good energy – Always be smiling! Even if you do the recorded interview smile like someone is there. Praise the student, let them know they did a good job. Lastly, have good energy, don’t slouch or be grumpy.

Use TPR – I didn’t know what this was at first, but it’s short for Total Physical Response. It’s a method of teaching language based on listening and physical activities. For example, if I want the student to repeat something, I will cup my hand near my ear.

Correct student mistakes – This is important if you do the face-to-face interview. Correct the student in a kind and positive way. Repeat the word or phrase again and have them repeat it again as well.

Talk slowly – Remember the kids are learning to speak English, speak slowly and clearly. Make it simple – instead of asking “Do you know what this is?” ask “What is this?”.

Use reward system/props – I mentioned props earlier, but after you review the material gather any props you have around the house to use. Practice with the props so that you can use them with ease when you interview. Have a reward system. For my interview, I used stickers that I placed on a sheet of paper with a colorful background.

Have a quiet space and good background – since I homeschool, I already had a big dry erase board behind my desk. I made sure to write my name “Teacher Jay” on the board and I also had the reward system on it too. Have good lighting. I had two lamps I used, one on each side my computer to make sure that my lighting was good. I also recorded myself with my phone to double check my own lighting. Please have a quiet area to do the interview. 

Good internet connection – I did use wifi for the recorded interview. But I also made sure to have my ethernet cord handy, just in case my wifi connection was not good.

Be mindful of time – Practice teaching the lesson in the allotted time so that when you do the interview you don’t go over time. You also don’t want to end too early either. You want to spend about a minute on each slide.

Test your camera and audio – Make sure that your camera and microphone works correctly. I used the built-in camera on my computer. VIPKID prefer you use an external headset with mic. I used my Beats headphones. But you can use the one you have for your phone if need be. Please, test your equipment ahead of time.

Wear an orange shirt – It’s not required, but it shows that you are aware of the company color. I had a peach color sleeveless shirt that I wore. Since being hired I’ve ordered a tee shirt on Amazon to wear when I teach. Again, this is not a requirement.

Teacher Training

This is a quiz. Don’t worry it’s not hard and scary. You’ll get the information to go over and study. The material will be videos and PowerPoint’s, which give an overview of VIPKID, VIPKID policies, technology, and curriculum. Once you review everything you will take the quiz. Everything on the quiz is taken from the material that’s given for you to review. As long as you review everything, you should do fine.

Mock Class

Once you have passed the quiz, you will do a mock class with a VIPKID teacher (mentor). You will be given training material to review for the mock class. The mock class is similar to the face-to-face interview.

You will do a mock class with another teacher who will act like a 5-year-old child. The teacher will also give you feedback at the end of the mock class to help you improve. I did this step three times. So, don’t be discouraged if you have to do it a couple times. It’s a mock class that helps get you ready for the real class. You get to work with another teacher one-on-one which is helpful.

The mock class breakdown:

Introduction – This is hellos and time to ask questions that you may have beforehand. The teacher may suggest the slides to teach or ask you which one you want to do.

Teach Class & Feedback – You’ll have 10 minutes to teach the mock class to the teacher mentor. Once you are done the mentor will give you feedback. Once this is done will get an email saying either please do another mock class, you can move on to the next step, or that you have not been accepted as a teacher with VIPKID.

If you have to do the mock class again make sure to implement the feedback given.

Sign Contract & Submit Required Documents

Once you receive the email that you have been accepted, you will be able to review your contract sign it and submit required documents. Documents include your bachelor degree, government-issued identification, teacher certifications (if you have any). You’ll also complete your W-9 and create your teacher profile. The teacher profile will be a photo and a short greeting video.

Once all that is done you can open time slots on your VIPKID calendar so students can book you.

Let’s Keep it Real

You may not make $2000 in your first month. Your first month may be slow and you may not get a booking. Don’t get discouraged and don’t compare yourself to the next teacher. I did Level 2 interactive training certification and plan to start on another one so I can have a different level of students to teach. Making it when I can get more students booking me. 

Lesson Plans

VIPKID creates all the lessons, so you just have to show up and teach. Just make sure you are prepared for each class with props, flashcards, etc. It takes the stress out of creating a lesson plan to teach your students.

Ready to apply?

VIPKID gives you the flexibility to work from home on your own schedule. If you want to work while on vacation, you can do that also. This is great for military spouses as you can keep working even when it’s time to PCS. There are VIPKID community on the VIPKid website and also on social media.

I hope this information has been helpful in your research for considering VIPKID as a work from home job. Go ahead, apply now! Good luck with your application!

I’ll be sharing more blog posts about my adventures of being a VIPKID teacher.

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