I am an English Second Language (ESL) Teacher with VIPKid…

I commute to China for work every morning, and I absolutely LOVE it! Not to mention that it doesn’t matter where I am physically located (I’ve traveled to Italy and other places in the US), all I have to do is have internet and my computer (and a few props) and I’m able to tap into this incredible opportunity. Most of the time, I even wear my pajamas and make upwards of $14/hour! AND, it was ranked as one of the “Top 10 Places To Work 2020” by Glassdoor.

Okay, wow. Crazy. It almost sounds too good to be true, yes. And just like any opportunity like this, there are some downsides, but we’ll talk about those too. But honestly, depending on what your desires/hopes/goals/dreams/current situations may be, they shouldn’t be too much of a turn off.

I first stumbled upon this opportunity just before graduating from college when I was frantically searching for remote streams of income for people who want to travel and/or be in control of their work schedule, AKA me. Whew, it seemed like a tall order, but VIPKid really came in clutch with this opportunity. There are several other teaching platforms available with varied restrictions/requirements for the hiring process and operations beyond that, and admittedly, I’m not as educated on how they specifically differ. But VIPKid has overall, worked out very well for my purposes and lifestyle thus far.

What is “VIPKid”?

VIPKid is an online English Second Language (ESL) platform where English native speakers from the US and Canada have an opportunity to connect with students in China to help them hone their English skills in a fun and interactive manner. The students vary upon their level of pre-existing English abilities and typically first take a placement test to be best placed into the curriculum that fits their skills. Most often teachers who are hired are amount a group of those who have the capacity to present the material in an up-beat, patient and engaging manner.

As far as logistics, the VIPKid platform takes care of that! Teachers to input their availability into a calendar as far in advance as desired, from which the students’ parents often choose to “book” an open spot for a lesson. “Peak times” for bookings are 6-8:30 PM, Monday-Friday and 9 AM-8:30 PM Saturday-Sunday, Beijing Time. Classes open for parents to book for the following two weeks, on Monday at noon Beijing Time. This “rush” to secure classes for students is commonly known as the “booking frenzy”. Or, an alternative could be when a parents sends a teacher a booking request ahead of time to secure their child’s spot prior to the “booking frenzy”.

All of the lesson materials are already prepared for each class and are accessible through the online platform, along with additional helpful teaching resources and further certifications. Thankfully, the guess work of preparing for each class time is significantly minimized. They even offer some fun teacher benefits and rewards that can be cashed in after completing various tasks.

Though I’ve tried to be concise with this information, I’m merely scratching the surface of the amazing potential VIPKid offers its teachers.

Benefits of Being a VIPKid Teacher…

I think I’ll start by raving about the accessibility of this opportunity. Once you fulfill all of the hiring requirements, all you truly need is an electronic device that supports this platform, a stable internet connection and a few props. It’s so simple! This minimalism has allowed for me to be able to travel to Italy and several other places in the US, and continue to teach.

Through my time teaching, I have developed “regular” students whom I have been able to connect with and form meaningful student-teacher relationships that inevitably brighten my day- something I never expected when heading into this to begin with. I think it’s so cool that I have little friends all the way across the world! As a native English speaker, you may also recognize just how lucky you are to have such a skill, and also how invaluable learning and understanding new languages can be to unlocking new worlds.

I’ve also inevitably learned more about the culture in China as well, which has been really eye-opening as well. Something that helps me want to make the experience fun and enjoyable for my students has come from learning how different the US and Chinese education tactics are. Not that that’s not interesting, but without this opportunity, I likely would have NEVER had that insight.

Each class length is only 25 minutes long. And you get to choose your own schedule. Based on my time zone, the timing of the “peak times” are early enough for me to teach a few classes in the morning and continue with the rest of my day without interruption.

Oh, also, I’ve been able to join some really awesome Facebook Teacher groups where I’ve been able to connect with and share ideas with other teachers. One of my more frequented ones is the “VIPKid Teachers Who Travel” group, a community of teachers who travel all over- backpackers, vanlifers, general digital nomads, etc.- while teaching online, and share resources and special traveling insight. This was really cool while I was abroad because I was able to have a little piece of something familiar and a common connection with some other teachers located in Italy too, in a completely new place. There is even a community on the VIPKid platform itself for teachers to connect and have physical meet-ups. Ultimately, there really is a Teacher group for any and everyone.

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Downfalls of VIPKid…

While I’ve spent all my time up until this point gushing about all the positives of VIPKid, there are inevitably some not-so-glamorous aspects to it as well. One that I think turns most people off is the timing. Because the students are in China and this is a platform aimed for them as our “customer”, all of the classes are in Beijing Time. Depending on where you are located in the US or Canada, this could be a 12 hour difference, or a 15 hour one. When you consider that, it becomes 6 AM or 3 AM in the US. BUT, even though these are “peak times” you can still open your availability for an “off time” that better suits your schedule or time preference. However, the likelihood of getting booked is less when you are outside of the “peak times”.

With that, there are no booking “guarantees”. As a new teacher, you may only receive a handful of students during your first several weeks. Especially during the pandemic, for example, the number of active teachers has increased even while the number of student bookings has increased, which really just means you have more competition for booking slots. This can be a little rough, notably when you are relying on this as a large contribution to your source of income.

And then there are the students who are there because their parents signed them up, but they don’t actually want to be there. You know what I’m talking about, right? The ones who are easily distracted, don’t cooperate, or are sometimes even defiant. Sure, it can be frustrating, but I’d aim to say that they are few and far between. For the most part, the students are so respectful, engaging and a joy to spend time with.

I think it might also be a good time to mention that VIPKid requires that their teachers at least hold a Bachelors Degree level of education. They do ask for proof of this during the application process as well. They also limit the source of their teachers to those from the US and Canada because of their dialect and ability to be understood easily by the students.

Show Me the Money…

The “base pay” rate per 25 minute class session is between $7-$9 depending on pre-existing qualifications- that’s a possibility $14-$18/hour. It doesn’t stop there thought. VIPKid offers various incentives to their teachers to tac on some additional monetary compensation based on general participation, if a class was booked within 24 hours of the class start time (“short notice”), more than 45 classes have been taught that month, another teacher has signed up through your referral, and more!

You are considered an independent contractor, so you will be responsible for filing your own taxes when it comes time. But you can also keep track of the expenses for internet, any technology, props or things you purchase that are specifically for the use of teaching, and count that towards your write-offs. I’m defiantly NOT a professional in this department, this is just what I have been recommended to do by other teachers.

Summation…

I feel so humbled to have such a unique and meaningful opportunity to make cross-cultural connections, have a positive impact, and also provide a bit for myself through VIPKid. It’s really given me some hope, flexibility and freedom especially coming out of my university education, with no idea of what to do next, but had an urge to travel that needed to be scratched. Ideally, I’d love to be able to visit my students in China someday, and hug them in person. I would have NEVER thought I’d have such close and personal ties to a country I’ve never visited. I’d also really love to be able to take advantage of this flexibility and the remote aspect of the job, to continue traveling and teaching!

How to become a VIPKid Teacher, yourself…

Okay, so maybe by now I’ve convinced you that this is a pretty awesome job and you’d like a chance to try it on for size. Well, you totally can! And it’s relatively simple! When you’re ready, you can access VIPKid’s website here to sign up and start the application process. You can put “BRITT1365” in the spot that asks for a reference code. From there, your application will be reviewed and should you be accepted, you will book your “mock class” or interview. It may take a couple of rounds of “mock classes” before the interviewer deems you ready to start taking on classes with real students, but after you pass that stage, then you’re good to go!

REFERRAL CODE: BRITT1365

If you are genuinely interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, I would love to personally help coach you through the process, answer any questions you might have or at the very least be supportive of you as you embark on your own VIPKid journey, totally FREE. Just use my referral code when applying, and send me your info below!

Thank you so much for following along! If you have any further questions about VIPKid or becoming an online English second language teacher yourself, please feel free to contact me! Maybe you are an ESL teacher yourself and you have some input that I didn’t include in here yet. I’d love to hear from you too in the comments below!

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My VIPKid ESL Teaching Journey