My Real Experiences Teaching for VIPKID Global

Teaching for VIPKID Global

“Top 10 Best Places to Work 2020” by Glassdoor

My real VIPKid Global teacher experience comes from working for the company for fives years now. VIPKID is an online teaching company that uses its own platform and materials to provide English lessons to kids aged 3-14. First, the company taught students in China. Due to new Chinese regulations, they have pivoted to a global student base.

I was offered $7 per 25-minute class to teach for VIPKid Global. I earned 8.50 base pay for VIPKid prior, so this was a disappointment. I was offered the VIPKid Global contract two months after the new regulations in China began.

Check out the VIPKID Global Facebook groups for up-and-coming news about this online English platform, because rules are changing fast and the platform is always improving. I wouldn’t be surprised if the pay increased, too.

Requirements to be a teacher for VIPKID

These are VIPKids teacher requirements. You need to meet all of them to apply.

A Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in any field.
Eligibility to work in the US or Canada
At least 1 year of teaching experience, which can include homeschooling, tutoring, coaching, mentoring, etc.

VIPKid was Forbes #1 rated company for Remote Jobs, but I don’t think VIPKid Global will be rated as highly, because the pay is lower. Hourly, for me, I went from earning $22 an hour, roughly, to having been offered $14. This is a major drop.

Forbes has a great article entitled “Global Classroom: How 65,000 Teachers Are Teaching Over Half A Million Chinese Students Online” . The article is absolutely worth reading if you are interested in VIPKID. Just note that it was published on March 1, 2019, and the online teaching world changes so fast that there have been lots of updates since then, too.

Quick Overview of VIPKid Global Platform vs. Old VIPKid

Pay: $14

Native Speaker Required? Yes

Degree Required? Yes

Application process: Applicants need to complete a demo class and a mock class via video

VIPKID bases the curriculum on the US Common Core Standards. This means that the methodologies will be familiar to teachers from the United States.

VIPKid was founded in 2013 and backed by more than $100,000,000 in investments from leading venture capital firms. At one point, VIPKID now boasted more than 500,000 registered students alongside 30,000 teachers. It will be interesting to see where VIPKid’s Global Platform takes them and if they can attract the same funding.

Apply to be a VIPKID teacher and teach English online — Manycam filters work great on Vipkid’s platform. You can combine them with the VIPKid platform’s built in filters, too.

I have taught for VIPKID for four years and love it. I have built up regular students that feel like family. This is a great job for someone who is high energy and enthusiastic about children. I like to play and entertain, and I try to incorporate simple crafts (like making paper puppets or step-by-step drawing activities) into my lessons. Other teachers like to play simple competitive games with children. Every teacher has their own style.

What students do you teach at VIPKID?

Kids!

VIPKid is not a good fit if you are not high energy. Though it is possible to cater to older children and succeed with a more serious approach, the majority of trials and classes will be younger students. It will take longer to build up a student base of older students. So, teachers should expect a certain amount of enthusiastic, engaging child-oriented classes on their schedule.

Pay at VIPKID Global

My real experiences teaching for VIPKID Global with pay

How much does VIPKID Global really pay?

I was offered $7 dollar base pay to teach for VIPKid global, with no mention of incentives. On the previous VIPKid platform, teachers often relied on incentives to maximize their income. Previously, for example, my base pay rate was $8.50. In general, teachers earned between $7-9 per class. Since classes are 25-minutes each, you could earn the equivalent of $14-18 per hour plus incentives (see next). Now, you can only earn $14. No incentives. 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

What Incentives and bonuses does VIPKID Global offer?

None.

For now, they offer no incentives that I now of.

In the past, from teaching more classes to referrals, there were lots of opportunities to earn extra money while teaching and, with incentives, a teacher could earn the equivalent of $15-22 per hour with VIPKid. The pay is capped at $14/hour now as far as I can see.

VIPKid Global: No Short Notice

*My Previous VIPKid insider Tips: I used to make $21.50/hour on VIPKID. How? I always completed the feedback on time, and I taught a decent amount of classes each week. I also often opened up “short notice bookings”. For this, I make $25/hour. This means, once I became established, I knew I could keep my Saturday and Sunday closed until the last moment. Then, I opened it, and I got booked. These classes were short notice classes, so I didn’t have much time to prepare. However, they paid a few dollars more. I did this every weekend.

there are stiff penalties for canceling too many classes once the VIPKid class is already booked. — Fan rewards are fun to make with the kids while teaching the “Chinese vs. American culture” unit

Scheduling and Booking at VIPKid Global

Like before, there are stiff penalties for canceling too many classes once the class is already booked on VIPKid global.

Medical notes are required for absences if they pass a certain threshold. This is not a good job for a teacher who wants a lot of flexibility. However, the teacher sets their own schedule and it is perfectly fine to change your schedule weekly. The key is to realize that once you set your schedule and a class is booked, you have promised to be there.

VIPKid Global Peak Hours

VIPKid Global has similar peak hours to Beijing Peak Hour time. The good news is now you can teach students at different times of day, too. You won’t get locked out of Beijing nighttime hours any longer. However, since the platform is still geared towards Asian students, the hours will be similar.

Real experiences teaching for VIPKID: I got fired

My first year teaching for VIPKid, I got fired for too many absences. I loved VIPkid so much that I reapplied and was hired again. I learned a lot from being fired the first time and now have created system redundancies to make sure I don’t have class cancelations. (I have a second laptop, emergency hotspot wifi, charged battery and lamp in case of a power outage, etc.)

How to Have VIPKid BackUps

Life happens. Keep a plan B in your pocket at all times. You can read about some emergencies that happened to me during my first year of online teaching that caused me absences, and what you should do to avert cancellations:

VIPKid has a strict cancellation policy- even if you cancel before the class begins, it counts against you. Too many cancellations and VIPKid will absolutely fire you.

VIPKid filters are fun because they work on dolls and toys, too.

I hope recounting my real experiences teaching for VIPKID has helped you learn more about the company.

If you are interested in working for VIPKID, I will guide you every step of the way during the application process if you apply with this unique referral link. Please, please, please contact me if you use this link. I can help you avoid some common pitfalls. My contact information is at the bottom of this website.

APPLY NOW