VIPKID Review: The Best Fit To Make Money Teaching Online?

If you’re ready to start making money online, this VIPKID Review will show you an incredible opportunity to do that by teaching.

While many online jobs will allow you to earn well, sharing your knowledge and expertise stands above the rest of the side hustles in a particular way:

Nowadays, even people without a Bachelor’s Degree in English can make money teaching from home.

All you need to do to take advantage of that opportunity is choose a company that will accommodate your teaching skills and let you earn for having them.

Today, I’ll tell you everything there is to know about teaching for VIPKID:

• What is VIPKID, and how does it work?
• Can you make money working for VIPKID?
• How much money can you make teaching for VIPKID?
• Should you believe the VIPKID complaints?
• Is VIPKID legit or a scam?

Disclaimer: I’m not an affiliate of VIPKID. Every fact you’ll read in this blog post comes from research on information available in the public domain.

About The VIPKID Platform

Unfortunately, my research shows that this is not entirely true:

Due to the recent rise of interest in finding a well-paying work-at-home job (for obvious reasons), the VIPKID hiring process is more competitive than ever.

As a result, your chances of getting a teaching position at the company are slimmer than before. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist:

On the contrary, you can still become an English teacher for VIPKID, and I’m about to show you how to do that!

Is VIPKID A Legitimate Company?

Trying to get a job in an illegitimate company is something you should never do – that goes without saying. So, is VIPKID a legit platform for you to consider working for in your spare time?

Yes, VIPKID is a legitimate website that people with the necessary skills can use freely to make money teaching. Most users see the company as the absolute leader in its respective field.

Over 70% of its teachers would recommend working at Vip Kid to family members or friends, and nearly 60% of them express a positive outlook on the company’s way of doing business.

Long story short, working for VIPKID is a safe opportunity to make money from home.

What Is VIPKID?

To sum up, VIPKID is an ESL online teaching platform that hires native English speakers to teach Chinese students. Why is that?

Typically, most Chinese parents want more than their kids to speak English – they wish them to sound American. Since no potential available teacher might be a native speaker, these parents turn to online teachers who are.

As a result, VIPKID only hires qualified teachers from North America (United States and Canada). They have offices in China, California, and San Francisco.

All students are young kids between the ages of 4 and 12.

The goal behind the platform’s existence is to serve both parties – English tutors who want to earn online and Chinese children who need to master English as a second language.

Currently, VIPKID is one of the most popular sites that offer such services online, and that’s not by accident:

VIPKID has prestigious awards such as the US-China Entrepreneurship Leader Award and the Top 21 Global Innovation Award.

Founded by Jessie Chen and Cindy Me in 2013, VIPKID has lured some major investors through the years. You can read about them on the official VIPKID website.

Chances are, not all of you reading are American teachers. Since VIPKID Global only hires USA tutors, should foreign teachers look for an available side hustle elsewhere?

They can – many companies hire English teachers for remote work. Check them out to find a better fit for your needs and location of residence.

VIPKID Qualifications And Required Documents For New Teachers

Alright, let’s get this VIPKID review moving, shall we?

An effective way to start revealing essential information about the company is by looking at its working process.

First and foremost, don’t think of VIPKID as a freelance working portal where you create a profile and wait for an employer to hire you – that’s not how VIPKID works.

Prospective teachers must meet a few qualifications and requirements before they can join VIPKID. These requirements are:

• Own a Bachelor’s Degree (in any field)
• Have a K12 teaching experience (in the USA or Canada)
• Be willing to sign a contract for at least six months (each VIPKID teacher works at the company as an independent contractor)

What Else Do You Need To Teach English Online Via VIPKID?

• Computer with a camera
• Headphones (headset)
• A high-speed internet connection

Freelance Careers You Can Develop With No Previous Experience:

• Professional Writer
• Social Media Manager
• Virtual Assistant
• Voice-Over Artist
• Ticket Broker
• Proofreader
• Remote Chat Operator
• Data Entry Clerk

VIPKID Application Process

I think it’s time to look closely at the interview process and the steps before providing English lessons to younger students. Here is everything you must go through before welcoming your first online classroom:

Apply To Become A VIPKID Teacher On The Official Website

As any other VIPKID review will tell you, sending out your application to the company is the first step to take. Assuming you meet the requirements, receiving an invitation for a live interview won’t take much time.

Go Through An Interview Or Record A Demo Lesson

What happens during the live interview? Naturally, that interview must showcase your teaching skills and prove to the recruiter that you can do a great job.

There are certain things to keep in mind before scheduling the interview:

Firstly, consider the time difference between your location and China. Since Eastern Time is yours, pick time slots convenient for both parties (early in the morning or late at night).

Secondly, ensuring the interview process goes smoothly is a good idea – your recruiter doesn’t want to see any technical issues when you’re talking online.

Lastly, you can do a demo class instead of the interview, which entails reviewing six teaching slides and completing a short quiz. That option will allow you to submit a pre-recorded video on your own schedule that won’t disrupt your current full-time job.

Teach A Mock Class/ Do A Mock Lesson

Mock classes can be fun, but my VIPKID review will advise you to take them seriously. After all, showing your teaching method during a mock class is probably the most essential part of the hiring process.

Each applicant receives a well-developed lesson plan to follow while teaching a VIPKID employee pretending to be a young Chinese kid. Your Mentor Teacher will pay extra attention to your technique, ability to complete the lesson within the timeframe, and usage of props (flashcards and whiteboard).

Once the lesson is complete, the mentor will provide you with feedback. Expect an email to notify you whether you must do a second mock class to pass this stage (that happens if you receive much negative feedback during the first class).

Sign A VIPKID Teaching Contract

Hopefully, you did a good job with the mock class and are a few steps away from signing a contract with the company. However, you’re not there yet:

You’ll start by uploading the necessary documentation to the VIPKID portal – your degree, a copy of your driving license, bank account details, and a profile photo (parents want to see the current teacher available before hiring them).

Next, the company will perform a background check, which might take a few days or weeks.

Then, you must get your TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) Certification before you can teach any VIPKID classes. A TESOL includes TEFL and TESL Certification.

So, what should you expect after you complete all that? If you pass the selection process and sign the contract officially, you can open your classes and wait for your first student!

How Much Money Can You Make With VIPKID?

Unfortunately, not every full VIPKID review explains the teacher pay clearly – that will not be the case with mine. There haven’t been any major changes since last year or the ones before.

VIPKID has something many consider a new pay structure. Let me go into detail about that:

The minimum pay is $7-$9 per 30-minute class. As you can probably guess, the exact amount depends on your credentials and demo lesson performance.

What about incentives? Expect to get extra money ($1 per half an hour) if you appear on time and honor the schedule. Additionally, you’ll receive another $1 (for 30 minutes) – that bonus is based on the number of students participating in your classes and finishing them.

Why do you earn less money than expected? After all, VIPKID advertises a base rate of $14-$22 an hour.

Since the base pay above is for a class that lasts half an hour, double it, and you’ll see your earnings for a full hour of work. Add the incentives to that equation, and your extra income teaching with VIPKID increases slightly (a little bit!).

Anyone working at the VIPKID receives their earnings on the 15th of every month. Once your initial contract ends, the online platform might offer you a pay raise.

Does VIPKID have another reward system you can use to make extra cash? Every teacher who gets a job after you introduce them to the platform becomes your referral – utilizing that affiliate program will bring you $100 per referral.

How To Earn More With VIPKID

Attract More New Students

How can you increase the number of regular students taking your classes? Here is an idea:

Parents won’t book classes within 24 hours of their beginning unless you check the short notice option for that particular class. So, don’t forget to mark it to double the number of classes you can teach.

Teach During Peak Time

My VIPKID review mentioned earlier that you’ll most likely teach during the early mornings or late evenings. When should you fit your students into your schedule, keeping the difference in time zones in mind?

Generally, you should be ready to teach at 7-9 PM Beijing time – these are the peak hours, especially on Friday and Saturday.

Get A Higher Certification Level

Nowadays, VIPKID has seven levels of courses – very few teachers have certifications to teach on the highest level (the 7th).

For those who don’t know, the company prepares lesson plans for all levels. By all means, why should you aim to teach at a higher level?

That is easy to answer – a higher certification equals less prep work, more students, and opportunities to boost your income.

VIPKID Issues And Complaints

This VIPKID review would never be complete without the most common complaints about the company. Shall we look at them?

Possible Technical Issues

Unfortunately, every online platform deals with tech issues occasionally. More often than not, such technical issues might be minor glitches in the system or the inability to establish a connection with the platform.

It goes without saying that if you can’t connect, you won’t be able to teach either. Subsequently, the class can’t happen, and you won’t earn any money.

With that said, when the system goes down for a while, you’re not the only one who loses money – VIPKID does, too.

As a result, the company takes tech issues more seriously and works hard to resolve them.

Different Time Zones

I have a problem understanding people who complain that teaching for VIPKID has to happen during the night or early hours.

We all know the geographical location of China on the map, don’t we?

Your working hours for VIPKID might not be as comfortable as you wish. But there is nothing anyone can do about that.

Parental Involvement

Don’t succumb to a surprise if the kid’s parent tries to take control of the lesson while you’re teaching for VIPKID.

Sure, that’s an unpleasant experience, but it happens sometimes.

Some parents tend to involve themselves a bit more in the educational process.

Here, patience can go a long way for all parties involved – good teachers have lots of that!

VIPKID Pros & Cons

Pros:

1. An opportunity to earn well online: Up to $22/hour plus bonuses doesn’t sound too bad!
2. Work from home: You don’t have to leave your sofa to make money with VIPKID.
3. Not much preparation: Most lessons are pre-made for you.
4. Simple application process: Going through the application process is not difficult to manage.
5. Set a flexible schedule: The company doesn’t require minimum hours to work per week.  Feel free to teach whenever you want.
6. VIPKID is an industry leader: There is no need to elaborate further!
7. Opportunities to make more money: VIPKID runs promos and contests that allow teachers to earn more. Also, you’ll get $100 for every teacher hired after you refer them to the platform.
8. Short lessons: Expect a class time of 30 minutes.
9. The company offers teacher training: VIPKID provides many training materials teachers can use to improve.

Cons:

1. Your working hours may not be very convenient: Considering the company mainly teaches Chinese students, you may have to work at night most of the time.
2. Tech issues happen: Not being able to do your lesson will cost you money.
3. Lengthy hiring process: Currently, VIPKID gets more teacher applications than before, so getting hired is not that easy.
4. A strict cancellation policy exists: Teachers can’t use more than six cancellations during the six-month contract.

VIPKID Alternatives

• Skooli
• Qkids
• Preply
• Verbal Planet
• Outschool

Is VIPKID A Scam?

No, VIPKID is not a scam:

Above all, the company has a long history – most people see it as the top choice for remote teachers. Anyone who wants to work for the company can apply free of charge.

Getting a teaching position at VIPKID will only cost you some time and effort.

Long story short, there is nothing risky about going after a high-paying online job with VIPKID.

Is VIPKID Worth It?

First and foremost, you’re the only one who can answer that question. With that said, VIPKID provides well-paying teaching positions you can use to earn money on the side.

Yes, the working hours might be flexible, but they will require some of you to work at night. Furthermore, around $20 per hour will be a satisfying pay rate for some but not others.

Are you willing to deal with parents who want to influence the way you do your job? Do you love teaching English to kids enough so you wouldn’t mind handling everything else that comes with that?

These are all valid questions, in my opinion. Try to find their answers before you apply for a teaching position at VIPKID.

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VIPKID Review FAQs

How Many Teaching Hours Can You Get With VIPKID?

Generally, the number of teaching hours when you work for VIPKID depends on you and your availability.

Some teachers work as much as 40 hours a week – others choose to educate children for up to 20 hours a week.

What Are The Peak Teaching Hours Inside VIPKID?

Currently, the peak teaching hours inside VIPKID are 6 AM-9 AM EST (Monday to Friday) and 9 PM-10 AM EST (Friday evening to Saturday morning).

Is VIPKID Still In Business?

VIPKID is not closing.

These days, China uses new rules regarding hiring foreign teachers to teach English to kids. Subsequently, some online platforms are not taking new teachers at the moment.

However, the company is global now – VIPKID is still hiring teachers.

My Closing

Quite frankly, VIPKID is not a perfect company. Then again, none of the other platforms offering teaching positions from home is.

Whether VIPKID is the right fit for you or not depends on factors I have no way of knowing:

You’ll have to decide whether to get a job on the platform.

Before you do that, take a moment to leave a comment on my VIPKID review if you find it helpful.

Maybe you have some questions about VIPKID? Leave them, too – they will not stay without an answer for long.

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