Month: May 2019

Many people are interested in joining our company, but find themselves unsure of what that might mean. Thus, I put together a quick list of the questions I am typically asked. If your question is not included, please follow-up with me regarding your inquiry. Here are the most common queries, in no particular order:

1. How much can you make?

When you join VIPKID, you can make anywhere between $14-$22 per hour, and the rate is based on your first interview with the company (make it a good one!). There are incentives for basic actions, like showing up to class on time and ending on time, too. Thus, if you are hired at $16 per hour, for example, but manage to teach two classes in that hour well, you really walk away with $18 for that time block.

2. What is the teaching like?

The classes are each 25-minutes long, one-on-one. There is a sister organization you can apply to join, the Jack Ma Foundation, which teaches classes of students in rural China. In this case, you do teach whole classes. Most of our VIPKID clientele are affluent; the children have access to computers and technology in their homes. In the rural education project, that is not the case.

3. What are the teaching hours?

Because of the time zone difference, optimum teaching hours are between 8 pm and 8 am our time. We are considered independent contractors, not employees, and we can pick our own hours (when we teach, how often and at what times). “Peak Peak time slots” (those that are most likely to be booked) are currently 6-8 am. This will change to 5-7 am when daylight savings time ends.

I know teachers that instruct most of their classes in the mornings, and others that prefer evenings. Currently, I do a small mix of both. It’s really up to you and what works best in your current situation.

4. Do we have to lesson plan or grade?

Not at all. All the curriculum is provided, and at the end of every lesson, you type a brief review of how your student did. At the end of assessments, rubrics that you can easily fill out are provided.

There is no grading of papers, either. Everything is done 100% electronically. Hooray for saving trees, am I right?!

5. Is there accountability?

I’m so glad you asked! Of course there is. Each lesson is filmed from the moment you begin until you finish. Parents are encouraged to rate teachers on a scale of 1-5 apples. In the event that you receive less of a rating than you think you deserve, you are able to playback the video, watch yourself, and contact the company.

6. Are my taxes automatically taken out?

They are not, but they will give you a 1099 at the end of the year. You will need to pay taxes on it, so depending on what bracket you fall into, be prepared and plan accordingly.

7. Do you enjoy it? What are your least favorite parts of the job?

I LOVE it! I get to teach and contribute to our family financially in the comfort of our home. Most mornings I teach in my pajama pants and a t-shirt (they only see our torsos). The children are precious and eager to learn! The bonds I have formed with them and their parents are unique and special. I especially enjoy working for the Jack Ma Foundation, and seeing 35-40 beautiful Chinese faces on my computer screen twice a week.

The hours can be challenging. In fact, when I have referrals that do not continue with us, it is because they found the time difference too taxing. I am (currently) slowly transitioning from teaching in the wee hours of the morning to evenings. I’ll let you know how that goes.

8. What does my online classroom need to look like? What if I don’t have space in my house to sacrifice?

There is no need to reinvent the wheel. We have teachers all over the world, since it is a remote job. Some that live in apartments in New York City literally use shower curtains as their backgrounds. Traveling educators use a science project board as their background.

Keep it simple. You are the face of the business you are building. This also goes for props. The main items I use are flashcards, and occasionally a small white board. Since I work with 4 and 5-year olds, I have characters that I have printed (the company and fellow teachers provide us with helpful links) and glued onto popsicle sticks. That’s it!

9. Can I do this full-time, and are there benefits?

Yes, you can certainly work for VIPKID full-time, but the job does not come with benefits. I have heard of instructors leaving their traditional brick and mortar schools when they join our company. I’m not sure when they sleep, but they do very well, earning up to $56,000 their first year.

Most of us working for VIPKID do it as a part-time job in order to earn supplemental income.

10. What are some of the biggest learning curves you have experienced?

There are many cultural differences between the US and China that become apparent as you work for VIPKID. And that’s because China was a country I was already familiar with and loved! Even so, sometimes the rigidity of working for them takes me by surprise.

Learning how to teach via my computer posed some new challenges. I would liken it to teaching while looking in a mirror; everything is backwards and you need to get used to presenting and holding items up to the screen. It is imperative that you have a strong internet connection at home. There will be times that you or your student experience technical difficulties. If it happens on the student’s end, you are not penalized. You can be if it happens on yours.

As I stated in the beginning, please do not hesitate to contact me if I did not cover your particular question. There is never any pressure from me when you apply. I come alongside you as you need me to. This is my referral link. My code is GIANA0001 (those are zeroes). I look forward to you joining us!

Mr. Miller

As happens more frequently than I’d like to admit, I was shopping at H-E-B recently in my workout clothes (which may or may not result in actually working out) when I ran into someone of utmost importance. Purse in hand, I glanced at the plants in the entryway of the store, checking for sales, when I saw a familiar figure out of the corner of my right eye.

It was Mr. Miller, my beloved 8th grade Science teacher, at Cummings Middle School. I had run into him a few times over the years, but on this day, he looked quite different. “Mr. Miller!” I waved. “Oh, hey…” he responded, smiling with a hoarse voice, and giving me a side squeeze. He felt quite thin under my arm, and somewhat frail. I glanced up at him and saw he wore a bandana over his head, covered with a cap, and he was missing his typically thick eyebrows.

We began conversing like two old friends. I asked how he was, and he honestly and graciously told me the truth: he was not well. He had just finished about 6 rounds of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with throat cancer. “Oh, no” I lamented,”I’m so sorry.” He shared that his prognosis was good, but the treatment had been harsh. As he continued talking, I listened through a sort of haze. I had a hard time accepting that he, Andy Miller, a lifelong Yoga practitioner and eater of all good things, had cancer. “I know,” he said, “I tried doing things right and still…”

At the end of our brief visit, I told him I would keep him in my prayers, a sincere gesture that seemed so small when spoken out loud. He thanked me and we went our separate ways.

I spent the next several minutes in the grocery store trying not to run into him again. My out-of-body experience clouded my pressing need to purchase food and other essentials. I read through my list and placed items in my cart with a heavy heart. It was not until I drove away from H-E-B that I allowed myself to cry.

Visions of 8th grade rushed my memory. My classmates and I sometimes ate lunch in Mr. Miller’s classroom, because that was the cool thing to do, while munching on Flamin’ Hots, licking the red powder off our fingers. I hated science before being his student and was not especially fond of it afterward. He made lessons relevant, told great stories, was funny and treated us all with respect.

Once my middle school career came to an end, we loosely kept in contact over the years, in large part because my younger sister, Erin, was good friends with his daughter, Rossina. We occasionally visited them in their home, and together with his lovely wife, it was a perpetually peaceful environment.

Zach Brooks

I fell in love with teaching by accident and fell even harder when I met my first group of 5th-grade students in August of 2005. 23-years young, fresh and a possessor of a heal the world mentality, I was ready to inspire my children to dream and chase down their biggest goals.

What I did not anticipate was how much they would inspire me. Originally trained not to show emotion as an educator, there were quite a few times I shed tears that academic year: tears of joy, sadness, frustration, and confusion. Some I couldn’t help but share in front of my pupils, too.

One such student was Zachary Brooks. A handsome fellow, with dark hair, light skin and hazel eyes, he walked with a bounce in his step, had a slightly raspy voice, and was quite the charmer. He also possessed an old soul, which I appreciated (takes one to know one), and we talked all things Rolling Stones, books, life and even The Wiggles (who remembers the “Fruit Salad” song?).

That class was nothing short of magical. I managed to choke out a graduation talk, in between sobbing, on the last day of school. Single and away from family in the state of Iowa, those children were mine. The thought of them moving on to another school was painful. Because of the stage of life I was in, I gave them everything: all my time, love, attention, affection and energy.

The Reunion

My family and I decided recently it was time to introduce our children to Iowa. Thus, in February, we all boarded a plane and enjoyed a week in the Midwest. Prior to our departure, I posted an all-call on Facebook, inviting friends and former students in the Des Moines area to drop by a small reception a dear friend was hosting for us. Zach was one of the first to respond. “Boom!” he wrote, “count me in.”

He showed up with a cake, some of the best beer in Iowa, a book and a card. I wouldn’t open the card for a couple of days. After tucking the children in for the evening, I sat on the edge of an antique bed in the master bedroom of our AirBnB, and read the following:

Mrs. GH,

First things first, I’m not sure my handwriting has improved much since the 5th grade. Heads up!

When I think back to past educators, mentors and individuals who helped influence my life, very very few had your level of impact.

It’s hard to believe that I can recall so many memories from when I was ten (that was 13 years ago, by the way), but over these past few days, I’ve been able to identify a number of conversations and events from that school year that I’ll never forget.

Whether it was invading Southridge Movie Theater for an early viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia, learning what the word “zany” meant, attempting to bust into a pack of fruit snacks during the ITBS, or the incredible amount of LOVE you had for each and every one of us; all of those thoughts flood my memory with ease.

What an honor it was to be part of your very first class EVER! Thank you for going above and beyond. You’re the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time)! Your favorite “Rolling Stoner,” -Zachary Brooks

Bottom line: what we do matters. Few other careers have the potential to inspire whole generations like we do. These two stories I shared belong to a collection engrained in my memory and heart (and sometimes, my computer). I know I’m not alone. So teachers, thank you. Keep fighting the good fight, and please, enjoy summer break!