VIPKID: Most Frequently Asked Questions

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!