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In our debt payoff journey, one of the side hustles I have found to be the most lucrative and straight forward is working with VIPKid. Now that I’ve just signed my third contract – (has it really been a year??) I feel like I can make a pretty comprehensive list of pros and cons about what working for them looks like.
What is VIPKid?
What is VIPKid, you may ask? VIPKid is a company that connects elementary aged students in China to teachers in America and Canada to learn English. For the actual lesson, VIPKid uploads the PowerPoint presentation for the student’s current lesson. Essentially, you go through the presentation with the student, correct their pronunciation, and encourage them with high energy. Then you write your feedback for the lesson. Everything is set up for you. It’s a lot of fun, and if playing with kids comes naturally to you, you will be great at this job.
What experience do I need?
You don’t need any formal teaching experience, just a bachelor’s degree and experience working with children in some capacity. Remember that summer you volunteered at Vacation Bible School? That counts. Babysit a lot as a teenager? That counts too. They just want to see that you have experience with children.
What do I need to invest in?
Technically nothing, but there are a few things that will make your life a bit easier.
Headphones: I’d suggest using a pair of headphones with a microphone for clarity purposes. I use this pair here and they have served me well over the past 12 months. A pair of iPhone headphones should also do the trick, but they hurt my ears after a while. The Logitech ones are cushy, and when I’m teaching 4 hours of back to back classes, my ears (and extra ear piercings!) are thankful.
Lighting: VIPKid requires that your face be well lit, with no shadows at all times. I have a lamp set up in front of me while I am teaching, but this little light right here really does the trick. It has a clip that affixes to my desk, I plug it into my USB port, and BOOM. I am illuminated.
A background – VIPKid requires that you have a professional background, but what that looks like is up to you. I’ve seen people who use bookshelves, a plain wall with a map poster, shelves of toys and props, bulletin boards, etc. My background is a piece of driftwood fabric from Hobby Lobby, my reward system and a globe sign with my name on it from the Target Dollar Spot. Your set up does not need to be anything too wild or elaborate, unless you want it to be! The main point is to have an area in your home that you can dedicate to VIPKid where you wont be interrupted by any other family member in your house. You can check out my Pinterest board with tons of background ideas and reward systems for more inspiration.
High Speed Internet – You need to have a reliable internet connection that doesn’t freeze or experience any lagging issues so that you can teach the students in real time.
Webcam – Some sort of Webcam set up so that you can teach the students is required by VIPKid – you won’t be able to do your job without it.
PROS of Teaching with VIPKid
- You cannot beat the commute! Working from home is amazing. I wake up 15 minutes before class, wash my face, throw on an orange t-shirt, shuffle down to my basement and VOILA I am at work.
- Flexibility – You can set your own schedule with whenever you’d like to work. If you’re going away on vacation, you can take your set up with you and teach while you’re on vacation! Or, you could just not. You don’t need to “take time off.” If you don’t feel like teaching for a week, you don’t have to teach. It’s totally up to you.
- The Money – You can make anywhere from $16-$22 an hour teaching with VIPKid depending on your experience and your credentials. Personally, I make $20. I usually squeeze in an hour before my teaching job during the school year – that’s $100 extra dollars a week, or $400 extra dollars a month, or $4800 a year just for doing an hour of playing with kids before I go to my full time job. Worth it.
- It’s fun. I actually enjoy my time with the kids, and as you build relationships with them it only becomes more enjoyable. One student draws me a picture every lesson. Another kid likes to do ‘cheers’ with our water cups at the end of class. One little girl draws hearts on the goodbye screen for me everyday, and another likes to reward me for doing a good job as a teacher. They are literally the cutest thing ever. Sure you get kids that act a fool, but they are the exception and not the majority.
- Sidehustlin’ – no matter what your reason for sidehustlin’ is, you can do this. Maybe you’re saving for a house, or looking to add a little to your vacation fund. Maybe, like me, you are looking to accelerate the process of paying off your student loan debts. Whatever the reason, VIPKid is a great option, and has served me and my family well as we work to pay off our student loans.
CONS of Teaching with VIPKid
- Time Difference – you may be waking up at absurd hours of the night to teach classes, based on your time zone. On the east coast, we are exactly 12 hours behind them, so when it’s 5pm in China, it’s 5am here. Some mornings, I wake up at 4am to teach classes. It is what it is though, and the extra money and convenience of being at home are worth it to me.
- It’s a slow start – it does take about a month to get consistent bookings, or at least it did for me. Stay patient and consistent, and the bookings will come.
- Little control over which students book you- I want to preface this with 99% of the kids are awesome. This is actually mathematically correct, as I’ve taught 202 kids, and only 2 of them have been awful – 1%. But those two kids, man oh man, they gave me a run for my money. VIPKid doesn’t have a way to block students who are behavior issues. Basically, as long as they are not in physical danger or displaying any sort of nudity, we are expected to keep teaching them (it’s never come to that in my classes). I say this not to put you off, but to make sure you are informed. Like I said, most of the children are AH-MAY-ZING, but I have had behavior problems, and there’s really no way to handle it other than to deal with it.
If you are thinking about pursuing VIPKid, I say, do it. I tell my husband all the time: I wish we had done this sooner. Doing this gives me an extra $700-$1000 dollars a month depending on how much I work, which goes right to paying off our student loans. I feel like we’re making progress, and I feel empowered, like I finally have control of our money. You can feel this way too!
If you’re interested, you can read this post about the interview and hiring process. This is my referral link for VIPKid – if you decide to apply and use my code, shoot me an email and I will gladly help support you throughout the process. This has changed my life, and I hope that you can see a change in yours if that’s where you are in your journey.
