The online teaching platform VIPKID is highly popular with people who want to work from home. For good reasons: It allows you to work flexible hours and the payment process is very reliable. No surprise more and more English teachers are interested in joining the platform. In this VIPKID review, we take a closer look at the service, check pros and cons of VIPKID, and find out who can make money with them and how much you can realistically make.

What Is VIPKID?

VIPKID is a platform that has been getting a lot of attention lately. In fact, it currently has 485 reviews on Indeed.com and 1.6k reviews on Glassdoor. This is a lot more than most similar services on the internet. VIPKID is currently an industry leader when it comes to K12 learning services.

VIPKID offers real teaching jobs with a 100% legitimate company. At the start of 2019, VIPKID had impressive statistics, like:

• There are over 60,000 registered teachers on the platform from Canada and USA.
• There are over 500,000 students on the platform from China.
• VIPKID has offices in California, Beijing, San Francisco, and China.
• Teacher meet-ups are often organized all around the world.

VIPKID is basically an ESL online teaching platform. It offers the virtual classroom setting that is needed for both students and teachers in China, especially children aged between 4 and 12.

The business model used is similar to the other ESL online companies, like Cambly, Qkids, and DadaABC.

What is different is the fact that the service is over 5 years old, being established in 2013. In these years it managed to offer services that led to awards like Top 21 Global Innovation Award and US-China Entrepreneurship Leader Award. Also, some major investors exist, like Kobe Bryant.

Is VIPKID A Scam?

VIPKid is definitely not a scam. It offers a completely legit service and there are numerous teachers that already use it to make money.

You practically make money by teaching English and can get paid up to $22 per hour plus incentives and other bonuses. However, in order to earn money, you need to first be accepted into the platform as a teacher.

VIPKID Teacher Requirements

VIPKid offers lessons from qualified and trustworthy teachers. Due to this, you need to meet specific basic requirements, including:

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
• K12 teaching experience in Canada or the US.
• Agreeing to a contract of at least 6 months.

Since we are talking about an online environment, there are also some tech requirements:

• Laptop or desktop computer.
• An operating system equal to MAC OS 10.8x or Windows 7 or above, with a minimum of 4 GB RAM and Intel Core i3.
• An internet connection of at least 20 Mbps.
• A camera that can be connected to the computer (a quality webcam works too).
• A headset with a microphone or a professional microphone.

Simply put, any person with the needed education and technology can be accepted and make money with VIPKID.

The VIPKID Application Process

There are 5 stages you have to go through during the application:

1. Send the resume to screen teaching experience and basic requirements.
2. Showcase teaching skills during a scheduled 30 minutes session with a recruiter. (Alternatively, you can record a demo and then send it in.)
3. Get acquainted with the VIPKID environment, including curriculum, standards, and technology.
4. Practice teaching with a teacher that is already accepted by VIPKID.
5. If accepted, you sign the contract. This implies you schedule times when you are available. A minimum of 2 weeks has to be planned in advance.

Is VIPKID A Pyramid Scheme?

This is a question that often appears on forums because some of the registered teachers are really aggressive as they try to recruit new teachers. The $100 bonus is one of the main reasons why some are a bit pushy when it comes to finding new teachers. They just want the bonuses.

However, VIKPID is not a pyramid scheme. It is an actual teaching job. Teachers are paid based on the hours they teach and there is no sign-up fee. When you apply, the application is reviewed and you go through a review process. Even training is included.

In order for VIPKID to be considered a Pyramid Scheme, you would need to receive much more than just the referral bonus. You would need to also get a bonus when your referral gets a referral. But this is not the case.

We can also add that VIPKID is not an MLM opportunity, which is another really common misconception.

How Much Money Can You Make with VIPKID?

If you are accepted as a VIPKID teacher, you get to earn between $7 and $9 per half an hour session, together with some incentives. The base pay rate is determined by the performance you had in the demo class. Incentives are determined based on monthly class completion and participation.

To summarize how much you can get paid with VIPKID, consider the following:

• Minimum Pay – $7 to $9 per 30 minutes – Decided based on demo lesson and credentials.
• Participation Incentive – An extra of $1 per 30 minutes – Added if you respect the schedule and show up on time.
• Finished Class Incentive – An extra of $1 per 30 minutes – Based on how many students participate in your classes and finish the course.

This sums up to $14 to $22 per hour.

Payments are handled through direct bank deposit, around the 15^th of every month. After the initial 6 months’ contract ends, you can be considered for a raise.

As you can see, VIPKID is indeed a great way to make money online on a self-employment basis.

Qualified Teachers – Areas Of Evaluation

When being evaluated, there are specific things that are considered, like:

• Classroom Management
• Lesson Planning
• Efficient Timing & Pacing
• Rapport
• Energy Level
• Lesson Objectives

VIPKID Offers Professional Development

Many free online workshops are available for VIPKID teachers. They are available through the membership-only teacher portal. It offers all the tools needed to strengthen instruction and lessons that will help you to become a better overall teacher.

The Typical VIPKID Lesson Session Breakdown

A class lasts 25 to 28 minutes. This includes warm-up, the main content of the lesson and even a closing song. The student and the teacher can circle and draw right on the PowerPoint associated with the lesson.

After the session ends, you need to write feedback so that the parents can learn about the performance of the student.

Special Pro Tip: The PowerPoint you use has a blank slide at the end. This can be used to play the games we mentioned before and establish a better relationship with the student.

Can I Work For VIPKID Part-Time?

Are you a stay-at-home-mom that has a lot of free time and can work the full schedule VIPKID offers or are you just interested in part-time work?

In both cases, you can use VIPKID. Your choice is based on the career goals you have.

What you need to know is that VIPKID success is all about how sessions are taught and feedback received from parents. Every single session needs to be seen as an opportunity to land a repeat booking. After showing off skills and talents, it is possible to become the primary teacher for the student. As you reach this status, you can move towards a part-time teaching schedule.

Although it takes extra effort, setting up a part-time schedule in VIPKID is possible. You can thus be a teacher even if your time is limited like it is for stay-at-home moms. 

Fortunately, VIPKID positions are open for all people that qualify, even those that travel the world, as long as the internet connection is strong enough.

Pros and Cons of Working for VIPKID

Let’s look at the pros and cons of working for VIPKID to find out who should consider joining them:

Advantages of VIPKID

Working for VIPKID has clear advantages, like:

• Payment is always on time and you know how much you will be paid.
• VIPKID prepares the curriculum so you save time and you are not accountable for it. You just decide how you teach the curriculum.
• High flexibility. You choose the hours when you work, within reason so that you can actually be online when students are online.
• The teacher to student ratio is efficient due to the strict hiring practices used by VIPKID.
• You save money by working from home. This is due to savings related to fuel consumption, reduced clothing budget, not eating out for lunch and potential tax benefits.
• You make a difference in the life of the student.

Disadvantages of VIPKID

As with every single way to make money online, there are disadvantages you need to be aware of when considering VIPKID.

• Strict cancellation policy – You can only use 6 cancellations during the 6 months contract.
• Not notified for the new bookings – If a new booking is received you do not get a notification. This means you need to often check the calendar.
• No guaranteed hours – This is more common when you start work but does change in time.
• Time difference – You can only teach English classes between 9 AM and 9:30 PM BJT time. When your time is EST, it means that the peak teaching hours are between 6:00 AM and 9:00 AM.

Tips For Working With VIPKID

If you decided that VIPKID is something that you want to try or are already accepted and using the service, here are some tips to help you make more or make the experience better:

Get Paid 20% More

VIPKID offers $2 extra for a class if it is booked on short notice. Most teachers already know that but if you wait until the night right before classes to open them, you end up with hundreds more every month.

You want to leave slots open in advance for the students you have a relationship with but if you do this for only 50% of your slots and you leave the other 50% for the short notice slots, you average at least $23 per hour instead of $21 per hour. This sums up to around $250 extra per month.

The disadvantage is that when you are new, you do not get many classes. Due to this, you need to only use this 50-50 method when you have steady students.

Use Your Phone To Record Feedback

The VIPKID teacher needs to offer feedback after class. Writing feedback can be really time-consuming.

In order to gain some time, use your iPad or phone. Browse to the feedback section and select what class you want to record feedback for. Then, open the device just as if you want to type. There is a small microphone there that you can click. After you click it, feedback can be dictated and it will be transformed into text. Do this when you fold clothes, clean or any task to gain a lot of extra time.

You Do Not Need Props

You do not really need props to teach a great class. It is always much more effective to play some games. This makes the class more enjoyable and the students love them. You can play games like Hangman, Flip the Coin, Tic-Tac-Toe and even Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Such games build a lot of rapport with students. This is especially the case if you often let them win.

Get Referrals

VIPKID offers a bonus of $100 for each teacher that you refer. Since the number of students is constantly growing, this bonus will not disappear soon.

The platform needs qualified teachers and you can make extra money because of it. If you know people that can teach, talk to them. Also, use social media and even your blog in order to get new referrals.

VIPKID Review Verdict

Online classes are not new. There are countless websites that offer you the opportunity to learn something but few are focused on a specific thing. VIPKID aims to connect children that want to learn English with native speakers that also have the skills and education needed to offer quality services.

The future is expected to heavily feature online education so being involved in a platform like VIPKID now as a teacher is a very good idea. This can help you to build your career right now with a part-time or full-time schedule. Also, now the competition is still relatively low. The longer you wait, the more people will apply for these teaching positions and the higher the requirements will get.

So if you enjoy teaching children English and are looking for a highly flexible work-from-home job, VIPKID is a fantastic choice for you. It is reputable, very professional, and has reliable payment morale. We can definitely confirm that it is a legit company and you can make money with VIPKID.