This post contains affiliate links along with my honest, genuine thoughts and experience.
I recently found the perfect work-from-home opportunity for someone like me. I only wish I had found it a decade ago.
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, a graduate student, or someone looking to make some extra money on the side, then I’ve got a great opportunity for you!
First let me share a little of my background with you.
My story
As we moved our family 1,500 miles across the country so my husband could attend law school and earn a JD/MBA, I brainstormed ways that I could earn money from home. We were leaving a great job with great benefits to further my husband’s education.
We felt like going to school was the right thing for us to do, but we still didn’t know exactly how we were going to make our finances work out. While neither of us wanted me to work outside the home, I still wanted to find ways to earn money from home using my talents and skills.
My Bachelor’s degree in Linguistics isn’t really a shoe-in for many jobs, especially work-at-home jobs, but I thought, in addition to running my Etsy shop, I might use my minor in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) to tutor or teach online. I started a tutoring website, but never really got it off the ground.
If only VIPKID had been around then! It would have been the perfect opportunity for me to earn money from home while staying home with my kids!
If you’re looking for a way to earn extra money from home, then teaching English with VIPKID might just be perfect for you,. Let me tell you all about it and you can decide!
What is VIPKID?
VIPKID is an online English-learning platform that connects English-speaking teachers with Chinese children ages 4-12 who are learning English.
Founded in 2013, VIPKID has been growing incredibly fast, with over 200,000 students and 20,000 teachers!
VIPKID was ranked #5 in Forbes Top 100 Work at Home Opportunities in 2017.
How does teaching with VIPKID work?
VIPKID has their own online platform, kind of like Skype with PowerPoint built in. It also has a full curriculum, including the lesson slides used by its teachers. Each student studies the material for their current lesson on their own, then has a one-on-one lesson with a VIPKID teacher. As a teacher, you follow the lesson slides already prepared for you. No lesson planning or grading involved!
Your schedule as a VIPKID teacher is completely flexible. Teachers choose what hours they are available to teach each week. Children book classes from the teachers who are available at times that are convenient for them. There is no limit on how many lessons you can teach.
How much can you earn with VIPKID?
If you think VIPKID sounds like a fun and flexible work from home opportunity, you’re probably wondering how the pay works.
With VIPKID your pay is figured per lesson (25-30 minutes). When you apply you will get a base pay rate depending on your sample teaching demo and your experience/qualifications. You will be assigned a base pay of $7-$9 per lesson ($14-$18 per hour).
On top of the base pay there are bonuses. You can earn a bonus of up to $1 per lesson if you show up on time and complete all of your scheduled lessons for that month. You can also earn a bonus of up to $1 per lesson if you complete a set number of lessons in a month.
Altogether, you will earn somewhere between $14 and $22 per hour. According to self-reporting on indeed.com from over 800 VIPKID teachers, the average, at least for the reporting teachers, is about $19 per hour.
So what’s the catch?
Making money working from home while setting your own schedule might sound great, but there is a catch.
While you can set your own schedule and be available to teach when you want, China is in a completely different time zone from most of you reading here. The peak hours for Chinese students are in the early morning for those of us in the United States. You might need to adjust your schedule to allow for teaching during the same hours students are available.
On the other hand, the high-demand early morning hours might be perfect for you. If you have children at home, wouldn’t it be nice to get your work done while they’re still sleeping? Getting your work out of the way early means you’ve got the rest of the day to do what you want.
If you have a regular day job, the early morning or late evening hours of this teaching opportunity likely won’t interfere, which makes it an ideal side gig.
Is VIPKID a good fit for you?
As you might expect, VIPKID is looking for some specific qualifications in its teachers. The minimum requirements are:
- Bachelor’s degree in any field
- One year of teaching experience in any form (full time, part time, tutoring, home schooling, etc)
- Eligibility to work in US or Canada (though you can travel or work from anywhere with an internet connection)
In addition to the minimum requirements, you should be energetic and animated when you teach, and of course you should enjoy working with children!
How to get started with VIPKID
If you fit the requirements and think VIPKID would be a great opportunity for you, then go ahead and apply!
The application process is pretty simple:
1- Fill out basic info (5 min)
2- 10 minute teaching sample (virtual interview or recorded)
3- Intro to teaching (2-3 hrs)
4- Mock class (2-4 hrs)
5- Contract signing
6- Start teaching!
I would love to hear if VIPKID sounds like something you would be interested in! Feel free to ask me any questions. And let me know if you are planning to apply and how it works out for you!
UPDATE: I recently heard of a couple of other similar companies for teaching English online. I would go ahead and apply to all of them and see which one you like/fits your schedule best.
Qkids – earn up to $20/hr teaching English to Chinese children ages 4-12
- Bachelor’s degree from US or Canadian University
- Experience with children such as teaching, mentoring, coaching, tutoring, babysitting, etc
- High-speed internet, computer and webcam/microphone
Education First – earn up to $16/hr with US-based company that has been around for over 50 years
- Bachelors degree from US or UK university. Currently resides in the US or UK.
- Prior teaching experience or equivalent in education, tutoring, mentoring, or homeschooling.
- High-speed internet, computer & webcam/microphone
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I had looked into this for when I retire from teaching in a couple of years. I think it would make a great extra retirement income!
This is SO for me!! Another friend recommended them to me, but I have a family I’m helping put on the school bus early in the morning. I am keeping this on the backburner for next year though!
I’ve researched it before and heard (and read) nothing but good from those that have done it. I’ve started the process, not sure if it’s 100% for me yet, plus being pacific time zone its kind of early hours. But it sounds like a nice opportunity so I’m game to try!
I am sorry you have heard nothing good. 🙁 I have been teaching now for 3 months and I absolutely love it and it has blessed my family so much. I encourage you to give it a chance.
Diane wrote “nothing but good”. My niece is looking into the process now.
I sent them an application and was accepted for an interview. But my internet is sketchy and slow and unpredictable. And with little kids who wake up early, I’m not sure it’d be quiet (or if I’d be too loud in a small apartment and wake them up.) I decided it’s not for me. At least not at this period of time. Maybe when my kids start sleeping better/through the night and I have the energy I need in the morning to put in an hour or two of work and have my husband home to take care of their needs.