The Pro's and Con's of working for VIPKID
Hey there friends! It's Teacher Steph with another post for you all about the good and bad of working for VIPKID. Spoiler Alert! The good out weighs the bad by a mile... in my humble opinion. This list is partially based off of this video from Nancy (click the picture below to watch Nancy's viewpoint of working for VIPKID). I have added in my own opinions here as an honest review. Let's get to it!
The pros:
1. The Students:
They are seriously THE best you guys! I love their sweet personalities and their awesome sense of humor. There is something so incredibly special about connecting with these beautiful humans from the other side of the planet, even with a language and cultural barrier. I love getting to know my students and their families and they have loved getting to meet me and my family too.
2. Flexible Hours:
Here is a list of the available hours you can work with VIPKID according to your timezone.
Due to new legislation in China, students can no longer book classes after 9PM Beijing time.
Did I mention that there is no minimum requirement to how many hours you need to work each week? I just had a baby last December and I was able to take as much time off as I needed to get healthy and be with my baby until I could go back to work. You won't find that at every job! That's for sure.
3. The Pay
If you don't know how the pay works, click here for a post talking all about how much you get paid working for VIPKID. Let me tell you, it's pretty dang good. Teaching gets you a great paycheck each month from base pay and with added incentives. Then you can start doing different jobs in the company or referring other teachers to get even more cheddar. CHA-CHING! Nancy has a free ebook and upcoming course all about referring teachers to join VIPKID. Get started by snagging THIS GUIDE:)
4. Teaching
When you work in the actual classroom there is a lot more to the job than just teaching. You are the referee, time manager, content creator, nurse, janitor, life coach, therapist, etc. There are so many things you have to worry about that sometimes it makes actual instruction a small fraction of your work time. At VIPKID, the majority of your time is spent with the student.
For example, my routine usually goes something like this. I prep for my classes the day before (5-10 minutes). Then I teach the classes I'm scheduled for (1-2 hours) and write feedback to the parents afterward (10 minutes). Most of my time on this job is all on the student instruction. Isn't that awesome?!?
5. It's so dang FUN
I just finished a class with a hilarious 4-year-old that had my cheeks aching from all the smiling and laughing we were doing. These kids will steal your heart and soon you are doing anything to make them smile. They tell me jokes, dance, and give hilarious answers to questions. Not to mention all the singing, dancing and crazy voices you will create just to make them happy This job is SO. MUCH. FUN.
6. Professional Development
One thing that was a total surprise to me after I became a teacher with VIPKID was the amount of support and development they gave their teachers for improvement. They offer workshops on different aspects of teaching with their company or even professional certificates like the TESOL (more info about that certificate found here).
7. Community
Oh how I love this VIPKID family! From the social media platforms of YouTube to Instagram or in person events like large conferences to local meet-ups the community of teachers here is incredible. I have personally loved getting to know this tribe on my Instagram (@vipkidteacher_stephanie) My advice to new teachers is to get involved in these groups both online and in person because these guys are the best coworkers around.
8. Remote Working
This is a great perk to the job because you can pretty much work from any place that has Wi-fi (ok, probably not McDonald's). If you are traveling and don't want to cancel classes, climb in your hotel bathtub and teach in the shower. If you are going home for the holidays, borrow some of your niece's toys, hide in the closet and teach from there. This job really makes it so easy to teach on the go. In fact, many teachers use this as a means to make money while they travel the world! #Goals Right?!?
9. Self Driven
This job is everything you want to make it. If you need some extra cash for Christmas, you can teach more. I needed to take a break this summer to be with my kids so I didn't teach AT ALL. You are able to set goals for yourself and then you get to decide if you will meet them. No one is micromanaging your potential. Get it done, son! The best thing for self-starters!
10. Cultural Experience
I have loved learning about the Chinese culture because I work for VIPKID. It started when I watched my students grow excited about the Chinese New Year. I loved learning about their traditions on this holiday. Since then it has been fun to hear about their daily life and expectations for the children. It has given me an appreciation for China and it's people.
The Cons:
1. No Benefits
I know. This one is a huge bummer. VIPKID hires it's employees as independent contractors. This means that you don't get insurance, taxes taken out, retirement benefits, etc. All of these things need to be paid privately by you.
2. Pay your own Taxes
As mentioned above, you will be in charge of paying your own income taxes. It is not taken directly from your paycheck. Many teachers are able to fill out tax forms themselves and complete their yearly taxes just fine. And of course you can hire an accountant to be safe. But it is something to consider.
3. Hard Classes
It's not all roses with teaching these kiddos. Sometimes you get a stinker. It's just life. You might have one who just can't sit still for 30 minutes for a lesson. Shocker! Or another refuses to speak. These things happen and it can be frustrating. What I like to do is vent or ask the community about it. My fellow teachers always have my back and will be there for a laugh or advice. While it does happen, these hard classes are far and few between.
4. Building a schedule takes time
Gosh this one is certainly hitting home for me right now. I used to have a full schedule each week without fail. Then, like I mentioned above, I took some time off and lost all of my regular students. Now I'm currently working on getting more and more slots booked. But, it is taking time. Remember, patience is a virtue. I am lucky to have the experience to know that it will fill up eventually. Keep going!
5. Tech issues:
Unless you have worked in an IT job before, you are going to get some sort of weird tech issue that happens while you are teaching. The sound isn't working. The video keeps cutting in and out. Your Wi-fi won't connect to the computer. Must I go on? There is going to be something that happens in a class that you and the IT department (they are called the fireman) won't know how to solve and you could get penalized for it. Don't stress! You will learn the tricks as you go and every teacher has been there. Again, this is a rare event.
6. Language barriers
Sometimes it can be difficult to translate the meaning of a phrase using software. This makes it really hard to convey meaning to a parent about proper pronunciation when describing the shape your mouth makes to form a sound through text. Don't believe me? Try typing out how to say the -th- sound. See what I mean? Luckily, there are other ways to communicate in the twenty first century. Skype, email, and social media can help with dealing with the language barriers we face when working with these families.
7. Bad Feedback from parents
Ya, I've been here too. One little apple left on my profile from an unsatisfied parent. And without any comments to find a reason for my wrong doing. GAH! Luckily, I was able to get this invalidated by VIPKID. Don't worry about this happening to you. First of all, the rating is taken from an average of your parent reviews; not just one. And secondly, if it is unfair, you can always dispute it. Which is what I did. I come from a family of lawyers so disputing is in my blood. ;) Or at least that's what I tell my husband.
8: The Bathroom Class
What the what? This happens to so many teachers. The kids don't know or maybe as a cultural is isn't deemed inappropriate but the little sweeties will take the iPad with them to the potty to keep the class going. Talk about awkward. Don't worry! You can leave the class by turning off the camera and come back. You can also signal to the fireman about what is happening. Hopefully it just cracks you up (pun intended there).
9. Early morning wake up calls
Yes. This isn't your typical 9-5 job. The hours are flexible but unfortunately can't be during the normal US business hours because, ya know, the majority of China is asleep at that time. So that means you gotta stay up late (like me) or wake up early (peak time to get bookings). That can be an adjustment but it really isn't that bad when you get used to your schedule.
10. Burn out
Remember how I said you get to set your own goals? This can be a two edged sword. When I first started teaching I set some lofty goals of 100 classes a month with limited time to teach. This meant mornings and nights (because I didn't have a full schedule). Soon I was exhausted and constantly tired from being burnt out. Remember to schedule in your self care and not over do it.
Well there you have it. Ten pros and ten cons to working with VIPKID. These are all my own opinions and experiences but I would have to say that after working with VIPKID for two years that I still love it and enjoy being here with these amazing students.
Do you feel the same way about these things? Let me know in the comment section. I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading!
---Teacher Stephanie O.
