Hey there friends! Today we are going to talk all about the new Incentive Tiered pay system for new VIPKID teachers. This system will be for teachers that have passed their demo after December 2019. As of right now, teachers who have been hired before that are on the old system (explained in this post). 

As a VIPKID you should know that you are not paid an hourly rate. This can be confusing but VIPKID wants to encourage both quality and quantity in its teachers and this new system is a great motivator of both.  Your pay check is broken into two parts: class base pay and bonuses.

Class Base Pay:

When you apply to VIPKID part of the process is passing your interview. Depending on how well your interview goes plus your education and experience will determine your class base pay. It will be between $7-9 per class. 

Bonus Pay

Lifetime Classes Taught:

This will be total classes you have taught while teaching for VIPKID. The more classes you have taught...

Hello everyone! Are you a new online teacher and don't know where to start on your online classroom set-up? Or are you a veteran teacher and want to know how & where to invest in your company? Either way, this post has you covered as we talk about 5 investments to make in your VIPKID classroom. 

First of all, check out this video from Nancy all about her classroom set-up. This video is old but still very applicable in setting up your classroom today. 

You can snag Nancy's Classroom Set-Up Guide HERE if you haven't already! It has all the details on getting set-up!

1. Equipment:

Let's start here first because even in the application process, you will need basic equipment to get hired. 

VIPKID's website says:

You must be set-up with a desktop, laptop, Mac, or Surface device with an HD external or HD integrated camera and a headset with a microphone.
‍
Your device must have a minimum operating system of Windows7 or Mac...

Greetings my Teacher Friends! I hope all is well with you and yours. I'm Teacher Stephanie, writing all about the online teacher biz with my good friend Nancy Taylor. Today I am so excited to talk to you all about classroom management strategies that you can use in your classroom. Ready or not, here we go!

Miss Nancy covers these strategies with full examples in this video. Click the picture to see how she uses these management strategies in her classroom.

VIPKID Management in Class (Online Teaching Tips) - Youtube

In this post we are going to cover 6 different types of student behavior that you encounter with online teaching and then cover 3 strategies to correct each type of behavior. This will be sure to get those kiddos back on track with the lesson and loving your class. Also, I have included 4 bonus management tricks that you can use for any student behavior management at the end. You are welcome in advance ;)

Distracted David

David has a lot going...

Welcome my fellow educators and Chaos Coordinators! Today on the blog I have the first in a series of posts all about ESL teaching strategies. The focus for today is TPR. Let's boogie!

Nancy has a great video for my audio/visual learners all about this strategy. Complete with her own language (hilarious) and a real life example. Check it out:

What is TPR?

Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method built around the coordination of speech and action; it attempts to teach language through physical (motor) activity. 

TPR combines movement and language together. It is used by both the teacher and the student to increase learning during class time. The student connects the actions to language.

I believe that TPR comes naturally to those teaching language and/or music. When you are trying to encourage understanding and recognition of new words, actions help you explain the meaning without adding to the dialogue. This keeps the student/teacher speaking...

The next group of tips is all about the VIPKID technology for teachers. This post is for the current app as of February, 2020. This can be incredibly overwhelming to get through, especially as a new teacher, so don’t do it all at once. Eat this elephant one bite at a time.

 Teacher Portal (or Desktop VIPKID App):

This is where you are going to find the classroom, your schedule, and your account information. This is your special sparkling (not literally) software for all things VIPKID. Let's go over a quick tour of the desktop app so you can have the info you need to succeed!

Home:

Here you will see the upcoming classes, to-do lists, promotions and a glimpse of the library. It's the first thing that pulls up after you login and it's your launch pad to get to the places you want to go.

The to-do list is great to see things that need your attention right away such as missing parent feedback from a class, booking requests, and tasks. I like to cross of...

 This blog post is written from Teacher Micah @vipkidhealth.com 

Micah Kidd is a Vipkid teacher and Health & Wellness advocate. He is championing an initiative to help online-ESL teachers take care of their minds and bodies while doing their jobs as  educators. He has been teaching for two years now and during that time he has promoted a healthy and holistic lifestyle for online teachers. He is a certified nutritionist with a degree in kinesiology. Check out his Youtube, Instagram, and Website at the bottom of this post for more info! 

Sleep is our #1 Occupational Hazard

Teachers often treat sleep deprivation as a badge of honor. You can often see teachers posting memes depicting a person who survives by getting by on nothing but caffeine but, sleep is vitally important to our health and many teachers are simply not getting enough of it.

Sleep is not a passive state.

People often think of sleep as a nothing state, just something you...

Howdy! It's been a minute but Teacher Steph's here with a post for all the newbies in the house. Can I get a "WOOT! WOOT!" First of all, CONGRATS! You did it! Your contract is signed and you are ready to start teaching those cute students on the other side of the planet. It can be a bit overwhelming as a new teacher so this post is here to help you navigate the new world of being an online ESL teacher. 

I have 10 tips to help new teachers feel empowered as they start their journey as an online teacher. They are based off of this video from teacher Nancy, but the opinions are genuinely my own. Check out her advice in the video by clicking the image below.

Connect with the Teacher Community:

The first 3 tips are all about getting to know your co-workers and future friends. This is a great resource when you have questions about something strange happening in class, getting free resources or seeing popular reward trends. Connecting with other teachers will be a great life line...

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...

Hello to my ESL teaching friends! Teacher Stephanie here to talk to you all about getting your TESOL certificate with VIPKID. This certificate is required to get before you start teaching if you don't have a current teaching certificate. Luckily for us, VIPKID offers a free course to it's teachers and applicants to get their TESOL certificate. In this post I will explain what the certificate is, give you some tips for passing the quizzes, and provide a brief summary of the information found in the course.

For an accredited TESOL Course through International Open Academy you can head HERE for a $19 link. It is 120 hours, but I have gotten great feedback from my referrals on this course being simple and easy to follow

-Nancy 

Now, back to the VIPKid TESOL Course! 

What is the TESOL certificate?

TESOL stands for Teaching English Speakers of Other Languages (hey that's what we do!). In this course you will learn about educational and psychological theories in learning...

Hey there teaching friends! Wondering how to get certified for the upper level classes with VIPKID during the application process? Well you have found the right blog post! Today I want to walk you through all the slides with tips and tricks on how to successfully pass your mock class for levels 4 & 5. 

I would first suggest you check out this post for passing levels 2 & 3 first. In it, I talk about tips, expectations, and lesson formats that will also apply to the upper level classes as well. Plus I'm super lazy and I don't want to retype the fantastic advice I already gave you. Go check it out! 

Another great resource for passing these levels are these amazing videos from Nancy (shown below this paragraph). She shows you how she would teach the material and also tells you why she uses certain techniques to help the student. I would recommend printing out the slides for your lessons and taking notes while you watch the videos and read this post. I know that this...