One of the side hustles you hear about most is teaching English to students overseas, principally in China. This can be a great side hustle for teachers, or if you need to replace only a portion of your own income in order to stay home with kids, this would be an option to actually help you bridge that gap. Here is a link to their teacher website, so you can check out the basics.
I wanted to get the scoop from someone I know and trust, so I called my good friend Julianne. She has a strong entrepreneurial streak and previously started and ran her own paint-your-own pottery store. She has since moved away from that area. VIPKID allows her to work from home and keep a flexible schedule. If you decide to give it a go, her referral number is http://t.vipkid.com.cn?refersourceid=e01&refereeId=4058854. and I’m sure she’d love for you to use it.
How long have you being teaching for VIPKid?
It’s been just about a year now. I started in Oct. but my shedule wasn’t full until after Chistmas. That’s fairly typical. About 2 months to get your time slots filled.
In an average week, how many hours do you work for VIPKid?
15-20
What was the hardest part about getting started?
Probably just getting familiar with their format. Their teacher portal and also all the lessons. Just getting in the rhythm . There are at least 7 different levels and within each level there might be 100 different lessons. Just getting in the flow of what’s in the lesson – what you’re going to need. And then the tech stuff. Is the webcam working? That stuff is super important. They’ve been updating a lot because they’re getting so many new teachers, so just getting that figured out.
About how much do you make an hour?
$20/hour. Everybody has a base pay. My base pay is $8 per 25 min lesson. As long as you show up on time you get an extra dollar, and if you teach at least 45 classes per month, you get an extra dollar. So that makes it $20.
How much do you make from bonuses, like referrals and special promotions?
Not much really. I think if I worked more hours I would. There are certain prime time hours that I can’t work because I am getting the kids ready. But sometimes they will give a bonus if you open up all those slots.
I haven’t really done much on the referrals. There are other opportunities within the company. They have stuff like teacher mentors and curriculum development. You can move beyond just teaching , but I don’t know much about it.
What do you like best about VIPKID?
The flexibility. Most of the kids are really fun and they take their lessons seriously. I like to be able to work at home. I can sit in my little office in my comfortable clothes. Once you get into the rhythm of the lessons, it’s pretty easy.
If you could change one thing about VIPKID, what would it be?
Maybe that the Parents can rate the teachers. So every class you teach, you can get 1-5 apples. If you don’t get a 5 apple, you aren’t eligible for some things and if you don’t have a perfect 5 rating other parents might not book you. If there’s a kid misbehaving and you reprimand them, they can give you a low score and theres nothing you can do about that. VIPKID isn’t very flexible about the evaluations. Sometimes it’s a little difficult to correspond with VIPKID about stuff like that.
Who would you recommend VIPKID to? In other words, what would you consider to be their ideal recruit?
Someone that really enjoys working with kids. Somebody that can have a little bit of an understanding of the culture, especially regarding education. Why the parents are putting their kids through this education. They are spending a lot of time and money on these lessons. Someone who is energetic and patient and understands that it can be challenging to learn another language. You don’t have to be a teacher but need to have experience teaching children in some way.
Other options
So there you have it. Since Julianne and I are such good friends, I have heard about her VIPKID journey from the beginning, and I know it has really made a difference for her. If you want to try a side hustle, but don’t think VIPKID is the one for you, check out our post on other high dollar side hustles that can net you well over $20 an hour.