What I Love (and Hate) About VIPKid

I’ve been a teacher with VIPKid for three years. Long enough to feel like a veteran in some regards (I’m on my sixth contract!) and a newbie in others.

Regardless, it’s been enough time for me to have a good grasp on the things I love and hate about VIPKid.

What I Hate

There really isn’t that much that I feel VIPKid could improve. They have a good ear for teacher needs. So while the following does appear on my ‘needs improvement’ list, I’m hopeful that over time they may be changed.

What I Love and Hate about VIPKid — Some of the decorations I use in my VIPKid classroom.

1. I will most likely never get a raise.

I am not able to teach the minimum number of lessons required per year in order to be considered for a raise.

My hours with VIPKid have always been sporadic. I have a teaching job during the school year, which means I can’t work peak times from September to June.

During the summer, there are spurts where I can work a ton of hours versus weeks where I’m completely unavailable.

In all honestly, if I continue with my current availability, I may never be eligible for a raise according to VIPKid’s current policies. I wish that the company valued that I’m on my sixth contract, I’ve always been on time for my lessons, and that I have over a hundred five-star ratings, over the fact that I don’t work a full-time schedule.

Until that day, I will make the same base pay I did as a VIPKid newbie.

2. VIPKid is marketed for those with flexible, part-time schedules, but rewards those who work full-time hours.

VIPKid rewards teachers who work more hours by giving them the opportunity to get a raise. And they also gear many incentives (which give extra money for slots opened during peak times) towards those very same teachers.

Myself, and many teachers who work in brick and mortar schools, do not have availability during peak time hours. So those cool incentives are worthless.

Now, I understand that VIPKid is a business. They are in this to teach students English and make some money along the way. So incentivizing slots that have the most demand is logical. And rewarding teachers that work the most hours for the business is also logical. Just know that based on your availability, you may not benefit as much as others.

3. The dreaded interview process.

I’m sure you’ve already read about this extensively. The interview process is long. It’s time-consuming. Oftentimes applicants are given conflicting suggestions for improvement by different mentor teachers. Other times, applicants feel the need to purchase items for their classrooms in order to be considered for the job. Add to that the experienced applicants who are rejected in what, at times, seem like unjust and illogical VIPKid hiring frenzies.

On the one hand, the hiring process has changed in the 3+ years since I’ve gone through it. Though, it still could use further improvement.

On the other hand, it is in VIPKid’s favor to make it a difficult process. It weeds out teachers who apply halfheartedly.

4. Things do get lost in translation.

For the record, this is NOT something I hate. It’s a fact of life when working for a company that has a cultural and language divide. Patience going into your time at VIPKid is essential. Some emails I send are just not understood. I’ve learned the art of clarifying, rewording, and resending my questions in the hopes of receiving a clearer response. It is what it is -know that going in.

5. The new pay incentive program.

Ugh, I’m not a fan. Teachers used to have the ability to get paid up to an additional $2 on top of their base salary per class. One of those dollars was given out just for showing up to class on time!

But now? That’s all gone. Which means teachers are losing out on money. The new pay incentive would have cut nearly $50 from my last (monthly) paycheck.

VIPKid started rolling out the new pay scale with new teachers in early 2020, but it will apply to all teachers by August 2020.

To be fair, the pay scale does give more money to teachers who teach a lot of classes. But this goes back to point number two up above: VIPKid is marketed for those with flexible, part-time schedules, but rewards those who work full-time hours.

What I Love

Now, the positive.

1. My hours are as flexible as humanly possible.

I work when I want to work. I can close off dates for vacation or personal days without having to inform the company in advance. I love this flexibility and it really can’t be beaten elsewhere.

2. No prep. Or, at the very least, very minimal prep.

The lessons are prepared for you. That includes teaching tips, questions you should ask, extension questions, and (on the interactive slides) a secondary rewards system.

The lessons have become so intuitive that I no longer prepare before class. You could never pull that off in a brick and mortar school.

Some teachers take more time to prep than I do. They dig up lesson specific props and ornate rewards systems. That’s great. To each his own.

You’ll find the balance of how much prep time you need to churn out a great lesson.

3. Behavior problems are rare.

And if they do pop up, remember: you only have to see that student for 25 minutes. Unless the fates are working against you and that student decides to book you again.

For any behavior problems of a more severe nature, you are asked to inform the fireman (VIPKid’s go-to IT guys and gals) to jump in and help you out. Beware, you keep teaching until they get there and sometimes they will advise you to keep teaching afterward.

5. The company gives teachers plenty of opportunities to provide feedback.

And they truly listen.

Plenty of policies have changed because teachers have banded together and contacted VIPKid. The hiring process has changed (though it still needs work). The class booking system has changed. Even the website and lessons have transformed based on teacher suggestions in conjunction with company directives.

6. No commute time.

Roll out of bed and teach.

If you’re on the fence about applying or working for VIPKid, take the plunge.

The contracts are six-months long and give you a chance to get a good look at whether it’s your thing or not.

But know that there are far more positives than negatives. And, as I’ve mentioned, those are always changing for the better.

Yes, I have a hate/love relationship with the company some days. Just like I would at any job. But the good days have been more frequent than the bad. And the bad is far less of an issue than it would be at any brick and mortar teaching job.

If VIPKid sounds right up your alley, feel free to use my referral code, JENNI0402. I’m happy to answer any questions or help you through the interview process.