Why I Chose to Teach English Online with VIPKID

When we first decided to become location independent, I knew it would be hard to do it quickly and effectively. It takes time to build any business.

We were building our businesses, but it would take a while before it would be able to be our main source of income. And of course, we had been saving up a healthy emergency fund. But, I’m a worrier. I would be a lot less worried if we had another income source during this time.

I decided to look into a remote job that would help with this. What I found was teaching English online with VIPKID.

 

Why I Chose to Teach English Online

Passion for teaching

I first found out teaching English online was a huge opportunity. In some other countries, such as China, the push for kids to learn English massive. Children are taught English at an early age and attend private education sessions. This has led to a growth in the opportunity to teach these children.

My background is in education. I always had a passion for teaching and sharing knowledge with others. I grew up wanting to be a teacher, but decided when I student taught that I didn’t want to be in a formal classroom. I did get my state teaching certification and continued to engage in informal education by facilitating workshops for community groups I’m involved in. So when I found out that this was an opportunity where I could have an outlet for this passion, I jumped on it.

Remote Work

The obvious side to why I chose to teach English online is that I can travel. This is definitely a remote opportunity. As long as I have access to a stable internet connection, I can teach. It’s that simple.

Reliable Income

Like I mentioned, I was a little worried about begin able to meet our financial goals while we were building our businesses. However, if I decided to do this, there another source of income that would lessen this worry. I could teach as often or as little as I needed in order to feel comfortable.

 

What I Like about VIPKID

Once I decided that I wanted to teach online, I needed to start looking at where exactly I wanted to teach. I found VIPKID. I did some research and found out that the company is very solid and a good place to work for. After I started teaching with VIPKID, I learned even more about the company and liked it even better!

Flexible Schedule

One of the great things about VIPKID is that the schedule is very flexible. There are no minimums or maximums of the number of hours you can teach each week. You simply open your schedule when you want to and those are the times you are available. So if you have something planned for a certain day, or you need more time to work on your business,  you don’t have to work.

Pre-Made Curriculum

VIPKID creates all of the curriculum you need to teach. They literally provide you with slides and instructions on how to teach them. I can check in on what I’m teaching, but I don’t have to spend hours prepping lessons. The cool thing is though, that so you be creative about it. You can add in fun ways to make your lesson more engaging.

The curriculum itself is also very solid. It is based on the US Common Core standards. Each lesson includes multiple ways of teaching concepts which build one each other and allow the student to apply what they learn.

Good Pay

One of the reasons I wanted to teach with VIPKID was for the extra income. It would be ridiculous if my pay was not worth my time. Good thing, VIPKID pays $14-$22 an hour. Pay is based on related experience, interview performance, and class incentives (showing up on time, etc.) Plus you can be offered a raise when you renew your contract.

Further Education & Workshops

VIPKID offers workshops focused on a variety of topics. I have the opportunity to become a better teach by attending these online workshops where I can learn anything ranging from increasing engagement to in depth analysis of individual lessons. Plus, there are even “lifestyle” based workshops like how to teach while being a digital nomad!

1 on 1 teaching

VIPKID lessons are all one on one. I enjoy this type of teaching because I can focus on that one student. I can monitor their progress over the lesson and adapt as needed. I also enjoy having the opportunity to connect with the student on a personal level. I can chit chat with them about movies, school, etc. which allows them to practice their English.

 

Choosing to teach English online with VIPKID was a great idea. I was able to find an additional source of income that happens to be something I truly enjoy! If you’re interested in teaching with VIPKID, you can apply here. This is a referral link so make sure you drop me a note if you do!