"How do I get a parent to book a class with me?" cried a new VIPKID teacher. She was
hungry and ready to teach. "No one knows who I am!"
Let's be honest. It's not easy to build a
steady stream of bookings with parents
who want YOU to teach their children. YOU can build a thriving business as a VIPKID teacher and independent contractor if you are to invest patience, time, and effort.
Like a finely tuned car, there are many moving parts if you want to build a strong VIPKID booking machine:
Create a strong TEACHER PROFILE
Parents want to know who you are. They want to connect with the very best teacher for their children. Go to the Teacher Portal, click on "My Info," then click on "Account Center." Your Teacher Profile will be listed under "Account Information."
Account Information
VIPKID requires all teachers to have a college degree. The degree does not have to be an education degree. Upload your diplomas as well as your ESL/TEFL or TESOL teaching certificate(s). VIPKID also requires teachers to have at least one year of teaching experience. Are you (or were you) a teacher in a brick-and-mortar school? Or do you home school your children? Have you been a substitute teacher or tutor? Have you taught classes at a library, after-school program, or summer camp? Highlight your teaching experiences to help parents understand you know how to deliver quality instruction.
Photos
Parents will only see a small thumbnail of your photo, so select a photo that is clean, bright, and professional. Don't worry if you do not have a professional head shot for your profile, a photograph taken with your iPhone will be just fine.
Your face should be prominent and centered in your profile photo. You are not required to wear an orange shirt (orange is VIPKID's favorite color), but parents believe you are strongly aligned with VIPKID if you do. Consider changing your featured photo a least every six months to give your profile a fresh look.
Don't forget to upload two additional photos that reflect your personality to your Teacher Profile. It may be a photo of you at a vacation landmark or of you and your family. Wear appropriate clothing for photographs you post on your profile. Videos or photos that are deemed inappropriate (such as a swimsuit or crop top) will be denied when you submit them for approval on the Teacher Portal.
Greeting Video
Most parents and students base their teacher selection on the video posted on your Teacher Profile. Your video should be brief - about 30-60 seconds. My introductory video is 46 seconds. I recorded it with my iPhone and edited it with iMovie.
Introduce yourself with a bright smile and explain how much fun their child will have learning English in your VIPKID classroom. The sooner you create and post a greeting video, the faster you will be booked by parents for classes. You can update your video once your profile is complete.
There are many sample introductory videos on YouTube. My favorite introductory videos include these by VIPKID teachers, Clay Edwards and Michael Venn.
Bio
Opinions will vary on what information to enter first on you bio. Although most recruiters suggest tell those looking for employment to put their educational experiences on the bottom of your resume, I listed my college information first because my degrees are in education. Put your personal best forward. Parents want to know you've got the knowledge to teach their children.
Provide details about your teaching experience. Use strong verbs to describe your teaching experience such as "I inspire and motivate students with interactive games." Include the number of years of experience you possess in your Teacher Profile. Let parents know how your experience prepared you to be an outstanding VIPKID teacher. Include a friendly ending at the close of your video such as "I look forward to seeing your child in our VIPKID classroom. See you soon!"
After you compose a draft of your bio, cut and paste it into Google translator. The English language does not always make sense to someone who speaks Mandarin Chinese. I cut and paste information I want to share with parents into an English-to-Chinese search, then I cut and paste the Chinese interpretation into a Chinese-to-English translation. This gives me an idea if the words I spoke in English generally translate to Chinese. The translations are not always perfect, but they can help prevent embarrassing language mistakes.
Don't Forget to Add "Teacher Tags"
Every teacher has five "tags" or instructional characteristics that reflect their teaching styles. Tags may identify you as "patient" or "interactive." The teacher tags will be assigned to you by your VIPKID mock mentor; however, you can submit a ticket and ask VIPKID to change your tags. VIPKID will send you a list of teacher tags upon request. Submit a support ticket if you would like to add to or change your teacher tags.
Visit the Library
After you complete your Teacher Profile, explore the resources in the VIPKID library. Log into the Teacher Portal, click on the "Resources" tab, then click on "Library" in the drop-down menu. You will find helpful information and videos that will strengthen you instructional skills. You will also find resources and props that can be used during instruction.
Get Additional Certifications
Strengthen your Teacher Profile by adding additional certifications. Access to the certification courses can be found on the "Resource" tab's drop-down menu under "Library." You must be certified in each particular area you would like to teach. Requirements for certification are available with each trial and major class certification.
Although you may already be an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher with TESOL of TOEFL certifications, I believe it is wise to also take the TESOL-Foundational and TESOL-Advanced courses. These courses can be found by clicking on "Edu Course" on the "Certification Center" page. I have TESOL certifications and 30+ years of teaching experience - and I enrolled in both of these classes. Certifications inform parents that you are specifically equipped to teach ESL students.
Major Course Certifications
Major Course Certifications prepare you to teach Pre-K (Level 1) through Level 6.
You must meet certain criteria to apply for certifications. Each certification has different requirements. Log into your Teacher Portal and click on the "Certification" tab. The areas of certification that are available for you to enroll in will be highlighted. You can also click on each certification and scroll to the bottom of the page. It will list the requirements you need to meet in order to to be eligible to prepare for level certification in each given area.
Get Trial Classes Certifications
Trial Classes are designed for parents who have not officially enrolled children as VIPKID students. Trial classes are an educational test drive. Parents are permitted to attend three VIPKID classes at no charge to see if they are interested in enrolling their children in the English language program. You get the same pay for teaching trial classes, although your pay is reduced by one-half if students do not show up for class. Trial classes provide you with marvelous opportunities to attract new students. Trial class students often become your regular students because you have already established a relationship with them.
Supplementary Courses are Also Available
Supplementary Courses include Grammar, Free Talk, Phonics, and Pronunciation. These courses boost your skills as a VIPKID teacher. The courses provide VIPKID students with opportunities to strengthen their skills in specific areas. Similar to the Major Courses, you must meet the criteria to complete Supplementary Courses.
Start Your Engines!
Are you ready to start teaching? Go to the Teacher Portal and click on the second tab, "Classes," in the menu bar. Select "Bookings" from the drop-down menu. Open as many class slots as your schedule will allow.
Classes are approximately 27 minutes long. Wrap up the class and exit the classroom at 28:00. There is approximately 2-3 minutes between classes.
Being a VIPKID teacher is a rewarding job, but it can be difficult to adjust to athe time difference because (here in the Midwest - CST) there is a 13 hour time difference. You may be ready to teach at 9:00 a.m. (CST), but most children in China are generally in bed sleeping from 10:00 p.m. - 8:00 a.m. Beijing Time (BJT).
Although Chinese students attend classes at different times throughout the day, most students attend classes between 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. (BJT). To be available during those hours, I wake up at 3:30 a.m. (CST) to teach children who want to attend classes with me at 5:00 p.m. (BJT). Saturdays and Sundays are by far the most popular days for students to attend VIPKID classes.
I'm Here, Students. Where are YOU?
Some teachers start attracting student shortly after signing their contracts. That, however, is not the experience of most VIPKID teachers. Most of us wait until our students find us. Rest assured your students will find you.
I waited. And waited. Two weeks after I signed my contract, my first student appeared on my VIPKID teaching schedule. I had three more students the following week and 12 more students the week after that.
So, What Do I Do While I Wait?
I begin my first day as an official VIPKID teacher at 3:30 a.m. My work schedule is 4:00 - 9:00 a.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Every morning, whether I have classes or not, I:
Start the coffee pot.
Check my computer to make sure the Ethernet cord and other connections were strong.
Clear my computer browser and restarted my computer.
Put on my orange VIPKID t-shirt, minimal makeup, and lipstick.
Check the VIPKID Teacher Portal for new bookings.
Make sure all of my props are ready and in order.
If I do not have students scheduled, I:
Signed up for and attended classes and workshops.
Checked to see if there were certification classes available to me.
Watched instructional videos in the library on the Teacher Portal.
Being a solo teacher in my own office can be a lonely experience. There is enormous support and resources in the Facebook groups, particularly:
VIPKID Mental Health and Wellness Group (I am the administrator of this group).
VIPKID Online Teachers’ Lounge (Clay Edwards is the moderator of this group).
Discover wonderful resources for instruction available in the VIPKID Library on the Teacher Portal. More resources are available on the VIPKID Videos and Props Facebook group.
Your students are looking for you. Get your classroom ready. Attend workshops. Because they're coming and, when they do, you will be ready!
Would YOU like to be a VIPKID teacher? Curious? Or are you asking, "When can I start?"
Go to the VIPKID website and enter my referral link, JULIE0530. I will answer your questions and help you throughout the hiring process.
If you've already signed up but haven’t done your mock class yet, you can still add my referral code, JULIE0530 (JULIE zero 53 zero), when you log in on the VIPKID website!
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