Author Topic: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!  (Read 27405 times)

CindyBS

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #50 on: October 06, 2017, 06:27:25 PM »
I want to sign up for this in a few weeks.

Did you need reference letters?  Resume?

What paperwork will I need to line up in advance?  I haven't updated my resume in years.

Thanks!

No resume or references needed. You'll need to fill in an online form of your relevant experience (teaching) and your educational background. If you don't have teaching experience exactly, you can talk about work you did in your regular job that involved teaching others. I talked about my volunteer tutoring. This stage is by far the fastest and easiest (it took maybe 5 minutes).

Once you pass that stage, you'll have an initial interview, which is a short mock class. You'll need to prepare a lesson that they'll send you and do it for an interviewer in China. In that stage, you'll be told how much you'll be paid per class (which is bit complicated as detailed upthread) if you get hired. Then, there's a stage of online training and a quiz and then two more mock classes. After that, you'll get hired, which is when you'll need paperwork (mostly transcripts to prove you have a Bachelor's and any other certifications, plus normal things like ID, etc).

The process is long, but really focused on learning their system of teaching, not on your resume or any references.

Great.  Thanks for the info.  I'm glad I don't have to update the resume.  I poked around on youtube once and found a bunch of videos describing how to pass the first interview.

My last job was as an educational assistant in the schools, and I also worked with ELL kids - so that part should be no problem.   

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #51 on: October 06, 2017, 06:43:29 PM »
I want to sign up for this in a few weeks.

Did you need reference letters?  Resume?

What paperwork will I need to line up in advance?  I haven't updated my resume in years.

Thanks!

No resume or references needed. You'll need to fill in an online form of your relevant experience (teaching) and your educational background. If you don't have teaching experience exactly, you can talk about work you did in your regular job that involved teaching others. I talked about my volunteer tutoring. This stage is by far the fastest and easiest (it took maybe 5 minutes).

Once you pass that stage, you'll have an initial interview, which is a short mock class. You'll need to prepare a lesson that they'll send you and do it for an interviewer in China. In that stage, you'll be told how much you'll be paid per class (which is bit complicated as detailed upthread) if you get hired. Then, there's a stage of online training and a quiz and then two more mock classes. After that, you'll get hired, which is when you'll need paperwork (mostly transcripts to prove you have a Bachelor's and any other certifications, plus normal things like ID, etc).

The process is long, but really focused on learning their system of teaching, not on your resume or any references.

Great.  Thanks for the info.  I'm glad I don't have to update the resume.  I poked around on youtube once and found a bunch of videos describing how to pass the first interview.

My last job was as an educational assistant in the schools, and I also worked with ELL kids - so that part should be no problem.

Yep, you should pass the background portion no problem! The YouTube videos are really helpful. I particularly like Nancy Taylor's. Best of luck!

LudicrousSpeed

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #52 on: October 08, 2017, 01:56:41 PM »
Just made it through my 1st interview and demo class. That was exhausting. Didn't realize I had to open the slides myself. I logged on hours prior to practice. I thought they would appear on the slide screen once we were allowed to see them. I would read my notes and periodically check back to a blank screen. As it was approaching interview time, I freaked out. I got help from the "fireman" help desk and they said you need to upload them from "Docs". When I initially clicked on that I only noticed where you can upload your own personal documents and I was like, "That's not what I need...". I didn't notice where you upload their ppt. So I was unnecessarily waiting there forever for something I had to get myself. Derp! I pulled up the slides just as the interviewer showed up. She had to tell me how to move to the next slide. What a disaster! I should have rescheduled citing "technical difficulties" (my brain!) but I powered through it with zero practice. I had several props which I think slowed me down as I went a minute over the limit. Practice would've helped me with timing and working with a webcam (super awkward for me). Regardless, I passed and they offered me $8/session ($20/hr) but I hate that this performance determined my pay as I feel like I am able to do so much better.

Villanelle

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #53 on: October 08, 2017, 07:56:56 PM »
I still haven't signed up as I have some changes coming up and I'm not sure how they will affect my schedule, but this seems so perfect. I live in Asia (one hour different than Beijing) and I teach private english lessons.  But I'm trying to figure out the practicalities.  How many hours do you have to sign up to be available for?  I can't find it now, but I recall reading something about taking time off with notice, which suggests to me that you are expected to register a minimum availability each session (which looks to be a month at a time).  Or could you just only register for one .5 hour window at 2am Beijing time, if you needed a few weeks off for some reason?  I see that they recommend 7.5 hours during peak time, but nothing mentions a minimum requirement. 

Basically, if I have a crazy couple of weeks, can I just not register availability, or only sign up as available for one hour?  Or during a normal month, is there a minimum hours expectation? 


wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #54 on: October 09, 2017, 09:04:30 AM »
I still haven't signed up as I have some changes coming up and I'm not sure how they will affect my schedule, but this seems so perfect. I live in Asia (one hour different than Beijing) and I teach private english lessons.  But I'm trying to figure out the practicalities.  How many hours do you have to sign up to be available for?  I can't find it now, but I recall reading something about taking time off with notice, which suggests to me that you are expected to register a minimum availability each session (which looks to be a month at a time).  Or could you just only register for one .5 hour window at 2am Beijing time, if you needed a few weeks off for some reason?  I see that they recommend 7.5 hours during peak time, but nothing mentions a minimum requirement. 

Basically, if I have a crazy couple of weeks, can I just not register availability, or only sign up as available for one hour?  Or during a normal month, is there a minimum hours expectation?

There are no minimum hours. I believe there used to be, but not anymore. So, if you need time off, you can just shut down your availability.

ETA: Taking time off if you have a booked class (e.g., an emergency happens) can be an issue, but you can ask for those cancellations not be counted against your record. I've heard teachers have had varying degrees of success with this, but I have no personal experience. Usually, you post your availability 4 weeks in advance, and parents generally book classes two weeks in advance. You can close down unbooked slots at any time, but once you get regular bookings, generally your schedule is set two weeks in advance. Hopefully, that's helpful.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2017, 09:18:46 AM by wordnerd »

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #55 on: October 09, 2017, 09:11:22 AM »
Just made it through my 1st interview and demo class. That was exhausting. Didn't realize I had to open the slides myself. I logged on hours prior to practice. I thought they would appear on the slide screen once we were allowed to see them. I would read my notes and periodically check back to a blank screen. As it was approaching interview time, I freaked out. I got help from the "fireman" help desk and they said you need to upload them from "Docs". When I initially clicked on that I only noticed where you can upload your own personal documents and I was like, "That's not what I need...". I didn't notice where you upload their ppt. So I was unnecessarily waiting there forever for something I had to get myself. Derp! I pulled up the slides just as the interviewer showed up. She had to tell me how to move to the next slide. What a disaster! I should have rescheduled citing "technical difficulties" (my brain!) but I powered through it with zero practice. I had several props which I think slowed me down as I went a minute over the limit. Practice would've helped me with timing and working with a webcam (super awkward for me). Regardless, I passed and they offered me $8/session ($20/hr) but I hate that this performance determined my pay as I feel like I am able to do so much better.

Congrats on passing! I also felt awkward in my interview and got $8/session/$20/hr. If it makes you feel any better, I have a suspicion that most people get $8 with any variation coming from additional certifications. I think getting $9 is pretty rare, so realistically, you might've gotten $8.50/session/$21/hr with a better interview, which would be nice, but not huge. In any case, congrats on passing! I'm happy to answer any questions you have.

LudicrousSpeed

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #56 on: October 25, 2017, 01:58:29 PM »
Thanks wordnerd! I passed my Mock 1 class, submitted my id, degree, 3 photos, 15 sec video, written intro, and signed the contract. Phew! This was a bit exhausting to get through. So if anyone else wants to get started, I suggest being mentally prepared to spend hours watching videos (it's slightly torturous to watch overly excited adults act like they are talking to a 5 year old, but I masochistically press play for the next one). Also have your demo and mock 1 practiced, set up your background/lighting, find props, select or take a professional looking pic and 2 casual pics of yourself all before you sign up. They give you a time limit to finish all this and if you don't (I didn't!) they will call you every night threatening to cancel the process and make you start over from the beginning interview. They don't really let you take your time going through the steps at your leisure. After you pass the demo, you only have 6 days to study VIPKID materials, watch more videos, take a quiz, schedule and complete your mock 1, which are 2 mini demo classes (15 min for a 5 year old and 10 min for an 8 year old). I realized this on day 6, and after I passed my demo, I went out of town for a few days and didn't check my email. They granted me an extension when I asked for one though. I haven't opened any slots yet to teach, but I'm going to take my time with that!

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #57 on: October 25, 2017, 05:34:58 PM »
Congrats, LudicrousSpeed! It's definitely a process but great that you made it. Definitely no rush on starting classes. Don't be surprised if it's slow for a month or two until you build good reviews and some regular students.

Zamboni

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #58 on: October 25, 2017, 05:46:42 PM »
Following

Villanelle

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #59 on: October 26, 2017, 07:58:57 AM »
Ludicrous Speed, do you watch videos just from the VIPKID official site, or youtube stuff, too?  Do you have any specific teachers whose videos you liked and would recommend?  I'd love to be able to prep as much as possible before I formally start the process.  I watched some Youtube videos, but some were pretty awful (and not just because of the subject matter, but because they were  not very good teachers). 

Wayward

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #60 on: October 26, 2017, 08:34:52 AM »
Following!  I've been looking for a side hustle I can do from home :) Thank you for the idea

LudicrousSpeed

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #61 on: October 26, 2017, 11:34:23 PM »
http://t.vipkid.com.cn?partnerId=3724772&refereeId=8527453

Whoa! My very own reference link. I also have a reference code: 052RTP 
Looks like they give $50 for a referral and possibly more if the new recruit books classes right away. (Sorry FIstateofmind, but I won't be earning you extra bucks for that!)

Villanelle, there are vids on the VIPKID site that you need to watch for the quiz once you pass the demo, but I watched a lot of YouTube before that. I was quickly burned out on them. I'm glad you found some that you thought were bad because it should bolster your confidence. If THEY were hired, then you sure as hell will rock this shit! IMO, Nancy Taylor was on point as far as TPR and displaying the energy level they want all the time (I'm not like that naturally, but I can turn it on). I didn't care for Stephanie Casternopoulous I think because she looks angry when she asks a question; however, she does the word counting thing with her fingers that I dismissed as a "Silent Way" technique that my interviewer suggested I do next time (and she called it TPR, so whatevs). For example, if you want the kid to say, "My name is Bob", you individually flip 4 fingers as you say each word and when the kid says it back, you point to or flip the finger that corresponds to the word. There is also a channel called VIPKID Careers that shows an actual interview or mock lesson on the VIPKID platform so you can see what it will look like with the slides, the interviewer screen and your screen. Hope that helps! Good luck with the process once you decide to start. I have a feeling that you got this already!

jan62

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #62 on: October 27, 2017, 03:08:08 AM »
Thanks for posting this information. I've been looking at a few different sites but its difficult to know how legit they are. This sounds like a great side hustle. will apply via your link.

bombay_to_goa

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #63 on: November 07, 2017, 10:40:52 AM »
Thanks for the info- looks like a great opportunity!

Question- I am Indian, have some TA experience and a Masters degree from the US. Do you think I'd be eligible? And if eligible, would there be much demand?

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #64 on: November 08, 2017, 02:58:04 PM »
Thanks for the info- looks like a great opportunity!

Question- I am Indian, have some TA experience and a Masters degree from the US. Do you think I'd be eligible? And if eligible, would there be much demand?

It sounds like you would qualify. One note is that they do require a North American accent (Brits and Aussies aren't eligible), so if you have an Indian accent, that may rule you out.

There seems to be good demand. I joke that I book 110% of my classes because I book anything I open plus some special requests from regular students for times I don't open. I am not trying to fill many hours at the moment, though. You will likely be underbooked for the first month or so until you build up good reviews and some regular students. 


bombay_to_goa

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #65 on: November 08, 2017, 09:36:17 PM »
Thanks Wordnerd for the reply.
I applied using your referral, was turned down politely.
There are Indian companies doing online tutoring for older kids- I'll go look those up.

beardontcare

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #66 on: November 09, 2017, 05:10:56 PM »
I work 6 weeks on and then 6 weeks off in my full time job.

Are they cool with me teaching classes when I'm off and then doing zero classes while I'm working?

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #67 on: November 09, 2017, 06:36:08 PM »
I work 6 weeks on and then 6 weeks off in my full time job.

Are they cool with me teaching classes when I'm off and then doing zero classes while I'm working?

That should be fine. There's no minimum number of classes per week, so you can go dark. It may make it harder for you to keep regular students, as they often like to book the same teacher week after week, but you should still be able to get a good number of bookings.

Guy Ensenada

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #68 on: November 10, 2017, 01:52:49 PM »
I'd love to partner in on this type of thing but from a different perspective...using my 20 plus years in higher education to help connect any of these students interested in studying abroad to actual schools and programs here in the US.

Now I need to figure out how to do that...thoughts from the group?

jeromedawg

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #69 on: April 30, 2018, 10:21:38 AM »
Sorry for resurrecting this but wanted to find out/know how things are going for those of you who have been doing this... I just found out about VIPKID and was researching it more for my wife and possibly myself. Seems like a pretty cool gig but not sure about the time commitment and scheduling (we have two LOs - 2.5 and 14mos) as well as now the competition since it seems this has gotten more popular in the past couple years... do you really have to 'market' and put yourself out there to get a decent base of students booking you enough to make it worth while?

Also, not sure if this would be a 'resume' booster for the interview/applicant process but my wife knows Mandarin albeit at a relatively elementary level in terms of vocabulary. But she feels fairly comfortable communicating otherwise.
« Last Edit: April 30, 2018, 10:43:51 AM by jeromedawg »

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #70 on: April 30, 2018, 04:30:39 PM »
I do think candidates who can converse in Mandarin get a higher rate.

I stopped tutoring in December because I was pregnant and exhausted, but I had no trouble filling my schedule without marketing. It's a little slow at first but with good reviews and repeat students, I had no problem booking. I enjoyed the gig; it just stopped making sense given my being pregnant, having a toddler, and my work schedule.

jeromedawg

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #71 on: April 30, 2018, 05:33:44 PM »
I do think candidates who can converse in Mandarin get a higher rate.

I stopped tutoring in December because I was pregnant and exhausted, but I had no trouble filling my schedule without marketing. It's a little slow at first but with good reviews and repeat students, I had no problem booking. I enjoyed the gig; it just stopped making sense given my being pregnant, having a toddler, and my work schedule.

Thanks! What were your hours like when you did do it? Seems like if you're in Pacific Time the 'ideal' hours are 3am-7am and possibly 4pm-5pm when looking at China time and likely when kids are available and not in school.

I have the same reservations having two little ones... I don't know if my wife or I would really have the time and energy to put into something like this when we need to care for our own kids/selves.

wordnerd

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #72 on: April 30, 2018, 05:55:46 PM »
I do think candidates who can converse in Mandarin get a higher rate.

I stopped tutoring in December because I was pregnant and exhausted, but I had no trouble filling my schedule without marketing. It's a little slow at first but with good reviews and repeat students, I had no problem booking. I enjoyed the gig; it just stopped making sense given my being pregnant, having a toddler, and my work schedule.

Thanks! What were your hours like when you did do it? Seems like if you're in Pacific Time the 'ideal' hours are 3am-7am and possibly 4pm-5pm when looking at China time and likely when kids are available and not in school.

I have the same reservations having two little ones... I don't know if my wife or I would really have the time and energy to put into something like this when we need to care for our own kids/selves.

Pacific time is definitely the worst. I'm on EST so I did 5:30-7:00 in the mornings, and then evenings 8-10pm on Friday/Saturday. Given that summer is coming up, it'll be summer hours (kids out of school), so you could do evening classes all week long. But it's also going to be a lot slower overall, so it'll be harder to get bookings. Could be a low-risk way to try it out on times that work better though...

Cali

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #73 on: May 03, 2018, 04:27:42 AM »
I am so intruigued by this, I have a tutoring background although I haven’t taught in ages. I actually miss it so I’m going to apply. Thanks for resurrecting this!

Financial.Velociraptor

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #74 on: January 27, 2019, 02:36:09 PM »
Lazarus move!  The thread has been resurrected.

Just stumbled across this.  Applied via the referral link.

Anyone still doing this?  Pay is still about $20/hr with some small bonuses?

I have an MBA and have done corporate training as well as substitute teaching during college.  Suppose that will pass muster with them.

I've been FIRE for a little over 6 years and increasingly find I'd like 10-20 hours a week of structure and productivity.  A few hundred a week of spending money would really move the needle too.  I could fund Roth again and it would pay for my HSA contribution.  Plus maybe some mad money for a year end vacation with my father.

Financial.Velociraptor

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #75 on: January 28, 2019, 05:37:13 PM »
Moot point. they denied my application.

TexasRunner

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #76 on: January 30, 2019, 03:03:53 PM »
@jojoguy You may be interested in this thread.

BuffaloStache

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #77 on: January 31, 2019, 09:45:18 AM »
Moot point. they denied my application.

Yikes! Sorry to hear that Financial.Raptor. Did they give you a reason why they denied the application?

jojoguy

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #78 on: January 31, 2019, 05:17:57 PM »
They require a bachelor`s degree. I don`t have one. :(

lilsaver

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Re: Potential Side Hustle - Teach English Online for $20 + an hour!
« Reply #79 on: July 06, 2020, 10:51:43 AM »
I was also denied. They have you create a login and answer a few questions and then get back to you in one business day. I have 3 years of teaching experience. They ask how much you're looking to earn, and I check the $500 month in income. Are most doing this full-time?