The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Entrepreneurship => Topic started by: FIstateofmind on March 09, 2017, 12:43:03 PM
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Hello fellow Mustachians!
I wanted to let you guys know about my current job which is letting me live a nice semi - RE lifestyle!
I work on a site called VIPKID. I've been teaching on VIPKID for over 2 months now. (About 70 days!) I make about $20 - $25 an hour teaching 25 minute English lessons to kids in China. The site provides the lessons and the students, all you need to do is show up and teach.
Great for Mustachians because - It offers 100% flexibility in scheduling, relatively good pay and it is actually a fulfilling and fun job! I see a lot of posts on the forums of people looking for side hustles, some in rural areas, some in a one car household, some SAHP. I feel like this could really help a lot of people, which is why I'm posting about it here.
For the month of March, VIPKID is giving a $25 dollar sign up bonus for new teachers who join and teach their first class in March. I made a youtube video about it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wA1s0edL4A You can also check out my other videos which give more information about VIPKID here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrHXlsduorgOb5RGTeoDUWoDzrnxR_kAP
I'll answer whatever questions I can about VIPKID in this thread. This job really helped me to create my dream life of traveling, teaching and making money in a very fulfilling way. :)
Min requirements are a Bachelors and that you must be a native speaker of English.
Sign up here:
ref: https://t.vipkid.com.cn/?refereeId=3083158
non ref: https://t.vipkid.com.cn
PS - If you use my referral link, I'd be willing to coach you in details through the interview process once you are accepted!
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Thanks for the heads up! My wife is a pre-K teacher at Headstart and is interested in picking up some work like this through the summer. I'm sure she would be good at this since she has a lot of ESL students in her classroom. I checked out the first couple of your videos - you are definitely thorough! I'm going to share this with her when she gets home and I am 100% sure she will be in touch!
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Following!
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Yay! Glad you guys found the info useful. Yes, it's still "working," but it's so much better to work when you love your job! It feels so nice to make money doing something I enjoy :]
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Darn, would love to do this but lack the BA/BS :(
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It appears that this requires teaching experience. Is that correct? ie someone with an unrelated bachelor's cannot teach based on the provided curriculum.
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Thanks. I have a BS and a TESOL certification so I might give this a try.
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It appears that this requires teaching experience. Is that correct? ie someone with an unrelated bachelor's cannot teach based on the provided curriculum.
The teaching experience can be in anything, so if you've ever tutored, TA'ed or done anything teaching related in any field, you can do it.
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Sounds very interesting. Is the pay via W-2, 1099, or ?
W-9
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Following. :)
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I'm interested in this. How many hours are you able to teach per week?
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I'm interested in this. How many hours are you able to teach per week?
As many or as little as you like within 9 AM - 10PM beijing time.
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Thanks for posting about this and answering my other question.
One more: do you stay busy with this? I saw your mention on the hours. If one is available during the peak hours, would it be realistic to work 10-20 hours?
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Thanks for posting about this and answering my other question.
One more: do you stay busy with this? I saw your mention on the hours. If one is available during the peak hours, would it be realistic to work 10-20 hours?
Honestly, some people work ALL of the available hours. Granted, they live in Asia so they don't deal with the time zone. You can really work as little or as much as you want. They recommend a min of about 7 - 8 hours a week.
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Following for my DH.
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following
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Following - been trying to help my DH find a side hustle, since he's about to drop out of his PhD and be a full-time SAHD, but wants something flexible he can earn a little money with.
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The takeaway from this thread is that creating marketplaces that bring value to two different unconnected parties is a brilliant business model.
Schools make money by the way of tuition payments by offering online english classes.
People who need some extra cash, or a job, make money teaching the lessons.
VIPKID makes the most money of all, without having to put in any face time teaching lessons.
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Yeah, and this particular firm snagged $100 million in financing and has Kobe Bryant as its spokesman. Going gangbusters.
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I thought this was a passive aggressive snarky reply to my comment.
And then I googled your response.
LOL, kobe bryant... there you go!
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I thought this was a passive aggressive snarky reply to my comment.
And then I googled your response.
LOL, kobe bryant... there you go!
Yup! But I agree with you. This is a job, not an entrepreneurial venture. I have NO idea why this thread was moved to entrepreneurship. I placed it in mustachian suggestions...
It's a great company to work for, though! Also not only did they find 2 unnoticed parties, they targeted an underpaid over worked party here in the US (teachers). It's crazy I get paid the same amount per hour as a regular county teacher in my area with about 95% less work (or more!).
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I have NO idea why this thread was moved to entrepreneurship. I placed it in mustachian suggestions...
Ah well there you go, that makes more sense.
I clicked on a thread in the entreprenuer forum and responded as such.
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Do you think they'd accept corporate classroom teaching/sales training? I'm super interested in this and have taught loads of subjects related to the corporate world, so I definitely think i could do it.
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Darn, would love to do this but lack the BA/BS :(
Me too. :(
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Definitely interested in this and probably will be applying with your referral. I filled in as a teacher for a couple of English classes when I lived in Japan, and it was very enjoyable!
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Do you think they'd accept corporate classroom teaching/sales training? I'm super interested in this and have taught loads of subjects related to the corporate world, so I definitely think i could do it.
Yes, they would! They look more for camera presence and appearance than anything.
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PM'd you!
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Following!
I have a MS in engineering, but was a TA during my time in graduate school.
Couple that with the fact that I plan on staying home for a couple months this fall on Paternity leave, and most of it is unpaid. This seems like a great opportunity for me to start this as a side hustle!
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Bumping this thread- anyone take the plunge and try it? Is it working out well? Do you find that you need to work some shifts during the middle of the day (Beijing time), or can you only work on the edges of the time window (evening and morning in North America)?
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I've been doing it for a month now. I made a little over $800 my first month. I really like it but I typically only get booked in the morning. In my time zone the most popular class times are between 3am-7am. It's an adjustment waking up that early, but I really like it for a side hustle. I'm on track to make over $1000 this month.
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Bumping this thread- anyone take the plunge and try it? Is it working out well? Do you find that you need to work some shifts during the middle of the day (Beijing time), or can you only work on the edges of the time window (evening and morning in North America)?
Usually Morning for North America, and Fridays and Saturdays you can work the whole 12 hour shift and get booked easily :]
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^thanks for the updates. My plan is to start doing this in the fall when I take some time off of my primary job to help raise little-Buffalostache
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^thanks for the updates. My plan is to start doing this in the fall when I take some time off of my primary job to help raise little-Buffalostache
Nice! I feel like EST is the best time zone for mornings. My classes are from 7 am - 10 am. Not bad at all! The earliest I worked was 5 am, though some people do earlier. Lots of people with kids tend to do it earlier and time it so that they end when their kid normally wakes up.
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I have a friend who signed up, did the lesson thing, was approved, and was offered $8/hour.
She has a Master's in teaching, and about 7-8 years experience.
They say the offer "up to" $20/hour (actually, looking at it, the thread title touts that, too), but does anyone actually get that?
What rates are you guys seeing?
That rate is less than minimum wage in her city, so it'd be better for her to flip burgers than do this.
/shrug
Maybe if you're living in a very cheap COL area (Asia?) and have no other way to make income, $8 US/hr is okay, but for most of us? Meh.
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I have been doing this for a couple months now. the base rate is $8 a class, which is 25 minutes, not an hour. However you get $1 for participation and $1 for finishing the class. So basically you get $10 a class, or $20 an hour if you do 2 classes back to back. Also each month they do a different incentive to increase your paycheck. Last month it was guaranteed pay for certain time slots that you open even if no one books you. I like it a lot. I have made around $1500 this month working a few days a week in addition to my full time job.
Edited to clarify: I just remembered that the $1 participation incentive is actually based on the number of classes you teach each month. The maximum is $1 per class and you have to teach at least 40 classes each month (20 hours of work) to get that incentive. I always do much more than 40 so I forgot that is a requirement. If you do less than that, you get something like 25 cents per class.
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Following
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I have been doing this for a couple months now. the base rate is $8 a class, which is 25 minutes, not an hour. However you get $1 for participation and $1 for finishing the class. So basically you get $10 a class, or $20 an hour if you do 2 classes back to back. Also each month they do a different incentive to increase your paycheck. Last month it was guaranteed pay for certain time slots that you open even if no one books you. I like it a lot. I have made around $1500 this month working a few days a week in addition to my full time job.
Edited to clarify: I just remembered that the $1 participation incentive is actually based on the number of classes you teach each month. The maximum is $1 per class and you have to teach at least 40 classes each month (20 hours of work) to get that incentive. I always do much more than 40 so I forgot that is a requirement. If you do less than that, you get something like 25 cents per class.
Great perspective here Mindy- do you live in Australasia or Asia so you are on the same time? or are you just a night owl working on this in the evenings? Since I live in the US (Mountain Time Zone), my goal was to do 2-3 classes per "day", but split up between the beginning of the day in China and the end of the day so that I could sleep in the night. Is this realistic?
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Yeah it's exactly what Mindy said. If you do short notice classes, (which I do and ALWAYS book) you get an extra 2 per class, so i make 24 an hour sometimes.
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I wish I still lived in Asia! I am on PDT right now, which means peak hours are 4am-7am for me. The way my schedule works is I have classes from 4-7am almost every day (6 classes). Then I go to work from 9-5 (M-F). It's a lot, but as long as I go to bed by 10pm, I get about 6 hours of sleep, which is enough for me. I know a lot of people can't handle this schedule, but for some reason my body prefers getting 6-7 hours of sleep instead of 8+.
Also I second what FIsateofmind said. I usually don't book any classes at night, but if I find out that I have nothing to do and everyone is busy, then I open them up for short notice which gets me the $2 bonus per class. They usually end up being trial classes and I have a high percentage rate of converting those into regular students, so I end up making $17 for those classes when you add on the $5 sign up bonus. Then my hourly rate turns into $34 an hour!
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I have been doing this for a couple months now. the base rate is $8 a class, which is 25 minutes, not an hour. However you get $1 for participation and $1 for finishing the class. So basically you get $10 a class, or $20 an hour if you do 2 classes back to back. Also each month they do a different incentive to increase your paycheck. Last month it was guaranteed pay for certain time slots that you open even if no one books you. I like it a lot. I have made around $1500 this month working a few days a week in addition to my full time job.
Edited to clarify: I just remembered that the $1 participation incentive is actually based on the number of classes you teach each month. The maximum is $1 per class and you have to teach at least 40 classes each month (20 hours of work) to get that incentive. I always do much more than 40 so I forgot that is a requirement. If you do less than that, you get something like 25 cents per class.
Great perspective here Mindy- do you live in Australasia or Asia so you are on the same time? or are you just a night owl working on this in the evenings? Since I live in the US (Mountain Time Zone), my goal was to do 2-3 classes per "day", but split up between the beginning of the day in China and the end of the day so that I could sleep in the night. Is this realistic?
I just realized I didn't answer your question. Yes and no this is realistic. I find that I really only book in the mornings because that is the evening in China, so the kids are out of school. I typically only book evening times on Fridays and Saturdays because that's the weekend and the kids are not in school. It's definitely doable to have your morning classes fill. Mine always fill up immediately, but the night classes are harder. Since summer break is coming up, they should be easier to fill, but when they go back to school they won't fill up as much.
TLDR: if you're shooting for 2-3 classes a day, you'll have an easier time meeting that goal if you do them all in the morning.
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I just realized I didn't answer your question. Yes and no this is realistic. I find that I really only book in the mornings because that is the evening in China, so the kids are out of school. I typically only book evening times on Fridays and Saturdays because that's the weekend and the kids are not in school. It's definitely doable to have your morning classes fill. Mine always fill up immediately, but the night classes are harder. Since summer break is coming up, they should be easier to fill, but when they go back to school they won't fill up as much.
TLDR: if you're shooting for 2-3 classes a day, you'll have an easier time meeting that goal if you do them all in the morning.
Thanks Mindy. That, combined with the fact that I'm on MDT (so peak times would be 5-8am for me, seemingly more reasonable) and my modest goals [2-3 classes a day], give me hope.
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Subscribing so I don't lose this thread again.
I live in Japan and teach English to adults and kids, so this is right up my alley. My jobs pay more per hour, but this seems simpler, I could take it with me when I leave, and I can use it to fill in schedule holes. Perfect. Thanks!
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Sounds like a good sideline to get going. Sadly, as I only have a diploma (Institutes of Technology were not allowed to grant degrees in my day), not for me. But posting to follow regardless as I think this is something I'll probably end up recommending to friends to look into.
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Following...
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Posting to follow 😊 This is such an interesting idea.
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PTF. Thanks so much for this information! I signed up and have to do a bit more reading/research before doing my interview.
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Ok, I'll try this out. Wish me luck y'all!
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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!
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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.
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Following
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Following
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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).
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Following! I've been looking for a side hustle I can do from home :) Thank you for the idea
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http://t.vipkid.com.cn?partnerId=3724772&refereeId=8527453 (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!
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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!
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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.
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Moot point. they denied my application.
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@jojoguy You may be interested in this thread.
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Moot point. they denied my application.
Yikes! Sorry to hear that Financial.Raptor. Did they give you a reason why they denied the application?
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They require a bachelor`s degree. I don`t have one. :(
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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?