Become an online English tutor with VIPKid, teach in the morning, and the rest of the day is yours. VIPKID connects teachers from the US and Canada to children, ages 4-12, in China. They provide one- on -one ESL instruction through their online platform. All you need to become an online English tutor is a degree, a year of teaching and/or tutoring experience & a reliable internet connection.

But I don’t have a year of teaching or tutoring experience, I guess I’m out.

Nope. Many alternatives can substitute for a lack of teaching experience, including: having your own kids, coaching, mentoring, tutoring. More or less, any prior experience you. have that has to do with helping small children is fair game and still worth applying.

Ok, this is awesome but how do I sign up?

Follow these easy breeze steps and you’ll be an online English tutor in no time:

1. Go to THIS website and enter your basic info. You’ll be prompted to fill out a quick and VERY easy survey. Be honest; you don’t need to have 10 years of teaching experience behind you.
   
2. Select your demo lesson type & choose a date. You can either pre-record a 5-minute lesson OR choose a 30-minute session where you’ll receive immediate feedback. The latter option will get you through the application process quicker.
   
3. You’ve done the hard work; now it’s time to get VIPkid certified. You’ll need to read through some training material & watch some videos. You will also need to teach a few mock classes, which will help you get to know the platform.
   
4. Now it’s time to get your TEFL certification. This is new, and if you’ve already done the training you can bypass this stage. You’ll need to complete a short TEFL training program and quiz which basically gives you some background and training on second language acquisition.
   
5. You’re officially an online English tutor! Set up a profile, uploading a short video introducing yourself and then you’re on your way to booking students.

Tips for a successful interview:

• Utilize the hour-long practice window to familiarize yourself with the platform & the tools. Shake off those nerves!
  
• Review the teacher slides & resources you are given. Find your flow and learn the pacing of the lesson.
  
• Master TPR (total physical response). This is a technique that uses movement to model instructions, teach material or to prompt students to participate. Be bubbly & energetic! Check out THIS article to learn more.

Ok, I can do that. Sounds easy enough, but how much can I make?

$7-$9 USD per 25-minute class, which doesn’t sound amazing at first glance. However, VIPKID is great for incentivizing their teachers. You get a $1 bonus for starting and finishing all your classes on time, which is basically free money. You receive a $.50 bonus per class when you teach over 30 classes per month, and a $1 bonus if you teach more than 45 per month. VIPKID has lots of other ways to make extra money, which can eventually bring your base pay to $16.50 per class!

Whether you are looking for a side hustle, to work while traveling abroad or to stay at home with your kids, VIPKID gives you flexibility and the opportunity to get to know your students and help them thrive.