What I wish I Knew Before Teaching With VIPKID
When I started working as a VIPKID teacher, I really had no idea what to expect. Honestly at first, I thought it was a bit of a scam, being that it was a sponsored ad on indeed and the promise of the pay seemed a little bit too good to be true, for a stay-at-home job. I did some research and watched a ton of YouTube videos and decided that maybe I should give it a try and see what happens. From the research there’s a lot of legitimacy that is added to the company when you can see the background and the business information, so that made it more comfortable for me to actually dive in and apply. This post, however, is really about what happen after I got hired. If you are interested in reading about my experience with the interview process, stay tuned that post is coming soon!
After the interview process I completed all of the information for the contract and all that good businessy stuff. Then it was time to open some availability and watch the bookings roll in. (which didn't quite happen like that… I didn’t get my first booking for a week or so after I was hired this was good and bad. Good because it gave me time to review the information in the teacher center and stalk the VIPKID groups on facebook to try and learn even more about what I was getting myself into. It was bad because I was ready to get started and I didn't want to wait any longer! So it happened, I got booked! I was getting ready to start my first class and these are the five things that I wish I would’ve known before teaching my first VIPKID class.
Silly is not so silly
Is it over yet?
What time is it, what day is it?
They are watching, always watching
I think I’m going to like this
As I mentioned before VIPKID does have a wonderful teacher’s portal that has information in the teaching center which gives a layout of what you need to expect for your first classes. Whether they trial classes, (classes for potential students) or if you will be teaching regular students. I’m sure that I may have read some of the answers there, but they just didn’t quite make sense until it was actually happening.
Silly is not so silly.
Before you start getting bookings you are asked to write a bio about yourself describing your accomplishments, your education, what your teaching experiences and styles are like, and what you like to do in your free time. I thought it would be a good idea to say that I bring energy to the classroom and that I love to make silly faces and have fun. This bio would then be translated to Chinese, and it would on your teacher profile for parents to learn more about you. After a few weeks of getting no to very low bookings I was getting a little frustrated and I started looking into what I could do to get more bookings. As I was doing said research, (facebook groups, and youtube), I came across the information that the word ‘silly’ translates to the word ‘stupid’ and that it a rude thing to say. So in my bio I basically said, “Hey parents, pick me to be your kid’s teacher because I love to make stupid, idiotic, inappropriate, and rude faces.” I don't think that's really a good look for any teacher ever. With my newfound knowledge of the word silly not being very appropriate or acceptable,I decided to change my bio and take the word out. Here’s something else I learned, when you change your bio, it does not automatically get re-translated. You have to submit a ticket to freshdesk to make sure that they can re-translate your bio or the translation remains the same.
Is it over yet?
The second thing I wish I knew about teaching in the classroom was how to end the class. When I taught my first class, I wasn’t sure of how it was going to work, what the program was going to look like and how to work the classroom. I knew how to access the materials and how to give the rewards stars. I knew that we are supposed to teach to the 25 minute mark and that we weren’t really supposed to go much further over that, maybe up to 28 minutes. So, success, I taught my first class, sang the goodbye song and was done with the class right on time. Now what?!?! How do I close the classroom? I didn’t see a place where you could stop the clock. I tried logging out and logging back in and it didn’t show that the class was completed. It didn’t show me that the class had ended or that it was successful. Classes that are labelled: as_scheduled, means that there were no issues, that your class was complete, and that you are going to get paid in full. I attempted to go back into the classroom to see if I missed something, if there was a button I could push or something I needed to do to end the class and at this point there’s like 45 minutes on the clock and that really freaked me out because I thought oh no it’s going look like I went way over time! I still wasn’t able to figure out how to stop the clock so I sent a freaked out email to freshdesk (the tech support/teacher support/all the support help) and I sent an email to my referral source and waited and waited and freaked out and decided there was nothing else I could figure out to do. What I learned after several hours is that I did what I needed to do. I ended the class on time, I exited the class and entered my class feedback within the allotted time and go paid! Long story short, there was a lot of freak out, when all I needed to do was end on time and exit the classroom.
What time is it, what day is it
The time difference can be a bit of a challenge depending on the time zone you are in. The teacher portal and app are wonderful tools to help you manage your scheduling and your classes, however, they need time to refresh and update as well. The third thing that I wish I knew before teaching in the classroom was that neither the portal nor that app updates until noon or until midnight. I would be so freaked out trying to figure out why it didnt have my classes labeled: As_Scheduled, or why the payment tab wasn’t accurate. Then I discovered that there's not going to be a response back, or items will not be refreshed from most things until 12pm or 12 AM. That’s when the system will clear out and you’ll be able to see what’s going on. So as the great firemen* have said to me more than once: plz wait.
They are watching, always watching
Okay that sounds way more creepy than it actually, is, though it’s still kind of creepy. The fourth thing that I wish I knew before I started teaching was that there when you’re in the classroom, it is always recording. The second you enter in the classroom a recording has begun so even if you have it open your camera, if your microphone is on you are being recorded. My microphone didn’t have a mute button, so if I entered the classroom early, my audio was recording. I didn’t realize that so as I was looking through the slides, I’d be talking to my husband or talking to my dog, while I was in the classroom waiting for student. All of that was recorded…. If i made any weird bodily noises…..it was all recorded. Classes are recorded and teachers and students and VIPKID peoples can go into the classroom and watch the playback. Those first few classes, I’m not really sure what all is recorded and I could go back and watch… but I really am a little afraid of what I’d hear!
I think I'm going to like this
The last thing I wish I knew before I started teaching in the classroom was really how fun it was going to be. I was nervous and worried that I would mess things up and teach a student the wrong things, or break the internet trying to figure out the system. I wasn’t sure how the students were going to be? Were they were going to behave? Were they’re going to listen to me? Are they excited to learn English? After my first few trials and then starting to get some regular students booked, I just can’t get over how much fun and how exciting it is! Every class is different, Every student is different, and it’s so nice that the curriculum is already laid out for you! As long as you are prepped and know what's on the slides all you really have to do is bring your energy, bring yourself, bring your fun, and the kids will have a good time as well! I am absolutely not a morning person but I am finding myself waking up earlier and earlier so that I can open more slots so that I can get more bookings, meet more students, and ultimately get paid more!
So in summary, the top five things I wish I knew before my first day of teaching for VIPKID:
Don't use the word 'silly'
There is no way to END the lesson, aside from exiting the classroom
Things do not update until 12
When in the classroom it is always recording you. Audio and/or video.
It is an absolutely fun job!
Please let me know if you have any questions or if you are interested in applying to become a teacher, I would love to help you out if I can!
Below is my referral link, if you apply using my link, it will notify me, and I will reach out to you to help you along your journey to becoming a VIPKID teacher!
https://t.vipkid.com.cn/?refereeId=7138938&refersourceid=a01
*Disclaimer: If you get hired and start teaching, I do get incentive pay for being your referral.
**Disdisclaimer: That is another thing I learned about working for VIPKID, there are so many students using the platform and they are looking to find awesome teachers to join the team as well!
(I don't think disdisclaimers are things...?)
Take care,
- NL