My VIPKid Teacher Journey
From Digital Nomad to English Universe and Beyond…
My online teaching life began with VIPKid, which gave me the freedom to travel the world while teaching English remotely.
VIPKid was my key to living the digital nomad life, allowing me to teach students from around the world, live in different countries, and pay off my debts.
After the shutdown of Chinese teaching companies, I pivoted to focus on building my own platform—Going Up Education—which has grown into an entire English Universe for Pioneer Teachers and Students.
Now, as VIPKid is back in action, I’ve decided to reopen my classes to supplement my income while focusing on expanding our offerings in the English Universe.
Buckle Up to Explore:
Getting Started with VIPKid
I was first introduced to VIPKid by my cousin, who inspired me to take the leap into online teaching. I never could have imagined that this opportunity would change my life so drastically.
As a VIPKid teacher I was able to live in Italy, Spain, Morocco, Vietnam, and Thailand, all while teaching online. VIPKid was a “freedom card,” making my dream of traveling and working online a fast reality.
I could choose my schedule, teach from anywhere with an internet connection, and support my travels—even while paying off credit card debt. VIPKid truly unlocked my universe, giving me the freedom I’d always wanted since childhood and rendering me debt-free.
VIPKid allowed me to become location independent, teaching over 5,000 students while traveling the world. VIPKid wasn’t just a job; it unlocked my universe, allowing me to travel, live debt-free, and pursue my dreams.
Chinese Teaching Company Shutdown
When all Chinese English teaching companies, including VIPKid, shut down foreign teacher access, it sent shockwaves through the teaching community.
Like many others, I was devastated and panicked. The once-easy task of finding a job in the industry became near impossible, with thousands of teachers suddenly out of work.
I spent months exploring alternative income streams and worked with smaller companies. It was during this time that I began building my own platform, focusing on private teaching and developing lesson content that fit my vision for online education.
VIPKid's Comeback
Why I Turned Classes Back On
While VIPKid has been offering its global platform for some time, I only recently decided to reopen my classes.
They were offering returning teachers an opportunity to earn more if they opened a certain number of classes in October.
Since I’ve found a good flow in building the English Universe, I have a bit of extra time and thought it was the perfect moment to take advantage of the offer and bring in some extra income.
Surprisingly, all of my October classes were booked without me updating my old profile picture, description, or intro video. I believe the consistency in my teaching and the relationships I built with students during my previous time on VIPKid is what still resonates with families. It was a pleasant surprise to see that my existing profile was enough to fill my schedule.
With my focus on building the English Universe, I turned to VIPKid again to supplement my income—taking some stress off finding new students. VIPKid allows me to maintain financial stability while I focus on expanding the English Universe.
Teacher Rachel
Right now, most of my time is focused on building our English Universe for teachers. We’re currently working on expanding to student-focused content like online workbooks and homework packets.
Teaching a few VIPKid classes each week allows me to supplement my income while staying focused on growing my platform without the stress of constantly looking for new students.
Luckily, VIPKid makes scheduling easy by allowing me to sync my VIPKid and Google calendars. This ensures I don’t overbook myself and can focus on improving the English Universe for most of the day.
Supplementing Private Teaching Income
The Benefits of Working with VIPKid while Building Your Business
The biggest advantage of teaching with VIPKid is the steady stream of students. While private teaching definitely pays more, finding students can be a challenge, especially when you’re also building your own business. VIPKid provides that stability without requiring me to focus on marketing or invoicing, which takes a load off my shoulders.
One of the toughest parts of private teaching is finding students. I’ve had success through LinkedIn and Xiaohongshu, where I post clips of my classes to attract parents, but it’s still a lot of effort. VIPKid removes the challenges of finding students and communicating with parents, allowing me to focus purely on teaching.
For teachers looking to supplement their income, consider reopening classes with VIPKid or exploring other platforms. You can also branch out into specialized niches like business English or test prep, which can attract more students. Leveraging your skills outside of teaching, like translation work, is another option to diversify your income.
VIPKid Influence in the English Universe
Teaching with VIPKid helped me understand how to structure fun, balanced lessons that combine speaking, reading, comprehension, and phonics.
Their lessons are designed for optimal engagement, and that’s something I’ve applied to the lesson plans we create for our Pioneer Teachers and Students.
Going Up lessons are also designed to fit into the same 25-minute blocks, making them perfect for focused, effective learning sessions.
VIPKid is a great option for teachers who want a steady stream of students while still working on their own projects.
Teacher Rachel
How to Start Teaching with VIPKid
Application Process:
1] Create an Account: Sign up on VIPKid’s website and provide basic details.
2] Demo Lesson: Record a short demo video to showcase your teaching style.
3] Certification: After your demo, you’ll teach a mock class with a current VIPKid teacher to help prepare for real lessons.
4] Sign the Contract: Once everything is completed (including a background check), you’re ready to start teaching.
Pay:
Teachers earn between $14-$22 per hour depending on experience, performance in the interview/demo, and incentives.
Each class is 25 minutes long and pays $7-$9 per class, with opportunities to boost income through referrals and bonuses.
You can choose to be paid weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, and payment is deposited directly into your bank account or PayPal.
Teaching Hours:
VIPKid offers complete flexibility with no minimum hours. You set your own schedule and can work as much or as little as you’d like.
Peak teaching times are typically between 6-9 pm Beijing Time on weekdays and weekends, which translates to early mornings for teachers in North America (depending on your time zone.
Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in any field
- At least 2 years of teaching, tutoring, coaching, or mentoring experience
- Legal eligibility to work in the U.S. or Canada
Teaching with VIPKid offers flexibility and a stable source of income for teachers who prefer to work from home or need to supplement their income while working on other projects. Sign up to teach here.
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