Yesterday, I received an email from VIPKID telling me it is time to renew my 4th contract! That means I have been teaching with VIPKID for nearly 18 months! April 1st also marks 1 year since I have been teaching full time hours with VIPKID.
As of today, I have taught 4,782 classes and 1,681 students. That adds up to 119,300 minutes of teaching amazing children on the other side of the world. I literally travel to China every day via the magic of the internet!
Amazing. That is probably the best word to describe this entire VIPKID experience over the last 18 months. I have met so many children who never cease to amaze me. These kids, as young as 3 and 4, are some of the brightest, hardest working children I have ever met. With each 25-minute class, I make connections with children and their families on the other side of the world. Making kids and babies (I love meeting baby siblings) on the other side of the world laugh never, ever gets old. I have so many regular students, some that I have been teaching for over a year, that I adore. I miss them when I don’t see them and I have really been able to get to know them, 25 minutes at a time. I hope to someday soon get to China so I can squeeze as many of them as possible.
The job itself almost all pros for me. I can make my schedule and set my hours without approval or running it by anyone. The lesson plans are all done for me so I log in every day, teach and when I am done teaching, I am done. I don’t have to interact with managers, supervisors, or the company unless I want to besides emails they send out with information about promotions, updates, and other mostly useful information. I don’t have to leave my house so there is no commute time added to my work day. I don’t even need to put on matching pants, appropriate work pants or even actual pants, if I so desire. I do always wear pants though!
For me, the only real con of working with VIPKID is the hours. Doing VIPKID full time makes for some crazy hours because you work Chinese time. I only work during the afternoons and evenings in China, which is the middle of the night and morning hours EST. I usually work 2 am to 10 am on the weekends. Weekdays usually start a little later (3:30 am to 4:30 am) because of the kids’ school day (China is 12 hours ahead of me in North Carolina). BUT. There is a plus side to these hours. I am home and available during most of MY kids’ school day. So if they have an event, their teacher needs a volunteer, they get sick or they stay home sick, I am available! I am also home to pick them from school every day and be with them after school until I go to bed. For me, it is totally worth getting up in the middle of the night to be there for my babies.
The pay. It’s a semi-con. In all honesty, I could be making a lot more money if I went out and got a “real” job in my field. I have a law degree and was a litigation attorney before I quit to be home with my kids. I could be, probably should be, making more than $20 to $24 an hour. But. I would have to put on real pants. Drive to an office. Work long hours and overtime. Bring work home with me. Possibly travel.
I would not be as flexible for my kids. They would need to go to after school care every day and go to day care during the summer. After a long school day that starts at 7:30 am, I am willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be home with them after school and spend the summers with them. They are only children for such a short amount of time and I missed so much of their baby and toddler years. The mama guilt is real. And its strong.
Both of the “cons” of this gig are almost non-existent if you are teaching for VIPKID as a side gig. You can tailor your schedule to an hour or two of classes before your day job if you don’t mind getting up a little earlier. Or limit it to Friday/Saturday evenings. Or Saturday/Sunday mornings. An average of an hour a day will bring home approximately an extra $600 a month. When the day comes that I decide to put on real pants and get an out-of-the house job, you can bet I will still be teaching with VIPKID on the side! Besides loving my regular students, the extra income is so easy and FUN to make!
If you are interested in teaching with VIPKID, as a side gig, full time or somewhere in between, I would love to help you with the process! I have a lot of experience under my belt after 18 months and can help you get started! You can get more information and fill out the VIPKID application:
Becoming Domesticated 