Teaching Online in Retirement
My VIPKID Gig
I started teaching on the VIPKID.com platform in 2019. I had watched my daughter-in-law teach on the platform and knew she enjoyed it, so when she went back to full-time teaching in the local school system, I picked up her files and props and decided to give it a try myself. I had just retired from full-time teaching in schools, but didn’t feel like I was ready to stop teaching yet.
VIPKID requires that each teacher have a bachelor’s degree and at least 2 years of experience teaching. Each teacher must also get a security clearance. Most of the teachers are from the US and Canada. They want teachers with a North American accent.
Teachers on the VIPKID platform must be TESOL-trained and hold a valid certification. TESOL stands for “Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages”. I am a certified science teacher, but after being accepted as a potential VIPKID teacher, I completed TESOL training through their platform. I also completed their online ESL course and received my ESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certification.
VIPKID develops lessons and finds and matches students with courses and lessons. When parents apply for courses on the platform, the student’s level of English is assessed, and the student is placed at what seems to be the appropriate level. Parents then book teachers who are certified for the course and level their child was placed.
I log onto their booking calendar, indicate when I am available to teach, and specify whether I require 24 hours' notice for a class or if I am willing to teach a class with only 2 hours’ notice. I have submitted a sample lesson for parents to view, and they can access my Teacher Profile to see what I have taught and my certifications, which helps match me with their child.
My daily routine is to check the calendar each afternoon to see the lessons scheduled for the next day. I check to see the name and age of each student in my schedule. Then I click on the Materials link to do a quick run-through of the lesson. Recent lessons I have taught include a series of lessons about “Body Parts”, “Clothes We Wear”, “Activities We Do”, “Seasons”, and "Fairy Tales”. etc. The Materials preview of the lesson allows me to view the lesson objectives. For example, the Objective for my next Body Parts lessons is: “I will learn the names of my main body parts.” The Vocabulary terms are: “head, hands, fingers”. The Sentence Patterns are: “How many fingers/ heads/ shoes, etc. do you have? We have ___. We have ___ in all.” The Grammar is a focus on “Regular Plurals”.
Then I view the lesson slide by slide. Since each lesson with the student must be completed in 25 minutes, this preview helps me to plan the timing. During this preview, I also organize props that I will use during the lesson.
The VIPKID platform took a major hit in August 2021. Due to changes in Chinese government policy, VIPKid had to stop booking new classes for students in China with foreign teachers residing outside of China. After November 2021, VIPKID transitioned to a new model, focusing on a global platform for students outside of China and offering classes with teachers who are either based in China or hold proper licenses. They also developed classes for students in Korea and in Saudi Arabia.
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I followed the changes to the company, but didn’t obtain certification to teach in any of their new programs. We were doing a lot of traveling, and I started writing here on Medium, so I put VIPKID aside.
This summer, I started hearing about people teaching on VIPKID to students in China again. In September, I entered my availability into the online booking calendar. I wasn’t certified for any of the new courses aimed at the Korean or Saudi students, but was still certified for the courses for students in China. To my surprise, I got booked.
If you are interested, the prime time for classes is from 5:00 AM to 8:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. This aligns with when students in China return home from school and are ready to start their after-school classes.
You need a computer, and of course, a stable network connection. When I was teaching in from 2019–2021, I tried teaching while traveling. If I were staying with a friend and had a good connection, all was well. However, if we ended up in a hotel or Airbnb without a fast and stable connection, it was difficult to teach.
It is also helpful to have a setting that resembles a classroom, although you can now apply a filter to mask what is behind you. I have a lot of grandkids' toys around, so some of them are in the background as I’m teaching. You need props, but don’t spend much to get them. I use many toys that my grandkids no longer use, or I sometimes buy things in Dollar Stores, thrift shops, or garage sales. I also have a file of my printed photos. It is convenient to have animal photos (C is for Cat, D is for Dog, E is for Elephant, etc.)
If you are interested, go to VIPKID.com. Tell them Teacher Rhonda N told you about the program. Note: My last name does not start with the letter N, but within the VIPKID network, I am Teacher Rhonda N.
You get paid for teaching, of course. Teaching just 2 or 3 lessons 5 days/week, I’m earning about $400/month. I don’t teach on Saturday or Sunday. I could add weekend classes to my schedule to earn more, but I spend my weekend time with my grandkids.
What’s the best thing about teaching with VIPKID? It means I start my day with a smile. What fun to have a boy tell me he is looking at a beautiful full moon in a dark sky, and I can reply that the sun is coming up here, but I will look for the full moon when it is night here in Florida, and then the next day, show him the photo of the full moon that I took at night. What fun to have a young girl tell me her family includes her mother, father, aunt, and her teddy bear. How fascinating to have a 17-year-old talk about her concern about which university she will qualify to attend.
My family knows that when I’m done with my morning classes, I will be smiling and laughing about some exchange that happened during the morning, and will already be looking forward to the next lessons. It’s a great way to start the day.
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