I have officially been working from home and teaching for VipKid for 100 days!  If you don’t know what that is, it’s a company based in China that connects Chinese students with American teachers to learn English through their online portal.image source

I work from home, which allows me to bring in an extra $400-$1000 per month, just working a few hours each week (between 10 and 20).  

To learn more about what’s involved in working, read this article I wrote that answers a lot of FAQ, and if you have more questions, feel free to send them my way!  Write in the comments, or send me an e-mail at tlcohen91@gmail.com.

If you have a (mildly) fun/ outgoing personality and don’t mind working with kids, want to be able to roll out of bed, turn on the computer, and get to work, then I highly recommend applying!  Or maybe you prefer to work at night?  You can begin work as early as 9 pm and go as late as you want!  Even if you’re *kind of* considering it, just do it!  Apply, get hired, and have it as a back up for extra money.  To be able to work from home is a dream!

You can work as much or as little as you want, and take days or weeks off when you are busy, which means you can work 0 hours, or 3-4/ hours per day, which is what I do.

The “open” times for this company in China (it is based in China, as you will be teaching Chinese kids) is from 9:00 AM-9:30 PM, which is a 12 hour time difference for us here on the east coast of the USA.  That means that “work hours” are from 9:00 PM-9:30 AM.  There are definitely teachers that choose to work all night, or from 4 AM – 10 AM.  

I am not one of them.  

I am a morning person, but not THAT much.  Instead, I prefer to do ‘split shifts’ on the days when I have nothing else going on, or just work in the mornings on my busier days / when I have work at other jobs.

To put it more consisely, I “open” my schedule from 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM  and from 9:00 PM- 10:30 PM, Monday- Friday.  If all of my slots get filled with classes, I teach 6 classes in the morning (each 25 minutes) and 3 classes at night (each 25 minutes). 

How much could I earn?

• $8.00 ‘base pay’
• $1.00 for completing the class
• $0.50-$1.00 for each completed class that month
• Total: $9.50-$10.00 for each 25 minute class, which is $85.50- $90 per day, or $427.50-$450 per WEEK.
• (In reality, I earn about $200/ week because I don’t choose to work as much as I could).

Am I getting rich off of this?  No.  Am I making some money?  YES.

Here is a look into what my morning looks like:

6:00 AM.  Alarm goes off and I hit snooze.

6:09 AM.  Alarm goes off again, I check the app to see if my classes are still on and I get up.

6:09-6:20 AM.  I put on running shorts and my orange t-shirt.  I sort of brush my hair, and put on some heavy make up (makes me look less dead).

6:20 AM.  Turn on the computer and make sure it’s plugged in and charging.  I also organize my work station (a.k.a organize the markers, plug in the headphones, fill a glass of water, get some paper, make sure my “reward system” is set up, and check to make sure I have my ‘props’ or flash cards I want to use [don’t get scared, this doesn’t have to be a lot- maybe a ball or a cup if the student is learning it that day]).Here’s my ‘classroom’, in all it’s glory.

6:30 AM.  Go downstairs with the dog and let him out, then make coffee and eat a bowl of bran flakes because I am an elderly woman to my core.

6:50 AM.  Back upstairs to open the VipKid website, and just generally ‘get in the zone’.

6:57 AM.  Enter my first class, but I don’t open the camera.  If the student is there, I write “Hello!  Class will begin in x minutes”

6:59 and 55 seconds.  Open my camera with a huge smile and say “hello!!!!”

7:00-7:25 AM.  Teach teach teach.  It’s actually so enjoyable and the kids are really fun!

7:25- 7:29 AM.  Quickly write constructive feedback for my student and the parents.  Then I stand up, stretch, pee if I need, adjust things on the computer, get ready for next class.

7:29 and 55 seconds.  The same as before.

8:00 AM- 10:00 AM.  I repeat this cycle until all classes finish.  More often than not, a student or two doesn’t show up for class (which you are still paid for!!!) so I use that time to get more coffee, work on this lovely blog of mine, or waste time on Facebook.  Sometimes Teddy gets lucky and gets a walk.

10:00 AM.  Work is done!  Now I have the full day to do what I want!  Take today (Saturday) for example:  After class, I had a snack, met a friend to get my nails done, went for a walk, had lunch, made tortillas with my mom, and wrote three blog posts.  It’s only 2:30 PM.  

Once school starts, this schedule will change and I will probably only teach one hour in the morning and one in the evening and then spend the rest of the day at school.  Still, that will be an additional $40/ day, which comes to (at least) $200/ week and $800/ month (but likely more because I will teach a few hours on the weekend too).  

I hope that gave you some insight into what it’s like working for VipKid!  If you want to apply, please USE THIS LINK and then contact me and I can give you helpful pointers!

**FYI:  A college degree is required to apply for this job.