Looking for the Perfect Work-From-Home Job

Looking for a way to supplement your family’s income? I’m so excited to bring you this guest post from an old friend of mine in Louisiana about a perfect work-from-home job – VIPKID teacher!

Karen is a stay at home mom to 6 children and has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Her husband works for the Air Force and has moved them all over the country. She is excited about this at-home teaching job she began a year ago because she can continue to teach no matter where they move.

A year ago my dream job came at me from nowhere. Seriously. Ok, not nowhere—it came from China.

I was not looking for a job, but when someone told me they were applying to teach English classes online to Chinese students (from home, no less) I was intrigued.

Really? That’s a thing? Can I do it?

I did a little research, wondered if it was a scam, talked to my husband, couldn’t get it out of my head, researched more, and two days later I was applying to teach with VIPKID. If they asked me for a credit card number, I was out of there! In fact, I taught over two weeks before I even gave them my bank account info. I finally relented because I wanted the $1,000 I had earned!

Long story short, I am in love with hundreds of children on the other side of the world. And I believe that love is reciprocated. These students are nothing like American students—and yet they are. What do I mean by that? You’ll have to experience it to understand.

What is VIPKID?

A year ago I was one of 2,000 teachers teaching a handful of the 20,0000 students enrolled in a 2-year old company. Now they are 20,000 teachers and 200,000 students strong. There are over 200 million children in China, so we have oceans of room to grow. Students are flocking and VIPKID is hiring in large numbers.

Now for the FUN stuff!

I teach ONE-ON-ONE classes! No joke. Just me and a darling student speaking English together using VIPKID-prepared slides. Yes. You heard that right, seasoned teachers, VIPKID plans the lessons for me! I simply log into the classroom and off we go. (OK, I do check my classes beforehand so there are no surprises, but my planning takes less time than it takes to drive to school.)

Is being a VIPKID teacher worth it?

“Flexibility” you ask? Have you ever been a substitute teacher? Being a VIPKID teacher is THAT flexible. I tell them the days and hours each week that I want to teach and they load me up with students! Some weeks I teach more, some less. When my mom called to say she had cancer and I wanted to be there for her, I simply packed up my laptop and took my job with me 1,000 miles away. What about when my husband is relocated? I’ll take my job with me—even if it’s overseas! No more “Off we go into the wild, blue yonder” without a job.

The timing can be a little tricky considering I am half-way around the world from the hundreds of children I love. Prime teaching time is from 7am-9am EST. (7pm-9pm Beijing time). But for me that works. My husband is still home getting ready for work, and he can coo with the baby while I teach.

I’ve personally chosen to teach 4am-8am CST because I am crazy-in-love with this job. But no need to open up so many slots. Mornings not your thing? No problem—I also teach Friday and Saturday nights which are China’s Saturday and Sunday mornings. I mean, admit it, aren’t you usually home staring at a computer screen most Friday and Saturday nights anyway?

Of course we’re all wondering about pay…momma needs her bacon. (Daddy too—they love male teachers.) Class slots are 30 minutes each and pay $10 per class… that’s $20 an hour! A VIPKID teacher can earn a little more with bonuses too.

What are the requirements to be a VIPKID teacher?

You need to have a bachelor’s degree–ANY bachelor’s degree—in any field. You also need a year’s teaching experience. It doesn’t have to be in a classroom. It can be online, a tutor in college, in church, etc. (Yes, Sunday school counts!)

Intrigued? Check out this darling video of a lesson in action: