I’m very excited to teach English while traveling the world in 2020. I have been teaching English online for over a year now. I have travelled to Colombia and driven to Orlando. Now I’m ready to take it to Europe.
I teach with a company in China called VIPKID. They provide the students for me and I teach them through video chat. It’s like their very own Skype with power-points. All of the students live in China and speak Chinese. No, you don’t have to speak Chinese to teach English (I get this question asked A LOT)
Age of students: 4-12
Pay: $16-$22 ph (depending on your experience, how often you teach etc.)
Needed: A bachelors degree & at least 1 year of teaching experience (this could be babysitting…that’s what I put!)
The Pros:
1. You get to choose your own hours.
Do you need the weekend off? you can take it off! Can you only teach two hours a week? Teach two hours a week! You are your own boss.
2. You don’t have to make lesson plans.
Hallelujha!! I’ve heard from countless teachers that the absolute worst part of teaching is preparing lessons for your students. Ugh! I hate the idea of having to go to class, teach, then come home to work on lesson plans!
VIPKID provides the lesson for you, all you have to do is review it before you teach. The more you teach with them the more often you’re going to get the same lesson plan. You’ll teach it so many times that you wont have to review it anymore and when you’re done with class, you’re done!
3. You can teach anywhere…with wifi.
No really, I have taught in peoples bathrooms because I’m really loud and VIPKID doesn’t like any background noise while you teach. All I need is: a chair to sit on, a small table or otherwise to put my laptop on, a backdrop with my name on it (Teacher Sara), headphones with a mic, a couple of props, and that’s it!
4. You don’t have to be committed to a certain number of hours.
Like I mentioned earlier you get to choose your own hours. A contract with VIPKID lasts for 6 months. If you decide not to teach a single class for 6 months you won’t get penalized for it. There isn’t a required number of hours you have to complete.
The Cons:
1. The time difference.
I live in Florida and it’s a 12 hour time difference. The best hours to teach are 6:00pm-10:00pm BEIJING TIME. This means that I am waking up at 5:30am in order to teach classes at 6:00am. Ouch.
2. No benefits.
Even though you can make good money you’ll have to look elsewhere for healthcare, insurance, etc.
3. Cancellation
VIPKID has a strict cancellation policy. You are allowed up to 6 cancellations per contract (6 months). If you cancel a class with more than 24-hour notice there isn’t a consequence. However, 24 hours or less will count against you and VIPKid will deduct $10 for every class you cancel. This includes missing a class, whether you slept in or lost track of time.
4. Taxes
Like I said earlier, you’re your own boss. This means that technically you’re an independent contractor. This means you have to save some of your income to pay your taxes at the end of the year.