Teaching for VIPKid: with Complete Interview Demo

I have a true love and passion for teaching. I taught for 6 years prior to our daughter being born and then took a couple of years off to be home with her. It was during this time that I discovered the wonderful world of online teaching. Learn about the updated hiring process for VIPKID here.

I was blessed to get a job with a leading online school in my state and I worked for them for 7 years teaching online daily to my students. I love everything about teaching online. I think it is simply fascinating that I can sit in my living room and interact with, talk to, and teach a student across the state or even the world!

I was able to successfully demonstrate concepts, administer tests, and build relationships with families.

I recently came across VIPKID through an ad I found online. VIPKID is a program that uses teachers across the world to teach English to children in China. No teaching experience required!

I clicked on the ad on a Wednesday evening at 7:30. I had my first interview with VIPKID at 2am that same night (morning). I spent Thursday reviewing the information and preparing for my first mock class, which I completed on Friday morning, and by Friday evening my second mock class was completed. I got hired on Saturday to be a VIPKID teacher!

Now, this was a very fast way to go through their hiring process and it was a complete whirlwind! I had to move quickly because I was taking a trip to the Panama Canal and knew I’d be leaving on Sunday at 4am for that trip so I just wanted to get everything done as quickly as possible. The timeline they recommend is ten days, so let me start by assuring you it doesn’t all have to move so quickly for you.

There are 3 stages to the VIPKID interview process. The first step, once you’ve submitted your info, is to schedule a time to interview. During this interview you’ll spend time talking with a VIPKID staff member. You can use this time to get any questions answered that you may have. You’ll also use 10 minutes of this interview to “teach” the staff member a lesson that they’ll provide.

The staff member pretends he is a 5-year-old Chinese student who doesn’t know English. You’ll likely be teaching him one or two letter names and sounds. I think I had the letter P.

My first tip for the interview stage is to make sure you have a headset! My mentor had a hard time understanding me and I could barely understand him as well. We have a microphone built in to our laptop but it wasn’t sufficient. You can get a headset fairly cheap.

Another tip for the interview stage is to speak slowly and clearly. It is also helpful to use props; for the letter P, I used my daughter’s panda. I wouldn’t spend too much on props for this stage. Just use what you have at home and be excited and energetic while teaching.

After the interview is over they’ll let you know if they want to move forward.

At this point he told me he’d like to hire me in at $20 an hour. That’s a pretty good beginning rate. They advertise that you can start out anywhere from $14-$22 an hour so don’t be discouraged if your rate is lower. I believe my experience teaching online helped my rate. They offer incentives and ways to earn bonuses so you can always work to earn more.

After the interview, I scheduled my Mock 1 Class. This is a class where you’ll be teaching a 25-minute lesson to an adult (mentor teacher). Once I passed the interview stage, I did decide to go out and purchase a few things for my “classroom.”

I literally just went to the Dollar Tree and got a couple of whiteboards, a map, a banner, a set of flashcards, and a set of alphabet blocks. I didn’t want to break the bank because in order to start you have to pass 2 mock classes. I, once again, rummaged through my children’s toys to find stuffed animals, emoji pillows, and letters that I could use as props for my mock class.

Once you finish the 25-minute lesson, the mentor teacher will give you some feedback and you’ll schedule a second mock class. During Mock 1 you’ll be teaching a younger student (aka mentor pretending to be young). During Mock 2 you’ll teach a more advanced student (aka mentor teacher pretending to be more advanced.)

My advice for the Mock 1 & 2 classes would be to make sure you are energetic, use your hands often and be sure to integrate props. Speak slowly and clearly and wait for the student to respond when you ask questions.

I am a really fast talker in my normal everyday life, but for some reason I actually went over quite a bit on my first mock class. The mentor suggested I use a timer for my Mock 2 and that worked beautifully!! I highly recommend that. I just used my cell phone stopwatch and made sure I didn’t spend more than 1 minute per slide.

Once you pass the mock classes you’re good to go! This is my first full week of teaching and I have 8 classes scheduled currently. VIPKID provides all of the PowerPoint lessons for you. You simply log in and click on the classrooms tab to load them before your class begins.

I have several specific tips on my YouTube channel to help you get through your interview & mock classes.

VIPKID is a strong company to work for! They are really in need of quality teachers right now as they are growing rapidly. They’re a few years old and have already won a number of awards in China as well as the backing of reputable investors like Kobe Bryant! I researched and read several reviews and really feel confident in the company as a whole and the direction they’re going.

If you have a bachelor’s degree and a computer and you’re wanting to work from home, I think you’ll love teaching for VIPKID! It is very rewarding to teach the Chinese students English. You get to set your own hours too! Give it a try today! You’ve got nothing to lose!