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Are you wanting to earn a little extra money? No matter if you have an extra bill or are you saving up for something special, a little extra cash is always a good thing. But, sometimes getting a second part-time job is just not ideal. Don’t get discouraged yet. There are so many side hustles you can do from home. Many of them have flexible hours and can help you earn extra money very easily without going out and getting a second job. My current favorite side-hustle is VIPKID which is helping me earn $800 extra a month from my house. Usually in my PJ’s too.
Last November, Hubs got laid off from his job. The company he worked for could no longer sustain his position, which meant we were broke. Right before Christmas. Fun. He started applying for other work right away, but was too late to get picked up for most holiday jobs.
We quickly found out most corporate positions in his field do not hire in the winter. Our budget was filling the pinch. We both knew we were going to need to get creative in order to make it through the winter. Not having many other options, we started to look into some side hustles. We didn’t get to just sit on the couch and earn money, but with a little creative job hunting, we both found part time work that we could do with very little inconvenience to ourselves. Enter, our side hustles.
How can I earn money by sitting at home?
You can’t. Unless you have already invested a serious amount of time, blood, sweat, and tears into establishing a brand or company that can turn you a passive income. But, that kind of thing takes years of hard, dedicated work and an extremely good plan.
But, you can earn money from home, while you are sitting with very little inconvenience to you. As technology develops and companies get more creative, working remotely is becoming a much more viable option for many people. This is great news for those of us who want to earn a little extra money but don’t want to get a part-time job somewhere new. If you have a good internet connection, a decent car, or a phone, there are some great choices for you.
Some of the best ideas we found as we both looked for some part-time mulah were:
- Amazon
Recently, Amazon began hiring people to work remotely by answering their customer service calls. I recently had to call about my password. The woman who helped me had everything she needed, but was working from home instead of a call center. Which, if you ask me, is a much nicer option for a side-hustle.
- Door Dash
Ok, so this is not, strictly speaking, at home. But Door Dash is what my husband eventually settled on trying for his side hustle. The company had some quirks, and he had to be in specific places to receive orders, but as he put it, “I just made $100 for just driving around.” If you like to drive and are great with directions, this could be a good option for you. Plus, your car will smell yummy all the time.
- Blogging
Obviously, I took up blogging. It was a very inexpensive investment to begin. But, I knew the process would not be quick. I am still a technically a beginner and am not making anything close to an income from the blog. While a blog gives me a lot of flexibility with my time, it wasn’t going to give us the results we needed when we were suddenly forced to rely on one, small teacher’s salary.
- Teaching English online
This is where I eventually settled for my side-hustle. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I had a friend who used to teach with a similar program and loved it. So, I thought I would give it a try. I had a laptop with a passable webcam and microphone, so I grabbed some of the teaching supplies I bought myself back in college and haven’t used at this school and set up a virtual classroom. The program interface is easy to use, and VIPKID provides all the lesson for you.
If you have a background in teaching or ESL, this is such a great way to earn a little extra cash from the comfort of your home, in your pj’s, with a cup of coffee in your hand. If you don’t, no fear. VIPKID provides training, free webinars, and all the support you could need.
What is VIPKID?
The shortest way to say it is, VIPKID is an online teaching platform that connects native English speakers with children in China to tutor them in English. Parents find you and book you to tutor their child through VIPKID. The company provides all curriculum and connects you and your pupil through a virtual classroom. You can see and talk to the student through something similar to Skype. Both of you have simultaneous access to the provided curriculum power point.
Teaching English online is a rising field. Non-native English speakers are willing to pay for good instruction from a native English speaker. Children using VIPKID are given an immersion style instruction. I cannot speak Chinese. Other than a few greeting and food words, I am stuck. So, I give all instructions, etc, in English. We also cover conversational sentence frames, vocabulary, and grammar.
As a teacher, I really like the way the company sets up the curriculum. The students move through it in a progression that is similar to the way I teach my little firsties how to read. The company has gained a lot of popularity, both in the USA and Canada, with recruiting, and in China with gaining students. You can even meet and get to know teachers in your area through a VIPKID teacher meet-up.
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Do I need a degree?
You need a bachelor’s degree in order to teach with VIPKID. The degree does not need to be in education or ESL. If you have a teaching background, VIPKID is an excellent option because it is already something you are skilled in. But, if you have a degree in business or theater, don’t worry. The curriculum is provided. VIPKID trains you on the curriculum and provides many opportunities for professional development through free virtual workshops.
How much do you earn with VIPKID?
The range of what you earn varies. When you get hired, the company will offer you a base pay of $7-$9 a class based on your experience and your initial interview. Each class is 25 minutes, so that means you can earn anywhere from $14-$18 dollars an hour.
But, wait, there’s more. If you show up to your class on time, you get an extra dollar. And you should show up on time. Think of it as a scheduled job. You have a student waiting for you on the other end. If you teach 30-45 classes per month, you get an extra 50 cents per class. If you teach 45 or more classes per month, you get an extra dollar per class.
VIPKID will often run incentives to teachers who are opening up x amount of time slots. In May, I earned an extra $50 just from having time slots open I was going to work in the first place.
And, if you have any friends who are also interested in the company, you get a referral fee if they sign up with your code. There are also other options for you to work as an interviewer or recruiter earning you even more.
So, let’s put it all together:
- $7-$9 an hour as a base pay.
- $1 per class for showing up on time.
- $1 per class for teaching 45 or more classes
Without any extra incentives or referrals, you are making $9-$11 a class. You can teach two classes an hour, so you have the potential to make a minimum of $18-$22 an hour. That is not too shabby for teaching in your PJ’s and slippers.
How much does VIPKID cost?
VIPKID technically doesn’t cost you anything. Parents pay VIPKID for the classes, who in turn pays you. You are responsible for providing any teaching materials you think you need. I would suggest investing in a few small things. Some people have huge, amazing prop collections that they have amassed over time, but if you are broke and wanting to start out, try with just these things.
- Magnetic markerboard (or a piece of white cardstock in a protective sleeve-which is what I started out with)
- Dry erase marker
- Index cards and markers to draw little flashcards
- Magnetic alphabet set from the dollar store like this one
- Metal cookie tray from dollar store like this one
- A webcam (mine is built into my laptop) but I would like to try this one
- A microphone (I started with the one in my laptop, but changed to this one shortly after.)
If you have a color printer, VIPKID provides printables that match their curriculum. You can print off flashcards that will line up with exactly what the students are learning. Many teachers travel and teach, so I try to plan my props as if I was traveling. I have slowly gathered more over the months, but I still try to use only props that will actually help my student. Usually, it is one of the five I have listed above.
What times do you teach with VIPKID?
The hardest about teaching for VIPKID is the times. Students usually book times after they get home from school. Right now, Bejing is 13 hours ahead of Central Time. If you don’t want to do any math, it basically means your morning is their evening. So, if you are going to teach them, you have to be up in the morning. Early in the morning. I generally teach from 5:00-7:30 am during the school year. In the summer, I have been teaching from 5:30-8:30 am. You might also get some bookings on Friday and Saturday evening (Saturday and Sunday morning in China), but I haven’t had much luck with that since daylight savings time in March.
If waking up early isn’t really your thing, you might be interested in reading about how I manage to get up and teach every morning before work.
Related: 8 Benefits of a Morning Routine
Related: How you should start your morning
Why VIPKID?
Ok, let’s get honest. There are a lot of other companies out there that will pay you for your time. Why teach with VIPKID?
- Flexibility. You can change your schedule every week. VIPKID allows you full control and flexibility. They do not give a minimum or maximum on how much work you do a week. You can open up 80 slots or none.
- They pay well for tutoring, especially since you don’t have to go anywhere. I make about $20-$21 an hour doing this. I’ve tutored in the USA before, but, while I make a similar amount of money, I have to prepare each lesson individually for the children. VIPKID has significantly less prep time.
- You can work from home or on the go. As long as you have a solid internet connection, you can teach your classes from anywhere. Hotel rooms, kitchen tables, or patio’s. As long as your background is professional, you are ready to go.
- They provide curriculum. I have tutored my students outside of school. I also teach most of my subjects in small groups. The amount of prep time required for individual instruction is huge. With the provided curriculum, I have very little prep which is vital because each class with each student is different. Plus, I don’t have to be an ESL expert to teach. I can trust the experts who wrote and continue to adjust the curriculum.
- There are many opportunities to boost your earning through incentives and other programs*. It’s not just about teaching the classes.
- You can continue to learn and grow through their extra certification programs, mentorship programs*, and coaching programs*
- They have great response time. Anytime I have contacted them with a question, they have answered it completely and quickly. They have responders in China who speak English very well, and they also have offices in the United States. Most of my communication has been with the Bejing office, and I have always been satisfied with the responses.
- The students are so cute. They are fun to work with and try so hard to learn. Some of them are shy and some are outgoing, but they are all a blast. I have about 20 regulars who book me every week, and I look forward to my classes with them.
Are there any cons to VIPKID?
As with any job, VIPKID isn’t perfect. They have a lot of great things going for them, but my main 5 complaints are:
- The time. This holds true for any program you will be teaching English online with. The times are not convenient. I still wake up at least once a week wondering why I am doing this, but by the time the student is on screen, I am ready to go. I just had to restructure the way I lived my mornings.
- Sick days. VIPKID is pretty strict on class cancellations. You are only allowed 6 cancellations per 6 month contracted period. (They do count 3 cancellations in one day as 1 cancellation) It makes sense. You have a student on the other end of the screen who needs you. But, it can be difficult if you are suddenly very ill or have a family emergency.
- Taxes. You will be in charge of all of your own taxes. VIPKID does not take taxes from your check. So, make sure you talk with your accountant to see how to claim your earnings.
- Bookings. I have 20 regular clients. Even so, I still rarely fill every single booking slot I open and am available for. VIPKID does not fill my slots. Parents go through the database of available teachers and book your classes. It is competitive, and you have to be prepared to stand out.
- Client communication. While I spend a lot of time communicating with students, I do not get to communicate with parents. I write feedback about the class at the end of each lesson that gets translated and sent through VIPKID. But, unless a parent decides to leave me feedback on my profile, I do not hear from them.
While there are some challenges to working online, I love the opportunity and that it has allowed me to have the flexibility to work from home in a field I enjoy and feel comfortable in. I have learned a lot about teaching ESL students that has transferred over to my work in a public school classroom as well. If you are interested in teaching English online, I would highly suggest trying VIPKID. There is not really a risk on your end, because if you hate it, you can just stop opening up booking slots.
Are you ready to earn some extra cash?
VIPKID is a no risk program. Try it, and love it. Or try it and decide to stop booking classes. If you are interested in teaching English online, you can apply today. I would love to help you pass your interviews and mock classes (where you teach a short 10 minute demo class). Use my referral link to sign up. Please email me or comment below if you have any questions about VIPKID. I would love to help you with anything you need along the way.
