Over a year ago we were working on our various businesses and goals and while they were doing well- we were reinvesting a good portion of the money we were making back into them. Because of that I went looking for a job that I could work from home, would give me a decent amount of time freedom, was well paying, wouldn’t take time away from my kids or my business goals, and would be a great option for our family. I also loved the flexibility to set our own schedules easily. I stumbled across VIPKID and soon applied and made it through the application process. A year later and not only am I still loving the job, but it helps us to be able to make money and travel full-time as a family.
If you aren’t familiar with VIPKID, it’s an online teaching platform available to Chinese students to learn English from native speakers. You don’t have to know any Chinese, you don’t have to prepare lesson content, all you do is show up and teach 25 minutes of a prepared powerpoint and have fun with cute Chinese kids.
If you are considering becoming a new VIPKid Teacher please consider using my referral link: I do receive a small bonus for every new teacher I refer.
See related:
How much money I make working for VIPKid
15 Classroom Essentials For New VIPKid Teachers
What it’s like to travel in an RV Full-time as a family of 6
Why VIPKid Is Great For Travel
VIPKid is great for those who want to travel and make money on the road because you are location independent. We know many that travel full-time working at VIPKid. As long as you have a good internet source, a quiet room, and good lighting then it doesn’t matter where you work! The hours are also ideal for travelers (depending on what part of the world you are currently traveling). Lessons are taught on the Chinese schedule and they tend to be early in the mornings or late at nights. You can work early in the morning and still get out and enjoy the whole rest of your day sight-seeing, eating good food, or lounging by the pool and if you desire come back and work a few more hours at night.
The schedule is totally flexible as in you set your own hours. You work when you want to work and you don’t when you don’t want to! It works out great for travelers because some weeks you may want to cram in as many hours as you can and then the next just do a few here and there.
The pay is pretty decent, especially for part-time work. Pay starts at $18-22 an hour for little to no prep work and using hours you probably weren’t using to make money anyways.
Getting Started with VIPKID
If you are not currently hired with VIPKID and would like to consider the option for either working remotely, at home, or on the road and travel full-time, VIPKid can be a great source of income. Typically I make anywhere from $1,500 to $2,500 a month working at about $20 an hour. Not too shabby for a couple mornings a week, teaching in my pajamas (and orange shirt of course). The pay ranges from $9-$11 a class and if you teach two classes an hour you can make $18-22 dollars per hour. Pay is based on performance from your interview as well as taking into account your qualifications.
All you need is any Bachelor Degree or higher from an accredited college and some experience teaching kids. You do not need a teaching degree or certificate for this job. If you happen to have a masters degree or TOEFL or TESOL certificate it will help you though. Parent’s love to book as teachers with those qualifications.
Your first step is to click this link and sign up. It is recommended to use a referral to get hired as you will have someone to ask questions to and help you through the process. I am happy to be your referral and would love to help you out. Please use my link found here:
Then you will need to prepare for your mock interview (contact your referral for help). When you’re ready you will do a mock class or two to help you prepare for teaching. After a few workshops, you will be ready to set your own schedule and open up some classes.
What New VIPKid Teacher’s Need To Know
Getting bookings with VIPKID is not instantaneous. I go into this more in my how much money do I make with VIPKID post. It took me several months to get regular bookings and make the kind of money I wanted to make. This is not a quick fix for income because it takes some work to build up steady students. This is also not a typical job. You are a contract employee so you’ll get what you put into it. You are not guaranteed any kind of income until you teach. I will say it’s typical for it to take your entire first contract (each contract is 6 months) to build up a solid schedule of bookings.
If you are planning to hit the road in a few months or travel overseas and want to rely upon VIPKID for income you need to get started NOW. Do not wait any longer to get hired. In order for parent’s to want to book you as a teacher you need positive feedback from other students and it takes time to build that up.
How to Teach From the Road
If you are already traveling and looking for extra income, apply today. But if it’s in the future plans I do recommend you get comfortable teaching from a stable and set environment first.
It can be a little nerve-wracking as you are getting used to the platform and getting used to a new job. After you get more comfortable with it there are a few things to take into consideration:
Internet
You must always have access to a stable internet source. If you do not, you will get what’s called a Teacher IT and you will not get paid for your class. So you need a solid internet connection and it is a good idea to always have a backup. We try to always make sure we’re in an area with exceptional cell service and use our unlimited data plan. Be careful with your data plans because most of them throttle your connection when you hit certain caps.
Check ahead of locations before you book your stays. I know people who travel internationally from Airbnb to Airbnb who ask their hosts to do an internet speed test for them before they will book. You can also look into devices like Teppi that charge you a day rate for data. Teppi is good for emergencies or locations where coverage isn’t good. I’d say on a good day we will get about 10 classes for 1 GB of data and on a bad day, it could be more like 5-7 classes.
Background
Having a fun and educational background is a great way to show parents your professionalism. It also gets your students excited to learn. It doesn’t have to be over the top though. Depending on where you plan on teaching from there are a lot of different ways you could approach this. You can purchase a trifold and glue cute sayings and cards for an easy fold and go backdrop. You can bring pictures and cards like we do and tape them to the wall behind you. I also met a lady who used a kid-themed shower curtain as her roll up and go backdrop. There are lots of ideas, so be creative. If you do it right your student may never know that you are even moving locations. Every class it will look the same when you pop open your camera!
Rewards and Props
If you are already a VIPKID teacher you know these are essential for quality teaching. A good rewards and props system can be a game changer for the number of bookings you receive. I recently did a Youtube video going through some of my favorite props and rewards I personally use a full-time traveling VIPKID Teacher, so make sure to check it out below.
A lot of other traveling teachers I have met swear by Many Cam which allows you to create backdrops, rewards and props all digitally. This would be a great way to travel light.
Traveling full-time was a dream for our family. We were so excited and grateful that we were able to make it a reality this year. We’re hopeful that for many more years we’ll travel together and see the world. VIPKID is a great way to have flexibility and make money traveling. If you have any questions or comments about VIPKID please feel free to post them in the comments. If you are interested in getting started and would like help through the interviewing process please use my referral link.
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Hello,
I was so excited when I found your website. I have been teaching with VIP kid for over 7 months now and feel I am now making enough of a consistent and steady income to take the business mobile and travel the country with my kids.
I am super nervous about making sure I stay connected with the internet, as you know we have to have reliable internet to ensure we can do this job. Can you please give me helpful tips on how to make sure I have the internet at all times? I have heard that even if a park offers Wifi that this does not necessarily guarantee a good signal. Also, I have heard that the satellite program is not reliable. What have you found to work the best?
I am just so nervous that I will get IT or worse NO shows for not being able to connect and could lose my job traveling and be stranded with no income. Any help and advice I would greatly appreciate. Thank you!
Also, in your opinion, do you think a truck and camper is a better option than a motorhome, or do you think a motor home would be better. I see you travel in a motorhome and was wondering how you feel about having to drive the home everywhere? Do you have a seperate car you drive to run errads and sight see?
Thanks in advance. Your post is inspiring me to feel confident that I could make a dream of mine a reality.
Jenny Patterson
Jenny so excited for you to hit the road! You may be interested in our book which is an intro to RVing with family :https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MJ81HXT/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=dotthemap00-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07MJ81HXT&linkId=c0073ea91fbae1589b9240949bfa22ac Campground wifi is terrible and I would never rely on it. You are going to want an unlimited hot spot with either AT&T or Verizon and possibly a booster such as WEBoost. Come find me on Facebook and I’m happy to chat with you and answer all your questions!
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