In your first few weeks or months with VIPKid, it can feel like you’re not getting any bookings, this is normal! – it will take some time. For me it took about 3 weeks. After 2 weeks, I changed my profile picture and updated my bio, this was a game changer 🙂

What should I do first?

-> Get comfortable with your teacher portal; click around, check out the bookings and payment pages, etc. I also suggest downloading the VIPKid Teacher app to your phone and desktop, they also have just added one for tablets too!
-> Add your bank information to your portal, this needs to be done before the last day of the month if you want to get paid
-> Join a group! I’m not huge on facebook groups but I joined VIPKid Teachers Q&A – this is still so helpful for me, you can ask questions yourself or see what others have asked. It’s also a great place to get tips and ideas for your own classroom!

*You can always turn off notifications for groups if they’re flooding your feed. They are a lot of helpful tips, but some groups have too many posts of classroom backgrounds they’ve spent hours on. Remember – you do not need to have all of the bells and whistles to be a great teacher.

-> Workshops are another great way to get comfortable or ease your concerns with being a teacher. Click this link to check out the workshop topics (and sign up if you’d like).

BOOKINGS:

I suggest having as many booking slots open (that work with your schedule) as possible for the first few weeks, this lets you establish yourself and gain regular students. Also, opening every other slot is recommended so you have time between classes until you get the hang of things.

When can I get bookings?
You can start getting bookings once you’re certified to teach at least one level, signed your contract and created your teacher portal. Check out this post to learn more about your teacher portal.

OPENING TIME SLOTS:

1. Go to the Teacher Portal
2. Click ‘Bookings‘ under the ‘Class’ tab
3. Click the ‘unlock’ button at the top right of the calendar
4. Click the time slot you want to open and select ‘Course – Available’

Remember to check your bookings every day! Normally, they can be booked anytime from two weeks in advance, until 24 hours before the class (assuming you don’t tick the short notice box).

SHORT NOTICE SLOTS:

You will see a short notice option on time slots when you click on them: this is the 24hr notice box. Clicking the short notice box means classes CAN be booked (and/or cancelled and re-booked)within 24 hours of the start time, anytime up to 1 hour before the class.

The short notice slots helps you increase your booking ability but I highly suggest closing the classes you have not booked yet before you go to bed – this way you avoid missing any classes or preparing last minute.

COLOR CODING in the BOOKING TAB:

-> Peak times (evenings and weekends Beijing time) say ‘hot’ in the time slot.
-> Peak peak times (7-9pm Beijing time) say ‘very hot’.
-> Time slots you have open appear blue and say ‘available’.
-> Once a student has booked, the slot will turn green, usually with the student’s name. You will be able to click ‘Classroom’ and see more information about the class or click ‘Materials’ and see the slides you will be teaching and information about the student.
-> Once class has finished, the slot will turn gray (this may not happen until around midnight-2am Beijing time, this is alway when you will see your payment).
-> Sometimes the slot turns gray and will say ‘finished’ before the class. This means the student has cancelled within 24 hrs. You will be paid for the class if a student cancels within 24 hours.

COMMON QUESTIONS:

How many slots should I open?
This is one of the best things about VIPKid – there is not a minimum number of hours you need to work a week. You can work as many or as few as you’d like!

*VIPKid does like to know if you’re going to be away for more than a week.

As I mentioned above, it’s good to open as many slots as you can as a new teacher – only open those you can definitely teach! For example, don’t open ten in a row, if you aren’t willing to teach ten in a row.

When do parents book?
Bookings open at 12 noon (Chinese time) on Mondays, (this is Sunday evenings in American) and they can book up to 2 weeks in advance.

What is THE BOOKING FRENZY?

This is when most of your classes will be booked – Bookings open at 12 noon (Chinese time) on Mondays, (this is Sunday evenings American time) – Be sure to have your time slots open by Sunday evening for a better chance of getting booked by parents.
– For example, if the frenzy is on Monday 1st, bookings will open for Monday 8th – Sunday 14th.  At 12 noon (Chinese time) many parents book the lesson times they want with their favorite teacher.

Not all bookings are made at this time. Of course, parents can book anytime after the frenzy too, normally up to 24 hours before the class. If you have the 24hr short notice open, they can book up to 1 hour before.

TIPS to get more bookings:

• Open peak peak time slots. That’s 7-9pm Beijing time. Weekends are good too – i.e. Friday and Saturday evenings for you.
• Get certified to teach trial classes. While you’re waiting for your calendar to fill up, get more certifications! Click on the person logo in the bottom right of the VIPKID App, then ‘certifications’. If you are not certified, send a form on Freshdesk asking if you can be certified. If you are not certified for any Major Course levels, you can ask about that too.
• Once you get a few regular students, open similar slots each week so they stick with you. It’s also great to let them know when you will be unavailable. (The only way to communicate with parents is to write this in the child’s feedback.)
• Update your video, photos and bio. Make sure you sound well qualified and fun; I always add my certifications and experience immediately after I introduce myself. Add something unusual like a  hobby or an interest that kids might share with you, maybe a picture of your family or a pet.
• Be available when other teachers aren’t. For example, over holiday weekends (even if it’s just 1 or 2 classes).

TIPS for teaching:

• Smile! – This goes a long way with the students
• Learn about them – Get to know your students, ask what they enjoy (Do you like soccer? What’s your favorite color?) This also helps get you to 25min of class a lot easier.
• Don’t panic – If the materials appear different than what you’ve prepared for, you can still teach a good lesson reading the slides as you go. Remember, they’re kids who are there to learn, not critique you 🙂
• Encouragement – If you have a student who cries or gets sad, this is not unusual, keep smiling and encourage them. Remind them how great they’re doing and give a reward.
• Workshops – I mentioned this above but these are truly helpful! Here is the link to see what is offered.

TEACHING YOUR FIRST CLASS:

Once your class is booked:
Under the ‘Home’ tab, you will see your next 3 classes. You can click on one of them and it will take you to a list of your upcoming classes. Here is where you will enter the the ‘Classroom‘ to teach your class. You will also see ‘Materials‘ – here is where you can see the slides you will be teaching and more information on the student for your class.

• If the student info and materials are there, read through the slides then get your props and reward system ready.
• It’s also helpful to read the previous teachers’ comments on their experience with the student.
• If the materials and student information do not appear, they should appear by midnight Beijing time the night before your class. If they do not, contact VIPKID using the Freshdesk or send in a ticket using the ‘Support’ tab.

Before your lesson starts:

• Your mic and camera both work (you can enter the classroom early to check this – click on ‘settings’).
• Your props are ready and within reach, including a reward system.
• Have a few questions ready to get to know your student. Ex. What’s your name? What’d your favorite color? How old are you? Did you go to school today?
• You know the child’s name, check previous teacher comments in case they have a different English name. I always ask them their name if I haven’t had the student before, it’s a great way to start the class and introduce yourself.

During class:

• Enter the classroom early – I usually open the classroom 3-4 minutes before class starts to be sure I begin on time (you get an extra $1 for every class you start on time – this adds up!)
• Open your camera 5-10 seconds before class time. I always have my camera covered until it’s time for class – you will see a countdown in the top right hand corner.
• Reward the child with your system AND give stars (upper right hand corner) throughout class. Make sure you gave them all 5 stars before you leave – if you forget, you can go back and add them but try to give them all before the end of class.
• Watch your timing – the timer in the classroom is accurate. Do not end the lesson before 25 minutes or you will not be paid for the class. I suggest about 1 minute per slides.
• If there are IT issues or the child is late (this happens often), end the lesson only after the timer has reached 28 minutes.
• When you say goodbye and switch off your camera, switch off your mic too – otherwise they can still hear you. I also like to cover my camera again too.

After class:

• As soon as you have time, write some feedback. Tell them they did well, a few things you covered during class, what they can practice at home. I like to add “it was great seeing [NAME] today, I hope to see her again soon!”
• Open the same time slot for the next 2 weeks if you can. Mention in the feedback that these times are available for them to book if they would like to.

Here is an example of feedback I have left:

Daniel did a great job reviewing the vocabulary words [shoes] [socks] and [underwear] and using them in the sentence patterns. We reviewed the present continuous and simple present tense of verbs and when to use them. Daniel did a great job reading his sight words [so, like, get, this]. Have him practice using these words in a sentence at home. We also practiced [first, last, before, and after]. Daniel did a great job reading words with the long /e/ sound. Great job today, Daniel! Keep up the good work, see you soon.

HERE IS A TIP:
**When you are in your portal and click into the ‘Materials’. Scroll down past the slides and you will see other teacher’s feedback and tips for the same class. You can Copy their feedback and Paste it into the student you are teaching feedback’s section and alter to fit your specific student.

Good luck with your first class!

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me:
Instagram: laura_fraserr
YouTube: laura_fraserr