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Legitimate and not-MLM at-home job


SoybeanQueen

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Hopefully this is OK to post. A while back, some people talked about looking for work from home jobs that weren't MLM or sales, and didn't require paying in order to make money. I found one and I love it, so I'm sharing it in case others can benefit.

The company is VIPKID, and they hire Americans and Canadians to teach English to kids in China via video. You don't need a teaching certificate, but you do need a bachelor's degree. Some teaching experience is helpful, but it could be volunteer, doesn't have to be traditional K-12 classroom. The lessons are provided in the VIPKID platform. They pay by direct deposit once a month, and the range is $18-$22 an hour.

Since the classes are on Beijing time, I can teach and then go substitute teach for the rest of the day. I know someone else who teaches at VIPKID and then homeschools her kids the rest of the day. Anyway, it's been an awesome thing for me and I was able to pay off the new titanium screws I had to have surgically implanted in my broken foot. If any of you want to apply and have questions, I'm glad to help.

They're hiring a ton of people right now to keep up with a huge student pool. My class spots are fully booked each week, so the demand is definitely there. If you apply in March and get through the hiring process, you get a $25 bonus when you teach your first class. Full disclosure: I get the bonus, too, if you click the link above to apply, but beyond that there is nothing in it for me and you are not beholden to me or forever linked to me in any way. It is not a team-related job or a multi-level deal. All teachers are independent contractors.

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I just sent this to my daughter to inquire about. She's a former high school teacher and this might work with her current situation. Thank you!

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No problem. It really has been a huge weight off my shoulders to have some extra income. Even better that I really enjoy the work.

I should add, in case it isn't obvious, one should either like kids or be able to pretend to like kids. :D

I love kids, but I have to pretend to be a morning person.

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This sounds awesome. I'm retired, and need a little extra income. Last year I rented my house to my daughter and friends and went to teach English in Turkey, and got to spend 7 months by the Mediterranean. I LOVED teaching English, I have a TESOL certificate and a degree. I'm thinking about online teaching and I do love children. I'm going to check this out, but not until May, as I am busy. 

Thanks for posting this. 

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You're welcome! I'll be less busy in May, as well, so I'm planning on teaching a lot more classes then. Right now I teach about 25 per week. I'd like to do a minimum of 40 a week all summer.

I made a Facebook group that I'm filling with info for people who want to apply, are in the hiring process, or are new teachers. Anyone who's considering applying can message me and I'll give you the link if you promise not to reveal my secret identity to any of the crazier folks discussed on FJ. :562479514c500_32(1):

Last night I made this little panda reward system with stickers and magnets. This morning one of my students grabbed her stuffed panda and danced it around whenever she got a reward. Seriously love my job.

pandas.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sounds really interesting! I'd love to know more. I don't have a degree in teaching, but did do a fair bit in grad school. 

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I sent you a link to the FB group. Any teaching experience is beneficial, as is a graduate degree. :)

I never thought I'd enjoy a job that required getting up super early. I have several regular students now, so I look forward to seeing them each week and planning rewards or conversations that I know will make them laugh.

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This sounds pretty interesting. I have a 3 month old daughter, so this likely isn't a great option for me right now - she loves to cry and scream the second I start doing anything other than adoring her. :pb_lol:

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7 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

This sounds pretty interesting. I have a 3 month old daughter, so this likely isn't a great option for me right now - she loves to cry and scream the second I start doing anything other than adoring her. :pb_lol:

Does she get up early? There are a lot of parents of young kids who are able to teach since the hours are so odd and the kids are asleep. I'm in the central time zone and my peak teaching hours right now are 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. I usually only do the first two of those since I often sub in town. I also get bookings at 4 and 4:30 a.m. if I open classes then, even though it's outside of the peak times. If you have someone else who can cover baby duty on Sunday mornings, anywhere from midnight to 9 a.m. (again, this is central time since that's what I operate on), those classes are easy to pick up because so many teachers take Sunday off. Figuring in a couple of breaks, because 9 hours straight of teaching is exhausting, one could make more than $500 extra per month just working those Sunday hours.

However, I'm also all for just enjoying those baby snuggles while you can. That's the best job ever.

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2 hours ago, SoybeanQueen said:

Does she get up early? There are a lot of parents of young kids who are able to teach since the hours are so odd and the kids are asleep. I'm in the central time zone and my peak teaching hours right now are 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. I usually only do the first two of those since I often sub in town. I also get bookings at 4 and 4:30 a.m. if I open classes then, even though it's outside of the peak times. If you have someone else who can cover baby duty on Sunday mornings, anywhere from midnight to 9 a.m. (again, this is central time since that's what I operate on), those classes are easy to pick up because so many teachers take Sunday off. Figuring in a couple of breaks, because 9 hours straight of teaching is exhausting, one could make more than $500 extra per month just working those Sunday hours.

However, I'm also all for just enjoying those baby snuggles while you can. That's the best job ever.

She doesn't really follow a schedule right now. She'll usually get up sometime between 3:00 and 7:00 - it's unpredictable and just depends on the day. My husband is a CPA, so I can't rely on him being available.

Plus I'm just tired a lot right now. :pb_lol:

I'll look at the website and think about it though. It does sound interesting.

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17 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

Plus I'm just tired a lot right now. :pb_lol:

I'll look at the website and think about it though. It does sound interesting.

The tired part - it gets better. :) Or at least the kiddos get to an age where you can nap without fear of outright calamity.

I teach from my master bedroom closet, because it's the quietest place I can find with two door between me and the kids. However, we're going on a little spring break trip this week, and had to change the dates last minute. I already had classes scheduled for one of the days, so I need to figure out how to teach from a hotel room without all of the kids crowding around the computer. Or snoring into the microphone.

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I just got hired there! I am going to attempt to do weekends for sure and I've heard some people have had success with kids taking classes on their lunch breaks (so around midnight CST)- I have a 1 year old and I'm too nervous to do it in he AM when my husband isn't home, I'm afraid she will wake up screaming and I won't be able to get her! 

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On 3/25/2017 at 5:55 PM, send*the*ferrets said:

I just got hired there! I am going to attempt to do weekends for sure and I've heard some people have had success with kids taking classes on their lunch breaks (so around midnight CST)

Congratulations! I've heard that people have some luck with off-peak hours, too. I haven't tried midnight CST yet, but my class spots for 4:30-7 a.m. M-F book completely within 30 minutes of opening, so I'm currently in the "find time to sleep" phase. I have regular students who can't get a class booked with me, and it's breaking my heart.

I have one student who is so proud when she knows the answers, she shouts them so earnestly. "THIS IS A HORSE, not THESE ARE A HORSE!" She's so cute, and all of the feedback from her parents mentions that they struggle to get classes booked. It's a nice problem to have for me, but sad, too.

Do you have friends who also work for the same company? If you're not connected with other teachers, you're welcome to message me and join the little FB group I have in case you have questions. Or just message me. There's a lot that isn't mentioned in the training, and the first classes can be a little overwhelming. There are also some bigger FB teacher groups I can recommend if you aren't in them already, including one for CST zone. It's nice to have that when you have questions right before or in between classes, since you know others will also be awake and prepping. I think they may close the midwest group for membership soon, though, since the mods don't want it too big, so jump in fast if you're interested.

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  • 3 months later...

A report after 6 months with VIPKID - I still love it. Mornings still suck, but it's easier than it used to be to get up and plaster on a smile. My regular students are fantastic (mostly). :) I had my first kid trying to take the tablet into the bathroom last week, and this week one of my students would not stop messing with a fidget spinner the whole time. Fidget spinners - international learning menaces.

The company has added a pre-school level and is doing a TOEFL test prep option now, so they're still hiring teachers. It's not perfect, and there are a few minor things that annoy me, but it's been the best at-home gig I've encountered for quite a while. Plus, no sales or team-building.

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  • 2 months later...
On 2017-07-04 at 3:20 PM, SoybeanQueen said:

A report after 6 months with VIPKID - I still love it. Mornings still suck, but it's easier than it used to be to get up and plaster on a smile. My regular students are fantastic (mostly). I had my first kid trying to take the tablet into the bathroom last week, and this week one of my students would not stop messing with a fidget spinner the whole time. Fidget spinners - international learning menaces.

The company has added a pre-school level and is doing a TOEFL test prep option now, so they're still hiring teachers. It's not perfect, and there are a few minor things that annoy me, but it's been the best at-home gig I've encountered for quite a while. Plus, no sales or team-building.

I'm so stoked. I just signed my contract with VIPKID, and I just have to do my portrait and introduction video. I'm impressed with their recruitment process and professionalism. When I taught ESL in Turkey, I was in tears every night, the first week, as I had no training, other than my TESOL course. I feel ready, for teaching, with VIPKID. 

I'm also impressed with their curriculum. I'm sure there are mistakes, and it's not perfect but it rocks! 

@SoybeanQueen, I wish I would have thought of it, I could have used you as a referral. Too late, and I don't know if you would share your identity with an internet stranger for USD 50. 

Thanks for the report on your experiences with them. I found them in other searches, not just here, but I'm so happy to see you like it. 

I just reread this thread, and I'm so sorry about not using your link, as you would get free money. :5624795c5a671_32(30):

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@jjmennonite Congratulations on the new job! I hope you enjoy it. The company isn't perfect, but none of them are, and I haven't had too many frustrations worthy of complaint. I love my students and other than getting up super early, I love my job.

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