What I Earn Working Online 2 Hours a Day

Are you looking to make some extra money by working from home in the mornings before you go to school, on weekends, holidays or summer breaks? Want to retire early, but still need to earn some money to make ends meet until you start using your retirement funds? Are you a parent who wants to work from home so you can care for your young children? Well then, teaching with VIPKID may just be the thing to help you make your financial ends meet.

In September 2017, I quit my office job so I could live and travel full-time in a Class A motor home. (So far I've traveled and lived in 20 US states and 3 Canadian provinces.) During that time, I realized that I needed to earn money to help pay for the full-time travel lifestyle I wanted. My little savings account was not going to last forever.

I Became a Remote Worker with VIPKID

I did some research on remote jobs and that's when I found an article in Forbes about VIPKID. The company was rated as one of the top remote work employers in the world. After filling out my application, participating in an interview, doing two video mock lessons, taking the VIPKID TESOL certificate quiz, and completing my background check, I was hired.  I created my portable blackboard, made some flashcards, collected some 3D props and I was ready to teach. There are a few other things you need to do to get ready to teach with VIPKID like selecting your profile photo, writing your biography, and recording an introductory video. I can help you with these if I become your mentor.

So How Much Did I Earn?
So, I know, you're saying, "Cathy let's get on with it. The reason I clicked the link, is that I want to know what you actually made this past year teaching with VIPKID."  Well, here is my Excel spreadsheet. In one year, I made about $4,000. I need to let you know that when I was first hired, I only opened two teaching slots each morning because I was doing full-time caregiving for both of my parents. I increased my availability to four class times (2 hours each morning) when they moved into assisted living. By having regular class times each morning regardless of my time zone, students began rebooking me as their weekly or bi-weekly ESL tutor.  I just got paid for my April classes and I earned about $600. While it's not a lot of money, I have to admit that I could make more if I worked more hours.

You Can Make More Money Than Me

You can make a lot more money than I do if you work more hours than I do. As I mentioned earlier, I currently only work two hours each morning. As someone who lives and travels full-time all around the USA and Canada, I wanted to be sure that I wasn't setting myself up for having to get up at 3am while I was living and camping on the Pacific coast, so I set my work hours as 6:00am - 8:00am Central Time. As you can see from the chart below, the only times you can't teach are when the students are sleeping in China 9:00am - 7:00pm Central Time. The times most highly requested are for our mornings and weekends. These times are listed as HOT on the schedule.

Benefits and Negative Consequence of Flexible Scheduling

There are many benefits that come with working with VIPKID as ESL tutor and an independent contractor. The biggest ones for me are that I have the flexibility to set my own hours, take time off for vacations when I want, and teach the grade-level courses I want. No matter where I go if I have access to a cell tower with high-speed internet, I can teach from my motorhome. When I travel on vacation with my family and friends, I can teach from my hotel room or AirBnB. I can teach in the mornings and still have time to hang out with Mickey Mouse at Disney World before taking a break for lunch. This flexibility also means that if a family emergency happens, I can cancel classes without financial penalties as long as I can "officially" document the reason.

However, there is a big consequence to having irregular class times and cancelations. Parents may be reluctant to book classes for their children with you. So, for all those who might be considering working remotely from home with VIPKID, I strongly suggest you do everything you can to have a regular schedule each week and month. This will bring you regular students who will make you smile every morning.

Things I Can Do to Make More Money

As you can see in my earnings chart, VIPKID is not like other "go to work" job. It does not provide a steady, regular income or health benefits. Students may take time off from class for their regular school exams, holidays, and national festivals. Your monthly income may ebb and flow if you just open up times for regular course instruction. So...

There are some things I could do to increase my earnings. First, I can get certified to teach lower and higher grade-level courses. Right now I can teach levels 2, 3, and 4. I could apply to teach Pre-VIPKID level 1 and the older students' levels 5 and 6. This would allow more students to book classes with me.

Second, I can open up earlier teaching times when I am on the east coast. I can always decide when I travel westward not to open those really early morning times. It may mean that I lose a few favorite students, but it would help me make more money.

Third, I can make myself available to teach at the last minute during the times I have opened. Currently, I require students to book classes no later than 24 hours before class time. Sometimes, I have open teaching slots the night before class time. By waiving this 24-hour notice requirement, I can earn an extra $2 every time someone books a late class.

Fourth, I can recruit others like you to start teaching with VIPKID. Every time someone uses my referral link to apply, I earn $100 after they teach their first class.

So, Do You Want to Start Teaching With VIPKID?

Teaching ESL with VIPKID is great. You log on for each class, the PowerPoint slides have already been created and the student is ready to log in and start working. What better way to start your day?

So, are you interested in teaching from home? I would be very happy to be your mentor. Just click on this referral link to start the application process.

This link will take you directly to the VIPKID (pronounced V-I-P-kid) website. You can also contact me directly at my email address: caminoturtle2016@gmail.com

I look forward to helping you on your journey to fun teaching and more money with VIPKID!