Interview Process
The interview process for VIPKID is quick and actually pretty fun. You get to meet a variety of people associated with VIPKID: headquarter employees in Beijing and current veteran teachers from all over the world. Here are the steps of the interview process...
1. Interview + 10 minute demo lesson: Your interview will be a 30 minute long video chat with an interviewer at the head office in Beijing, China. They'll just ask some basic questions about your education and experience and then you will teach a 10 minute demo lesson. During the demo lesson, the interviewer will be acting like a young Chinese student with little to no knowledge of the English language. They may misbehave, answer questions incorrectly, or stare blankly at you. I'm not trying to scare you, these are worst case scenario. Really, they WANT you as a teacher and in my experience, are very kind and know that this is new to you. :) They will email the lesson you are supposed to teach to you well in advance, along with some sample demo lessons and tips/videos so you can prepare. WATCH THE VIDEOS. They are so helpful and really help you understand what they are looking for. Some good tips that make a big difference are to wear a solid color shirt (that's the "uniform"), preferably orange; use props (a toy tiger, toy bicycle, anything else that would keep a kid's attention); a whiteboard (it can be small) if you have one (you can draw on a piece of paper if you don't); be energetic and expressive; and correct any mistakes the interviewer (who will be acting like a student) may make. It might feel awkward to you at first, but during the demo lesson it is important that they see you are willing to be fun and energetic, so feeling like you are going over the top with your smiling and encouragement will be better than being a little on the timid side. Also, simplify the teacher directions at the bottom of the demo lesson slides and simplify your speaking for the student (VERY simple sentences). You really do treat them like a 5-year-old that knows no or very limited English. Remember, your pay is determined at the end of your demo lesson, so use all the resources you can to prepare, practice, and HAVE FUN!
1. Interview + 10 minute demo lesson: Your interview will be a 30 minute long video chat with an interviewer at the head office in Beijing, China. They'll just ask some basic questions about your education and experience and then you will teach a 10 minute demo lesson. During the demo lesson, the interviewer will be acting like a young Chinese student with little to no knowledge of the English language. They may misbehave, answer questions incorrectly, or stare blankly at you. I'm not trying to scare you, these are worst case scenario. Really, they WANT you as a teacher and in my experience, are very kind and know that this is new to you. :) They will email the lesson you are supposed to teach to you well in advance, along with some sample demo lessons and tips/videos so you can prepare. WATCH THE VIDEOS. They are so helpful and really help you understand what they are looking for. Some good tips that make a big difference are to wear a solid color shirt (that's the "uniform"), preferably orange; use props (a toy tiger, toy bicycle, anything else that would keep a kid's attention); a whiteboard (it can be small) if you have one (you can draw on a piece of paper if you don't); be energetic and expressive; and correct any mistakes the interviewer (who will be acting like a student) may make. It might feel awkward to you at first, but during the demo lesson it is important that they see you are willing to be fun and energetic, so feeling like you are going over the top with your smiling and encouragement will be better than being a little on the timid side. Also, simplify the teacher directions at the bottom of the demo lesson slides and simplify your speaking for the student (VERY simple sentences). You really do treat them like a 5-year-old that knows no or very limited English. Remember, your pay is determined at the end of your demo lesson, so use all the resources you can to prepare, practice, and HAVE FUN!
Recently, VIPKID has recently added an alternative to the interview + 10 minute demo lesson. You may be offered the choice to instead record yourself giving the demo lesson. I was hired before this was an option, so I do not have a ton of experience in what it would be like, but I am in the process of asking people what their experience with it was. Update coming!
You'll receive a rubric of your score to refer to when preparing for a mock class.
2. Contract & Documents: After the interview, they will send you a contract to read through and sign. Each contract period is 6 months. They'll ask you to upload your documents to the website (signed contract, driver's license, teaching certificate [if applicable], and college diploma).
3. Teacher Training: The training really just consists of watching YouTube videos the head office in Beijing has made. It goes over the curriculum, how classes are run, and all the technical things about the website. You'll basically learn everything you need to know about this job in the videos (and on this blog, of course). :) It is around 5 hours worth of video, but it's pretty easy teacher training. I just watched the videos while doing dishes, before going to bed, doing other little things, etc.
4. Mock Class(es): Passing the mock classes means you are officially hired and ready to teach. You will have a mock class with a veteran teacher which consists teaching a full 25 minute lesson to the interviewer (who will again be acting like a student). The lesson you will be teaching will again be emailed to you with samples in advance so you can prepare for it. A big thing they want to see is that you are trying to apply the feedback the previous interviewer gave you. You can find a lot of that in the rubric the first interviewer will have emailed to you. The mock class will work a little differently. You will teach the first half and then stop and the interviewer will give you some feedback. Then you'll continue teaching the rest of the lesson trying to apply their advice. Some people have 1 mock class and some have 2. So there's a possibility of a second mock class that will be similar to the first. They are actually really helpful to see what you can improve on and will be pretty close to what a real class will be like. Remember all the tips I gave you about your interview? USE THEM HERE TOO! :)
5. Ready to Teach: Upon passing the mock classes, you'll be ready to teach and can start opening up availability. Depending on when you start, you can get a full schedule of students right away or it could take a couple months to get a steady stream of students. I started back in August, which I am guessing was the beginning of their school year, because I immediately had as full of a schedule as I wanted. Try to be a little patient in the beginning with getting bookings. Parents and students are trying out new teachers all the time, so sometimes it will take a few weeks to get as full of a schedule as you want. But the way it works is you just open up your schedule online to show your availability and students book you.
YOU'RE DONE! Painless, right? The whole interview process only lasts a few days and it is really so informative. I have a question form you can fill out to the left if there is anything else I can help you with! If you prefer to email me directly, please do! My email address is morris.kacy@yahoo.com.
Teacher Kacy
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