How To Make More Money With Vipkid

This is not a VIPKID review.

I've been a VIPKID teacher for over a year, taught over 1100 ESL classes to eager kids in China with them at the time of this post, and I have no plans of leaving.

If you work for them too, you'll agree VIPKID is a legitimate way of earning money online. (And if you don't but would like to, apply here, and I'd be happy to help you through your VIPKID application process!)

But makingmore money with them is hard when your base pay is locked in! increase vipkid pay

Or is it?

In this post, I'll show you theeasy 3-step method you can use to increase your VIPKID pay by as much as 20% right now.

Let's dive right in.

First…

What Are Typical VIPKID Salaries Like?

Teaching English with VIPKID can be done for extra income or as a full-time job, so salaries vary.

Three disqualifying factors ensure a salary of $0:

You're not American (or Canadien with a "neutral accent"),
You don't have a Bachelor's Degree, and
You don't have a quick and stable internet connection. Traveling teachers, grab a Teppy.

Aside from these, a few factors can affect your pay rate and earnings:

1. Teaching Experience and Demo Class Performance

Your base pay is partially determined by your teaching experience and your demo class performance. You may be asked to suggest a base rate from between $7-10/25-minute class.

Quick tips: Reframe any time you've ever taught someone something as teaching experience and use the suggested reward system in the demo lesson. Grab my FREE 5-Star Teacher Checklist PDF for more tips on how I keep my job as an ESL teacher.

2. Show Up.

Participation incentives are earned when you show up on time and complete the lesson (each $1) for an average hourly pay rate of about $18-24.

Teacher no shows=no payment and lower booking rates. Student no-shows=full pay for a normal class and half for a trial class. If you can't show up for class, the plan I'm about to share won't work.

3. The Time Difference is Real

If you're based in the United States, there's a good chance the time difference will limit your classes and, as a result, your earnings.

It's tough to teach English online to Chinese kids in Beijing beyond your normal waking hours when you're a stay at home mom in good ol' Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Now, on to the steps.

3 Steps to Increase Your VIPKID Pay

1. Open More Slots

No, this isn't some sarcastic way to earn more money (though you will by teaching more, of course.)

Open up as many as you can! Teach strange hours, do what you need to. This will increase availability (supply) and demand for you as a teacher will grow provided you deliver them well.

But don't do this if it's your first week of classes. open class slots calendar on desk
Give yourself a few classes to get the hang of it, smooth out the process, and add your flair to it.

On the other hand:

Don't give yourself too long to get the hang of it!

There's a story about the pottery class the professor split in half:

He told one half they'd be graded only on the quality of the pots they produced, while the other half only had to produce one pot of perfect quality to get an 'A'. When it came time to grade them, all the best pots were produced by the 'quantity' group who had learned from countless mistakes and perfected their craft. The 'quality' group had sat about reading and theorizing how to make the perfect pot but had nothing to show for it.

The idea is by opening up more slots, you'll be exposed to more students to perfect your craft. Teach as much as you can, iron out the kinks, and pick up some consistent regular students.

Our FREE 5-Star Teacher Checklist PDF will help you give the best class each time-

Sign Up and grab it!

You'll also increase your followers (next to the little flower thing in the app.)

VIPKID followers Jason Cane
No one really knows what this does. Parents follow teachers they are interested in having their kids taking class with, but often clear them or never sign up.

In my experience, my ability to get fully booked has increased along with my follower count.

2. Get a Regular Schedule Going

Start to cut back your lessons. You'll be able to identify your 'super fans'.

vipkid priority booking

These are the students who sign off with a giant grin as they yell Mama! followed by an exclamation containing the word lăoshī (that's you!).

At this point, I can tell when I've crushed a first class with a new student and when I've come up short. You'll be able to do the same.

These super fans will boost your reviews-I receive random bursts of 5-star ratings from my regulars.

Make no mistake:

This doesn't mean you should slack off, and it's not some 'hack'.

Much like with ranking in Google, you can't rely on the newest trick to maintain your position. Your page will rank high if it contains quality content, much like your VIPKID rating will stay high if you deliver quality classes.

But it will help you build the backbone of your schedule going forward.

Restrict your classes to your core group of regulars if you have priority booking, or try to allow for them to continue booking by opening their usual time slots at the same time you always do.

3. Fill in Spaces with 24-Hour Bookings

You've built up the following, increased demand for your classes, and cut back to restrict supply while demand is high.

You've positioned yourself as a rare commodity!

You control your schedule, so you can restrict supply much like the De Beers diamond producers who make us think diamonds are rare by holding on to the stockpile.

Now, start to open classes around your regular slots, fitting them into your desired schedule hours within 24 hours to receive the $2 bonus. Let's say you make the average rate of $10/slot ($8+$1 teaching+$1 finished class). That's about $20/hour (50 minutes class plus feedback). more money piggy bank coins

But with the bonus, you're getting $12 per slot, or $24/hour! This is a 20% increase!

Remember you'll get an additional $5 for trial classes when the student signs up, meaning you'll earn $17/slot and increase your earnings by 70%!

Why does this work?

One of the most common remarks I get after a great class with a student is along the lines of:

The student likes the teacher very much but he's never available consistently during the same time slot.

Yet my list of following families continues to grow.

I attribute this to something like Intermittent Reinforcement (random reinforcement used to describe why we gamble) and the psychological experience of a 'near miss':

The parent was able to book the class once and received the reward of a good class. They can see I open 'random' 24-hour slots, so they continue to follow my schedule (i.e. 'gamble') in the hopes they'll get to book my class (i.e.'win') again.

Plus, when you've built up a bunch of solid reviews, the parents can see them. You'll get new students filling those last-minute slots, which means exposure to more students to show off your awesomeness. Blow them away, and they'll jump on the list and push the demand higher.

Conclusion: Make More Money Online With VIPKID

You might be worried you won't be able to fill up all the slots if you leave them until the last minute, but I've never had a problem due to the demand you've increased.

I even know some VIPKID teachers who onlyopen last-minute slots. You can probably get away with this after building up a strong following, but I'd still recommend keeping some regulars to balance your risk.

I'd also recommend making sure you file your VIPKID 1099 taxes correctly!

Last month, I made $70 extra income using this method while teaching part-time.

Doesn't seem like much, but check out what this money covers:

12 tasty beers
1 or 2 dinners out
2 months of my location independent community membership
2 months of a plugin which helps this site function
2 months of a medicine which helps me function
gas for my car

The list goes on. What could extra cash do for you and your family?

Ready? Apply here!

I'm sure you can think of a bunch of things you'd do with the money. Try this strategy out and let us know how it goes in the comments!

increase your vipkid teacher income

earn more as a vipkid teacher I'm an independent contractor with VIPKID, and m y views do not necessarily reflect the views of the company.