Don't Believe the Hype - Anonymous employee VIPKid Employee Review

2.0
Sep 21, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Getting to work with students in China

Cons

While they imply you will be making a certain amount during the interview, that is not guaranteed as two of those dollars are based on getting to class on time (if any IT problems come up, you don't get that dollar) and teaching over 45 classes a month. If you teach over 45 classes, you get that dollar. If you teach 30 classes a month, you will get .50 cents for each class. If you work any less, you will not be paid. You will also only be paid for your training after the 6 month contract, which is pretty ridiculous. None of this is told to you during the interview. You are required to have a bright orange shirt to wear while you teach, so if you don't have an orange shirt, or you simply can't afford to buy one yet, then you will be endlessly hounded for this. There are multiple videos from VIPKID of teachers online not wearing orange, so I'm not so sure about this policy or why they're ok with posting videos of teachers not wearing their "uniform." You will also be told to buy many things for your classroom in order to make it look like an "educational tv show." Interacting with employees is also pretty stressful as they are either short with you or very critical. Positive feedback is rare. Note that $12 will come out of your paycheck every month because the money is being transferred from a foreign account. They do not tell this to you in the interview. Many classes get cancelled without your knowledge or right before class and you are only paid half for these classes. If you are teaching Trial Classes, which are classes with students who are considering entering into the program, over half of them will be canceled. If you've taught 15 minutes of the class and then the student has an IT problem, depending on the type of class you're teaching, you will also only be paid half. You will be considered an independent contractor with this company, so you will have to remember to save a portion of your paycheck every month so when tax season comes around, you're not caught off guard. Also note that you are self-employed and will be taxed at a higher rate.

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VIPKid Response
9y
Thank you for the feedback. VIPKID provides suggestions and guidance based on how Chinese young students learn best in an immersive language learning environment. Because everyone is an independent contractor, it is up to every individual to decide what to implement or not. VIPKID does pay an extra USD 12 for teachers that do not use ACH transfer, but banks might charge more than this fee, which is beyond VIPKID's control. We are working hard to improve the experience of every user of our platform. VIPKID has undergone extremely fast growth (10x year on year) and we are building and improving our structure to better meet the needs of all users. We do appreciate your feedback so we can continually improve!

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5.0
Jan 21, 2026
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Pros

set my own hours fun to teach children Great starter job for those looking for temp work

Cons

Weird competition from other teachers if you wanted to connect in the community , repeating things can get tiring sometimes, back to backs were hard

5.0
Dec 26, 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Easy to do from home. No commute, no child care, no savvy business clothes, no commuting in the snow, and the best part is every day is "bring your cat to work day!" My cat, Bootsie, loves my job as much as I do! No kidding, I've had parents post reviews on my cat! The kids love it! Payment is once a month. I don't mind that because then it its a big check. You know what to expect and money is in the account on time. I love the children I teach. It is amazing how close you get to the family from the other side of the world!

Cons

You'll read that there is not enough work. I don't think that is accurate. I've been with VIPKID going on six months. My first contract is at an end. My first month I made $55.00. The next month I more than doubled that, and every month after has been going higher and higher. I am now teaching about five hours a day and making very good money for wearing pajama bottoms and an orange t-shirt. My monthly is in the four figure range. The thing is you have to give the parents a reason to schedule with you. Sitting around waiting for bookings to come is not good. You won't get far teaching only trial students; although, trial students become regular students and they will remember your smiling face. The trick to getting more bookings is to take advantages of their certifications in different areas. In November I got certified to do the major courses and my schedule is now completely and totally packed. I literally have a very full schedule, teaching around eleven classes a day. You hear a lot of complaints about missing classes. When you teach, even at a school, attendance is important. As far as online schools go, VIPKID is the most liberal. I could have worked with DaDaAbc and made a lot more money. Their attendance policy is HORRENDOUS! You are locked into a schedule that will not vary, cannot travel. I have two homes and I could only teach at one. My travel was stopped. VIPKID encourages their teachers to live a life. Its great stories for the kids. When I am at my place in Brooklyn, they are pretty amazed to see NYC. My students get to see a variety of things, which VIPKID was pretty smart to encourage their teachers to live a life.

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VIPKid Response
8y
We are honored that you love using our platform! Thank you so much!
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