Throughout high school and college, no one mentioned any of the best side jobs for your 20s as an option for post grad life. Everyone just made it seem like I’d get a full time job, stick with it, and live happily ever after. Reality, of course, set in, and, when I found myself working in a toxic, awful environment, I knew I needed to make a change. I just didn’t know how to do that and make money, since it had taken me months of searching and applying to even find that job.
Enter my side hustle. It literally saved me, and made it so I could quit my job knowing I’d have another income soon- even if it wasn’t as much as my full time gig, it could keep me afloat.
Fast forward and I’ve been working this side job for 6 months now, and absolutely loving it. It’s covered my rent and grocery expenses, while being a fun and engaging way to make money. And, the cherry on top: it also looks pretty darn good on my resume. Because of it meets all of those qualifications, I’ve officially dubbed it as one of the best side jobs for your 20s!
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What’s this magic side hustle that totally changed my financial future? Teaching with VIPKID.
Potentially, you’ve seen their ads on Facebook or have heard of them online- and it might sound too good to be true, since their ads boast that you can make up to $2,000/ month teaching from the comfort of your home. And, while I’ll tell you I haven’t made $2,000 in one month, I have made a pretty decent amount of money without sacrificing a lot of time or mental energy.
I’m really loving working with VIPKID, because it’s well paid, fun, and beyond easy. I’ll breakdown all the requirements, pros and cons, and payment info below, so keep reading to learn more about why it’s one of the best side jobs for your 20s!
What is it?
Let’s start with the basics: What the hell is VIPKID?
VIPKID is a Beijing-based company that recruits people from all over the world to teach English to elementary-aged Chinese students. The lessons are one-on-one, pre-planned, and booked in 25 minute increments- so it’s super easy to squeeze a class or a few into your morning routine.
Since the students are English language learners and the teachers don’t speak Chinese, there’s a lot of demonstration and acting out vocabulary with your students- VIPKID calls this Total Physical Response (TPR).
So, for example, if you’re teaching the word “elephant,” you’d make an elephant trunk with your arm and encourage your student to do the same. Essentially, for 25 minutes, you get to act silly with some adorable children to try to get them to understand you.
Yes, it’s super fun! The kids are way cute and acting ridiculous in front of my computer is a pretty solid way to start the day. For the most part, the students are well behaved and really excited to learn from you, so the lessons are super interactive and engaging for you and the student.
Now that we’ve gone over the basics, let’s go a little deeper into the details of teaching with VIPKID.
Requirements
One thing I really like about VIPKID is that you don’t need a teaching degree to work with them. Actually, the requirements are pretty straightforward and easy to meet!
VIPKID requires that you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject and at least one year of experience working with children. Also, you have to be a native English speaker.
Not too bad, right?
When you apply, you’ll fill out a survey about your credentials, and they’ll also let you submit your resume. Within 24-48 hours, you should hear back about whether you’ve met their requirements. Once you have, you’ll move onto the next step (I’ll get more into the application process below).
Don’t meet these requirements? No worries! Check out more Side Hustles that will Improve your Resume!
Payment
This is usually everyone’s top concern when it comes to choosing the best side jobs for your 20s: what’s the pay?
VIPKID uses a sliding payment scale, so you can make anywhere between $14 and $22/ hour. They determine your pay based on your experience, qualifications, and performance during the application videos (don’t worry, they’re not scary!).
Since each class is 25 minutes long, every 2 classes you teach equals your hourly pay. Also, there are a bunch of ways to earn bonuses on every class you teach: finishing on time and submitting feedback earns you $1, teaching over 45 classes a month gets you an extra $1 per class, and converting a trial student into a full time student earns you $5.
It may not sound like much, but it really adds up! Last month, I got over $70 just in these bonuses- hello, groceries!
Also, the pay is super consistent. You’ll get paid once a month, between the 7th and 10th of the month- I usually get paid on the same day every month (unless it’s a weekend). When you’re accepted into VIPKID, you sign a 6 month contract- so you can count on it for 6 months at a time!
Application Process
Okay, let me get ahead of this by saying: I know this might seem like a lot of steps or really intimidating or, even, a bit awkward- but I promise it’s much easier and faster than it seems! And it’s so, so worth it when you get to start teaching- believe me!
The first step is to create an account and fill out a basic application. After that, you’ll be given the materials for the 10 minute demo lesson.
This is super easy, so don’t let it stress you out! Read all the materials they give you, watch the practice videos, and do a couple trial runs by yourself, and you’ll be good to go. Then, all you have to do is record yourself giving the lesson to an imaginary student.
During your demo classes, focus on being energetic and kind, as well as demonstrating the vocabulary and concepts with a lot of arm gestures. Basically, you have to act a little silly, but it’s pretty fun.
After you pass the demo lesson (don’t worry, you’ll get a couple tries if you need them), then you set up a mock class. For this class, an experienced VIPKID teacher will pretend to be your student while you teach them. Then, they’ll give you a few minutes of feedback and send you on your way. You’ll repeat the process one more time with another teacher a few days later, and then you’re almost an official teacher!
In my experience, the teachers in the mock classes are supportive and fair (although, I will say, one teacher took “act like a 5 year old student” a little too far during my second mock class) and they give really helpful feedback. Be sure to incorporate the feedback from your first mock class into your second, because they’ll look to see that you improved.
Again, don’t stress about this- it’s not meant to be hard or difficult. Just practice, read the material beforehand, and take a few deep breaths before you turn your camera on- you’ll be good to go!
If you want some extra support during the application process, use my link or referral code (OLIVI0073) when you create your account- then I can coach you through the entire thing!
Once you’ve passed your final mock class, you’ll upload your relevant documents and sign your contract. Then, you can book your first class- woo!
I told you it wasn’t that bad- just a video and a couple mock lessons- and you’ll be teaching with VIPKID in no time! And, trust me, teaching actual students is so much more fun than teaching adults pretending to be students.
Pros
- Good pay- VIPKID pays well above minimum wage and determines your salary by a sliding scale, so you can make between $14 and $22/ hour- not too shabby!
- Dependable- You sign a 6 month contract, so you know you’ll have that pay for every class you book in those 6 months. Also, I’ve heard the contract renewal process is pretty painless, so it’s easy to stay on for multiple contracts.
- Fun- The kids are cute and you get to act totally ridiculous, what’s better than that? It’s all about creating a positive environment for them to learn and gain confidence with their English, so you’re constantly encouraging and rewarding them, smiling as you correct them, and clapping and giving virtual high fives when they do well. Seriously, the virtual high fives are SO fun for them- it’s adorable!
- Little prep- To prepare for my classes, I read over the lessons the night before and set up my props (which are usually just magnetic letters, an apple, and a stuffed bear). If you’d feel more comfortable doing additional prep, they also give you space to take notes and read about your students’ past performance. Since the lessons and curriculum are all pre-planned, there’s not much you need to do in terms of prep work!
- Flexible, early hours- The peak times for bookings are perfect to squeeze in before you have to go to work, since they’re super early in the morning. Also, it’s not required that you work weekends or keep consistent hours, so if you need to close all of your slots one day or want to stop teaching the week of Thanksgiving, that’s totally acceptable!
Cons
- Last minute cancellations are a hassle- So, yeah, this is a thing: If you wake up in the morning with a headache or you really, really just don’t feel like teaching, it’s kind of difficult to just cancel class. I mean, you can just cancel class, but they track your cancellations. You only get 6 cancellations a contract (which is 6 months long), but if you have to cancel more than 2 classes in one day, it only counts as 2 cancellations. So, if you do wake up with that headache and have to cancel 5 classes, it’ll show up as 2 on your record. Not too too bad, if you ask me.
- Early hours, if you’re not a morning person- If you really, really don’t think you can manage waking up for a 4, 5, 6, or 7 am class, then this might not be for you. Now, if you have a little room to compromise, then you can make this work. So, personally, I refuse to wake up for 4 or 4:30 classes- that’s just TOO early for me. It’s super easy for me to not open those slots, and only get bookings from 5am on. If you only want to teach for 2 hours before you leave for work at 8, you can just open your 6-7:30 slots and be done teaching at 7:55. The classes are always exactly 25 minutes long, so you never have to worry about class running 5 minutes late or something!
- Make it up as you go along/ unclear instructions- Sometimes, the 2-3 sentences they give you for a slide just aren’t that clear, so you have to make it up and try your best. If you’re not someone who likes that kind of work environment, then this might not be your best bet. However, I do think it’s pretty fun, and usually you have to adapt the slides to the child’s ability anyway. It’s a good mental exercise and a great way to wake yourself up that early. Also, there isn’t a ton of oversight or pressure from the VIPKID higher ups, so it’s not a big deal if you make some small mistakes or don’t execute a lesson perfectly.
- Can take time to get started- I’ll admit, it took me a few weeks to start getting steadily booked with classes. I think it’s for a couple of reasons. This takes time, like anything else, especially since parents leave reviews, so you have to build up your first couple reviews. Also, I started in the summer, when bookings are naturally a little lower, so I think that had an affect. I will say, however, that VIPKID offered a Jump Start program after my first month, and that really helped my bookings as well- AND I got paid to do it! Pretty sweet deal, if you ask me.
Overall, VIPKID is a great option if you’re looking for a quick and easy way to earn a decent amount of money on the side. Although it can take time to get started, once it does it’s dependable, well paid, and even a little fun! So, if you need a great way to earn some extra money, VIPKID is one of the best side jobs for your 20s!
If you’re ready to sign up with VIPKID, click here to get started!
Have any lingering questions? Leave a comment on this post and I’ll get back to you ASAP!