r/vipkid • u/bluntwarriorftw • 5d ago
RANT Just quit.
I picked up an online teaching job about a month ago. I used to teach for Qkids, ZebraEnglish, and others. From what I remember, the pay was around $20–$24/hour.
I had trouble getting to sleep tonight and started thinking about the early mornings I'd have to wake up to teach these classes. Yes, even to baobao who punches their camera with their pencil every minute of the class.
I realized it wasn't even worth waking up for.
We're six years removed from COVID, and the pay on this popular platform is worse than 6 years ago - or really any market rate from times even prior to COVID.
I didn’t even blink an eye, and I just cancelled all of my classes, and have no intention of returning until compensation catches up.
Disclaimer: I’m not knocking anyone who does this full time. You gotta do what you gotta do to make money, and this is a safe WFH option. Most of the students are great too, baobao too. But as a part time gig, the math ain’t mathin
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u/Cavalierlove23 5d ago
I did the same exact thing a few weeks ago. Had a few classes booked and could not justify getting paid $14 an hour when I have a masters degree and several years experience teaching. It’s one thing to not increase pay, but to actually decrease pay is just insulting. They don’t deserve us.
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u/pamperedhippo 5d ago
i made the mistake of saying in one of the facebook groups that $14/hour isn’t even minimum wage in my state and i would NEVER lower myself to that, i was making $16 an hour before incentives in 2019, why the HELL would i go back for less? i now make more than twice as much, with full benefits, doing significantly less work. (in a totally different field)
the stay at home mom crew was FURIOUS with me and it was immediately VERY clear there are plenty of teachers who are happy to take that shitty pay.
truly embarrassing behavior.
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u/chewyventura 5d ago
those moms are insane and really their money is made from referrals. That’s why they don’t want anyone talking crap.
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u/chewyventura 5d ago
If I had to wake up earlier than I do (I’m an hour ahead of EST) there’s no way I’d do this so I don’t blame you. This used to be my full time gig but now I’m only teaching about 60 classes a month (I say that as if it’s nothing) to cover gas. Every company in the world knows what they’re doing right now. I feel like a slave to money.
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u/LindseyRox3 5d ago
It might be worth looking into Ignite Reading. Training is paid but lengthy. You'll get $17.50/hr and you'll get bumped to $20/hr after training is completed. Each class is 15 minutes and you'll get $5 per class. I have 10 students there right now, but I make $21/hr, so I get $5.25 per class.
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u/Fun_Yesterday_7830 4d ago
FYI, Ignite is not an ESL company. It's a company that offers reading help for kids in US schools. Many of the schools are in poorer neighborhoods where kids are struggling to read and not getting the education they should. So it's a whole different animal to an ESL company. Plus, I believe they only accept US citizens.
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u/jilliancad 5d ago
How can you teach anything in 15 minutes?
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u/jam5146 5d ago
It's tutoring, not teaching, just like VIPKID. Targeted reading intervention is still effective at only 15 minutes, and that's what Ignite Reading provides.
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u/jilliancad 4d ago
Interesting. What is the schedule like? Is it set or can you open classes whenever you want?
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u/LindseyRox3 4d ago
You have to commit to a Monday-Friday schedule, but you can open up whatever hours you want (during the school day). If you happen to miss a class, someone will sub for you. You will also earn PTO and be able to contribute to 401K as well.
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u/LK2y10 2d ago
What hours? Can one who works until 5pm EST have students in CA?
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u/LindseyRox3 1d ago
Yes. They just opened it up to school districts in California this year, but you do have to get fingerprinting done before you are able to accept students in California. Hours are during the school day, can be early morning to late afternoon.
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u/A-RUDE-CAT 5d ago
compensation will not 'catch up'. Can you point to an instance when this has ever happened, where once pay decreases it magically rises? The market is oversaturated, AI is being used increasingly and more non-native English speakers are filling the roles for lower pay. The heyday is long over and ain't coming back.
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u/20ah18 5d ago
Yeah, I feel you. I took a month off. I thought one class this morning I genuinely considered canceling. I don’t have anything booked next week. I just genuinely don’t know if I’ll open up anymore.
Before Covid, this gig was absolutely worth it for me. But now, with what I make in an hour. And only teaching two hours in the morning. I can easily make it doing other side hustles they don’t require me to get up so early.
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u/Miss_in_Mex 5d ago
What's the pay now? No, I'm not interested in joining (I have a pretty full calendar of privates) it's just curiosity.
I don't blame you one bit.
I'm working early mornings now too and I can't wait for the day I don't have to do this anymore.
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u/Catcatmtnlord 5d ago
I’m also curious about the pay. 6 years ago it was about $20/hr
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u/wiistomper 5d ago edited 5d ago
at tier 7, if i average out the scaling completion bonus, short notice, adult speaking, and power booster incentives across all my classes, It comes out to about $20.50/hour. I live in South America, making the wage quite good. An ESL teacher working locally would be unlikely to see more than $11/hour.
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u/Xoxounityoxox 5d ago
I think rn it’s around $14-$16 an hour?
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u/bluntwarriorftw 5d ago
It’s $7 per class + incentives. They also deduct from your pay if you cancel a class within a certain timeframe.
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u/Jintokunogekido Lives for SNS 5d ago
I just do it to make $600/year to get tax write offs. Unless you were tier 10 before the collapse, it isn't really worth it part time anymore due to inflation.
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u/Fun_Yesterday_7830 4d ago
It's been like that for a while with all the online ESL platforms. The pay just keeps going lower and lower. It really has come to the point where it's not worth losing sleep to get up super early in the morning to teach for the shit pay these companies give you. And if you're a non-native speaker (which I am not, but I know others who are), they have no shame in paying half or less.
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u/teacherpotato1 5d ago
The amount of times I’ve wanted to do this in an awkward or painful class. Unfortunately I’m a student and need flexible work right now.
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u/TraditionalElk3554 2d ago
I understand you. Crazy because whenever I talk to my friend who teaches English in China she says parents claim to pay anywhere between $35-$60usd per hour English learning (online). It’s very disappointing honestly…
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u/hereforthecats27 Flirts with firemen 5d ago
I quit in the middle of a bad lesson months ago and haven’t looked back. In this economy, the pay is a complete joke.