In August 2021 VIPKid announced they will be making changes to their curriculum and begin to include other countries with the announcement of China’s new ESL laws. I will update this article when their new curriculum is more concrete!

Teaching with VIPKid has been one of my favorite jobs I’ve ever had! I get to choose my own hours, spend time with the CUTEST kids, and I can even work easily while traveling the world. With VIPKid, your classes are pre-created, so no need to prepare your own classwork. However, they have begun adding supplementary courses to expand the types of classes their students can take. While major courses (MC) will be the majority of your bookings (71% for me), supplementary courses break up the string of repetitive classes. Here are, in my experience, the best VIPKid supplementary courses to teach and why. (I am certified in nearly all of VIPKid’s supplementary courses).

 

VIPKid Story Time

VIPKid Story Time classes are by far the supplementary classes that get booked the most for me (32% of my supplementary classes). I enjoy these classes too!

In story time classes, you will either read, guide, or listen to students telling a classic English story, depending on the lesson. I love using voices and props to tell stories such as The Little Red Hen, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and The Tortoise and the Hare, among others. When it’s the student’s turn to tell the story in the third lesson, they are usually either extremely enthusiastic and act out the story, or don’t know it at all. The latter can be frustrating, but this is still one of the best VIPKid supplementary courses to teach.

 

VIPKid Writing Class

While I get much fewer bookings with VIPKid writing classes, they are the only supplementary classes that fill up two consecutive time slots with a 10-minute break built-in. That means you’re guaranteed a full hour’s worth of teaching time with a single booking! These classes are incredibly easy to teach, as the student has already learned the material.

two time slots booked for a VIPKid writing class
A full hour VIPKid writing class booked in my schedule

 

During the first half of the class, you will review various English grammar rules and how to use them in writing. The students have already learned these rules, and will typically ace this section without much instruction. Be prepared with a whiteboard to create new sentences for them to extend!

After a ten-minute break, you will go over a piece of writing the student has (hopefully) submitted for the class. This is my favorite part! The students can get creative with their writing and easily extend with the interests that they have written about.

Voice of VIPKid

This is by far my favorite supplementary class with VIPKid. However, I get relatively few bookings compared to others. Different teachers also either love or hate these classes.

Voice of VIPKid is a class that uses music and songs to teach new vocabulary to very young learners (levels 1 and 2). Most of my students in these classes are extremely enthusiastic and love to sing, dance, and do hand motions! As a musical person myself, I have so much fun teaching these classes! However, if you do not like to sing the same song over and over again, or if you prefer older students, this supplementary class may not be for you.

VIPKid Free Talk

In contrast with Voice of VIPKid, free talk classes are usually older, more advanced students. These classes have very few slides and material but focus on verbal communication between the student and the teacher. The slides are merely there for extra talking points so you don’t run out of material to discuss!

 

In free talk classes, students learn how to communicate about different real-life situations in English, such as traveling, eating at a restaurant, or attending a party. These classes are outstanding when you have an outgoing student ready to talk, but can feel like pulling teeth if they are unwilling or unable to participate much.

From Words to Sentences

VIPKid’s From Words to Sentences classes teach new vocabulary and how to build longer sentences. These classes aren’t particularly interesting to me, but offer a break from main classes with new vocabulary and content. I get quite a few bookings for these classes as well.

If you enjoy teaching main classes but want some new content, this supplementary course will be great for you! It is aimed at students with basic English skills at levels 2 and 3, ages 7 to 9.

VIPKid Supplementary Courses I DON’T Like

Some of the supplementary classes with VIPKid just aren’t very enjoyable for me (or for students sometimes!). Supplementary courses I am certified for but do NOT enjoy include:

  • Proper Pronunciation – very boring for everyone, with little room for extension
  • Grammar – teaching complicated English grammar rules through a screen just doesn’t work well for me personally
  • Starlight Classes – these aren’t TECHNICALLY supplementary classes, but I really dislike the setup of these. They can be very confusing for everyone involved

How to Get Certified for VIPKid Supplementary Classes

When you first apply to VIPKid, you will choose to be certified for levels 2 and 3 or 4 and 5 major courses. After that, you can begin your certification process for supplementary classes!

Every supplementary class has qualifications teachers must have in order to apply. These can include being certified for a specific level, a high parent feedback score, or a high total number of classes taught. You will have to check each supplementary class individually for specifics. You can find this under the “Resources” tab on the computer app.

Find certification requirements for VIPKid supplementary, main, and starlight classes by clicking on "certification" under the "Resources" tab
Where you can find supplementary courses, main course, and starlight course certification requirements in VIPKid

 

If you qualify for the supplementary class, and there are open vacancies, you will need to go through some reading and videos about the class. After, you must pass a quiz to get your certification. Don’t worry! You can take it as many times as you need to.

 

I hope this article has helped you decide which supplementary classes, if any, you’d like to teach with VIPKid! I definitely prefer to teach younger students because they are often more enthusiastic about learning English. Your preferences may be different than mine, and you can apply for as many supplementary courses as you want!

Which classes do you think are the best VIPKid supplementary courses?

 

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