For the past 4ish years, I have been working from home. This isn’t because I wanted to leave the classroom. Quite the opposite actually. I taught for 3 years in Colorado and then moved to Spain and taught ESL for a year. When I came back to the states, I moved to South Carolina where I taught for 4 months before some huge life changes occurred (you can read more HERE) and I packed all my things up and moved to North Carolina. I was in a whirlwind of emotions during that season in my life, and desperately needed to focus on myself. In that time, I thankfully became healthier than I had been in a long time (mentally and physically), discovered new relationships, and realized that I was meant to work from home. The flexibility it gave me allowed me to see my boyfriend at the time/now husband (who works in medicine and has odd hours), it allowed me to be creative in a way I hadn’t been for years (and love), and it allowed me to meet people because I could actually go out and introduce myself and make it to random week day art classes or professional meetings.

As Fall neared, 8 months later, I was still figuring out ME. There was no way I was able to go back into a classroom. Even so, I consistantly helped teacher friends prepare their classrooms and I even tried being a teacher’s assistant part time. Those options were great, but I needed a way to still teach without going back to the classroom fulltime just yet. I wasn’t ready. Before long, I found VIPKid and Outschool. These two options have given me the ability to jump back into a “classroom” but keep my flexible schedule. If you’re interested in leaving the brick and mortar school for any reason, these options may be perfect for you!

 

 

Perks of VIPKid:

  • You get to teach English to children in China via Skype. All you need to apply is a college degree and the ability to be engaging and enthusiastic!
  • You create your own schedule entirely. You can open up 30 minutes time slots from 12am to 9:30am EST and then from 8:30pm to 11:30pm EST. Chinese parents “book you,” based on your availability, about two weeks in advance.
  • There are some amazing bonus opportunities. (For example, just for showing up on time you get $1 extra per class!)
  • Each class is just 25 minutes long.
  • You get paid between $9 and $12 per class, which ends up being $18 to $24 per hour, depending on your pay and what type of class you teach. I typically make between $500- $1,200 each month and I never work more than 2 1/2 hours in the morning, Monday through Friday.
  • All of the materials are provided ahead of time for you and once you’re comfortable with the class format, there is ZERO prep time! I sit down in front of my laptop about 5 minutes ahead of a class, prep for my lessons, and teach! When the lesson ends, I submit my feedback and am finished. The zero commute time is amazing! You can read more about teaching with VIPKid HERE.
  • The interview process consists of 3 mock classes spread out. Each one is 15 minutes to an hour long. You have to prepare for them in advance but shouldn’t need to purchase any materials until you’re hired!
  • Have specific questions? E-mail me at AppleSlices4th@gmail.com! If you use my referral link, I can help you through the entire interview process.
A typical Outschool Classroom – Students faces have been blocked to protect their anonymity.

Perks of Outschool:

  • Sign up HERE using my referrral link. I can help you with the interview process if you sign up with me 🙂
  • You get to teach American students via Zoom Meeting.
  • You create the curriculum, schedule, and pay! You just come up with a class, select the age range you want to work with, open up your schedule whenever works best for you, and figure out how much you want to charge. I teach mostly writing classes on Outschool. For example, I teach a 9 Week Narrative Writing Course. For each student that signs up, I get 70% of $165. Outschool keeps the other 30%.
  • Class size is small! I typically teach between 5 and 9 students. This is great for grading purposes and since the format is all online, it makes it easier to work with students.
  • You can still have 1:1 conferences with students via Breakout Rooms and students can even meet in small groups by using Breakout Rooms!
  • I use THIS document camera (affiliate link) to model my writing and share mentor texts in class. It’s inexpensive and so helpful to have!
  • The interview process consists of a phone call with the company to discuss your qualifications and their platform. It’s quick and very low stress.
  • Have specific questions? E-mail me at AppleSlices4th@gmail.com

Now that I’m pregnant, I plan on staying home and raising our family after baby is born. I may go back into the B+M classroom at some point, but I’m loving the variety of things I get to do from home and still plan on teaching after my maternity leave! Teaching with VIPKid every morning provides a great structure to my mornings and Outschol helps me feel connected to the classroom and students I truely miss.

Whatever your reason may be for needing to leave a Brick and Mortar classroom, know that it is possible. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have in the process. Just shoot me an email or leave a comment below. I can’t wait to see what you do!

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