Becoming a Digital Nomad
The digital nomad lifestyle is definitely on the rise, especially for millennials like myself. When I first moved to Prague, I didn’t anticipate working online, but after a few months abroad I realized the perks of working as a digital nomad, even with a home base (so maybe not fully nomad, but with the flexibility of a nomad).
One of the main reasons for me (and many others) to move abroad is to travel and see new places. I knew I wanted enough autonomy over my schedule to be able to travel when I wanted to. Because of this, I refrained from finding an in-school job after my TEFL course in Prague. Instead, I sought out private students in the hope of being able to create a schedule in which I would either give myself 3-4 day weekends or have more flexibility in taking days off or rescheduling classes. (On another note: you can make a lot more money teaching private lessons vs. teaching for a school in Prague.)
While this was the ideal situation for me, it proved harder than I planned to find students. It can take quite some time to build relationships with students and to find students in which you both fit with each other. There’s also less security when dealing with cancellations and payment, so I knew I needed to supplement my private lessons with another means of income. Something the teachers had mentioned on my TEFL course was teaching online to Chinese students.
As it turns out, teaching online is a huge market right now. I personally know a huge number of people in Prague who teach online to supplement their incomes (like myself), but there are Facebook groups for people all over the world who teach online. The platform I use is called VIPKid, which I believe is one of the first/largest platforms for teaching English to Chinese students. In the simplest terms and without boring anyone who isn’t interested, the VIPKid platform not only links students to teachers, but also provides a comprehensive and very organized system for teaching English. There are 7 main levels (and extra classes/camps for grammar or free talk, etc.) and within each level there are 12 units. Each unit then has 12 classes with 2 assessments. Each class and assessment has a fully formed slideshow with notes that both student and teacher can see and interact with throughout the class. They literally make it so easy to teach it actually seems crazy sometimes to think I got paid for it.
At first, it was hard both to find students and to teach the classes. I would get nervous before every class and obsessed about going through the slideshow before the class to pull out my props and flashcards I needed. After about a month with VIPKid I was so comfortable with the platform that I could wake up 15 minutes before my first class of the day and still feel very confident in class. I taught levels 2-5 and some of the extra classes for pronunciation, free talk, singing, etc.
VIPKid is becoming increasingly harder to get a job with. The Chinese government is apparently cracking down on certain things like TEFL certificates and hours. VIPKid has always had certain requirements for its teachers such as having a Bachelor’s degree. The TEFL certificate is a newer requirement from the government. Other platforms, like DaDaABC, don’t require a college degree, but I would assume they also require the TEFL certificate since that rule came from the Chinese government. The government is also cutting back on the hours that online teaching platforms are allowed to host classes. VIPKid had to cut back one hour (2 classes) everyday because they said teaching after 9pm China time was not good for children.
Eventually, I ended up teaching for VIPKid almost full time. I kept one family on as private students in Prague, but the rest of my income came from VIPKid. Most days I would schedule classes from 9am-4pm Prague time. Prague is either 6 or 7 hours different from most of China (China doesn’t participate in Daylight Savings Time), so it is honestly ideal for teaching times during the day. I’m in quite a few VIPKid Facebook groups and I don’t know how some people do it! There are a lot of stay-at-home moms or brick and mortar teachers who start teaching at maybe 3 or 4am BEFORE their day starts. There are also a lot of teachers based in Asia who teach VIPKid in the afternoons and evenings. Any time zone is adaptable obviously, but for me, Europe was the ideal time zone for teaching with VIPKid.
One of my favorite things about VIPKid is the flexible schedule. You can open as many or as few classes as you want every week. Classes open to book 2 weeks before, but you can be booked up until 24 hours before, OR you can opt into “short-notice” bookings which can be booked up to an hour before the class, and you get extra money for short-notice. Because of this flexibility, travel was super easy. I could book trips last minute because I was only booked 2 weeks out. You can also teach from anywhere (as long as there is reliable WiFi and relative quiet surroundings.) I taught from Spain, Croatia, the US, and more.
Even now, back in the US, I like having my VIPKid account as a way to make extra money. I love my students and I still love the flexibility of being able to open up classes whenever I have the time. Teaching online can be a great way to support a traveling lifestyle. I know people who make a lot of money teaching online and while I personally never made enough to support my lifestyle in the US, it was a good amount to support my lifestyle and travel while in Prague (for reference, I am from San Francisco and now live in NYC, so they are definitely more expensive than other US cities.) I imagine that an income from teaching online could go even further in places like Thailand and Vietnam for digital nomads in Asia!
If you are interested in learning more about VIPKid specifically or want some insight into the application and interview process, reach out to me on instagram at @natdoll! I’m happy to help.
Here is my referral link:
https://www.vipkidteachers.com/mkt/landing/personal?referralToken=f912ca914f3ca8561401a3da02ddbdde&refereeId=7330580
