Hey there! It’s Allyson from OnlineTeacherAllyson.com where Stay-at-Home Moms learn how to teach online so they can earn an income from home with their kiddos in tow. So, today we’re getting into my most commonly asked question and that is “How much money can I actually make with Online Teaching?” Because Allyson, it sounds great in theory but how do I apply it? How does it apply to my finances, and how will I see a difference? So today I’m going to take you through my first nine months of paychecks. I’m going to tell you exactly what I made and how I got there.
P.S. This blog post is based off a recent YouTube video! If you prefer to watch, you can grab the video below!
VIPKid
So this Online Teaching platform I’m looking at is from VIPKid. I’ve said it in previous videos but I want to say again: VIPKid is not what it used to be. They used to be based out of China with mostly Chinese students but the Chinese government passed a law saying that they couldn’t be taught by foreign teachers. So VIPKid has moved their headquarters. They’ve moved their clientele to other countries. They’re now global but they’re having trouble finding their footing. So while these are my numbers, they’re my numbers from nearly three years ago and your numbers probably won’t look like this on VIPKid. With that being said there are other platforms that are thriving much more than VIPKid is – where you can spend your time and your efforts.
A Freebie for You!
Stick around until the end because I’m going to give you a link that’ll help match you to an Online Teaching platform so that you’re not getting started kind of fishing through all of them, which is what I did. I have been on several different platforms trying to find a good fit and VIPKid was it for me but I realize it’s probably not for you at this point. So I have a one page download completely free. It’ll take two minutes of your time and it’ll help you find that match. So stick around to the end and I’ll give you the link.
So first things first. On VIPKid when you first get started they kind of promote you on the platform. You’re listed at the top of all of the teachers for two weeks. The idea is as a new teacher you take advantage of those two weeks. You teach as many slots as possible before you just get bumped down into the normal algorithm with the rest of the teachers.
November 2019
So my first month in VIPKid I made $153. When you think about it, it’s not bad. The startup fees for me were nothing, which for you they will probably be nothing too. You probably already have the computer and the space for it. Actually my startup fees it was my background. I’m still teaching with the same background. It was about, I don’t know, $20 max. There was a really old one I used, I was at my parents house at the time. I’ll show you that one one day in a throwback. So $153 was my take-home pay. I was pretty darn happy with that because VIPKid was a very competitive marketplace. They have tens of thousands of tens of thousands of teachers and I was just excited to be getting noticed in my first month, and I did actually have a regular from them. A regular, if you don’t know, is a student that comes back to you over, and over, and over again for more classes. So that was November of 2019.
December 2019
So moving forward into December, I made $231. So, I was going up and I was very excited about that. This was December, it was Christmas, so I missed a couple classes – big no no. And, I think I canceled one because we ended up traveling different days than I originally thought we would, or I didn’t plan ahead well enough. Looking at my pay stub from December 2019 I noticed that I missed a few classes and there was a cancellation there.
January 2020
So after those missed classes and the cancellations in January of 2020 I made $17. That’s two classes I taught all month. So notice how when I was working hard and I was grinding it was going pretty well for me. I was starting to pick up but then I shot myself in the foot, which is a video for another time, and I made $17. So that algorithm flagged me. It was like, “Hey, she’s not showing up to classes. Let’s not show her to the parents.” So that’s my own fault. Don’t make the same mistakes I did! I learned from that!
February 2020
It’s important to remember at this point these students are based in China because the Coronavirus, Covid hit China before it hit us. So in February 2020 in China it was in full force. In February it’s their Chinese New Year. I remember they could not celebrate as normal and the platform was booming with classes. I took advantage! I spent some all-nighters and I taught, and I taught, and I taught. I napped in between. My sweet sweet husband – I downloaded the app on his phone so that if I had a short notice booking, a booking that could come in up to one hour before it was scheduled, he would wake me up, because he was awake at night at that point. So in February of 2020 I made $522. I was ecstatic! It covered my student loan and extras!
The Benefit of Regular Students
At this I was seeing some regulars. I had this sweet girl. Her name was Daisy – her American name – and I saw her multiple times a week. I also had these brothers. They lived in Hong Kong. I was seeing them multiple times a week, too. I was just so excited to be doing what I had been working so hard to do, and actually making an income off of this.
March 2020
So coming into March 2020 Covid is starting to become a thing over in America. Schools are closing down and so the platform got bogged down with teachers. Classroom teachers who usually only open slots on the weekends, or holidays, or summer were now able to open up slots all the time, and they had an established group of regulars that I was still working to build! So, I lost a little money. I made $405 which still wasn’t bad. It still covered my student loans and it was still extra but I wanted more. I was hungry for more.
How I Got Started
So, I kept working. I didn’t pull any more all-nighters, but I was really showing these regular kiddos and families that I am here for you and I care about you. I left them detailed valuable feedback. I gave my all to every single class even though it was like five o’clock in the morning, and I was tired. I worked and I proved myself, and I was proving myself, as a worthy teacher. As someone they should be spending roughly twenty dollars a class on for 25 minutes of instruction. So, in April of 2020 I made $492. Not bad. I wasn’t quite up to my $522 yet but I was still pretty happy with that because I increased. In May of 2020 I earned $572.
June 2020
In June of 2020 I earned $1098! June of 2020 I hit one thousand dollars! That was my goal! I wanted $1000 a month. I came from a teacher salary where working full time as a teacher you make a couple thousand a month. I didn’t want that! Remember I decided to teach from home because I had my son and I didn’t want to leave him. So $1000 for me was a great goal because it was enough for my student loans. Plus, we were putting chunks on a credit card bill. Like, giant chunks, $700, $800 depending on the month, and what we had saved, and what our other expenses were.
July 2020 – My Best Month EVER
In July of 2020 I hit my best month I ever hit with VIPKid and that was $1513. I remember being very tired because I was working extra classes. I think I was working mornings and evenings – as I could in the evenings. So I made my best money yet. But I recognized that I was too tired. I closed off some slots and I decided “You know what? This is not going to work long term.” I wasn’t the Mom I wanted to be. I was very tired when my son was awake. I would just sit on the couch, I might fall asleep. We didn’t do anything fun because I was so tired. So I shut down my nighttime classes, because that’s not where the greatest demand was – they were in China, remember, and I just opened up the morning slots. I got booked! 90% to 100% of the time all my classes were booked. After that I averaged about $1100 a month which I was very happy with! It was perfect for our family.
What We Did with the Money
After doing it for several years we managed to pay off a rather large credit card bill. Now, I’m working to pay off my student loans and our car payment. This is the honest nitty-gritty of what you can make teaching as an Online ESL or Online Teacher.
Where I’m Online Teaching Now
I now work for other platforms where the hours are different. They are more centered in the American time zones so I can’t work the early mornings that I used to. My hours are limited now. I’m only working when my son is at preschool, so I’m only bringing in about $500 a month. It’s kind of a bummer in the sense that I liked $1000, but it is still enough. I’m also making more hourly than I was at VIPKid because the platforms I found after my experience teaching online. Along with my degree in Education it’s allowed me to find platforms that look specifically for certified teachers and they pay a little better. VIPKid requires a degree, but it doesn’t have to be in teaching, it can be a degree in anything.
No Degree? No Problem. Online Teaching is Still Available!
There’s other platforms like Cambly where you don’t even need a degree and the experience they ask for you could claim the experience raising your child. So you’re set!
How To Get Started Online Teaching
So, all that to be said, how did I get there? Well, I worked overnight. I know you’re probably thinking, “Allyson, I don’t want to work overnights. I want to be home with my son, my daughter, my kiddos.” Yes, I get it. I did too. Remember I only worked like three maybe four overnights. I really think it was three nights to get to my $1500 month.
I know it’s not ideal, but sometimes sacrifices need to be made at the very beginning in order to reap the benefits later. In my case the sacrifices were the long nights to reap the benefits of $1500. After that, once I got students, I proved myself worthy of being their teacher. I planned lessons, I bought props, and toys, and rewards to help make those lessons better. I expanded on what they had, I brought my own knowledge, and I kind of pulled in what I knew they wanted, and I talked to parents like they’re a team. We are! I learned what they wanted me to teach their kid. They learned who I am and how I teach, and kind of the expectations. Parents were always really happy with the feedback that I left.
Prove Yourself Worthy – Because You Are!
Once you get those students prove yourself worthy. That is the best advice I have. Because you are worthy! You know what you’re teaching whether it is a lesson you’ve created yourself or a lesson that is provided for you. You know that content otherwise you would not have been hired, your lesson would not have been approved – you know it. You’re an expert in this for a reason. You are worthy. Make sure the parents, and the kids, and the families, and the guardians know that. You are worthy!
So, Where Should You Start Online Teaching?
I promised you that I had a link for the platform at the end. There’s tons of platforms out there whether you want to work on a platform or not. Whether you want to lesson plan on your own or have them for you. Whether you want to teach children or adults, and the times you want to teach. I I’ve got it listed for you. It’s just one of those flow charts – there’s yes or no questions. It’s one page. It’s going to take two minutes of your time and it’s going to give you a starting point. You can grab your copy at OnlineTeacherAllyson.com/platform. It’s completely free. Two minutes of your time, one page, and you should have somewhere to start applying today. I hope this was helpful and I hope you have somewhere to get started, I hope it’s inspired you! I really wish I saw this when I was getting started because I remember being pretty dang defeated when I made $17 and I had to pick myself up and dust myself off. Let this be an inspiration for you! I will see you next week! Chat soon!
PPS – If you prefer to listen, you can grab the podcast episode here!