Amanda who is very active in our side hustle group has shared her experience with Qkids
So you're thinking about teaching ESL online? This blog will tell you about one of the most popular ESL companies online and answer some of your burning questions about ESL and this company in general.
I've been with Qkids for just about two years, and taught almost 2000 classes, so I can answer pretty much any question you can come up with. Hopefully this blog will help you decide if this job is the right fit for you. You can sign up for qkids with Amanda here
COMMUNICATION -
Let's start with the basics. Qkids is great about keeping employees in the loop. There is a Facebook group where they often post polls, they will send out emails asking for feedback, and even send us surveys in our app so that we can give feedback on upcoming or recent changes. They are typically very reliable at responding, even during class. So if you have an urgent need (a child misbehaving, a muted student, or you need to leave class for some reason), you can communicate easily with them during class. This may seem like something small, but it is a relief when you're in class to know that someone on the other end has your back. Trust me when I say the communication is lacking with many other companies.
CLASS MATERIAL
Don't worry, you are not responsible for creating lesson plans! Qkids has a complete curriculum set for you, from Phonics on up! They even have "starter" lessons which focus on colors, animals, and other beginner words. As you teach a lesson, you are clicking through pages of the curriculum. There are activities on every slide which are either self-explanatory, or you follow the instructions on the sidebar. You can extend a particular activity if you feel like the students need more practice. Qkids has overviews of all the games and activities you will come across so you can see exactly how to teach them to the students!
SCHEDULING
One of the great things about Qkids is that parents do not schedule classes with you. That may sound like a downside to you, but this puts all teachers on an even playing field, whether you've been with the company for two weeks or two years. You need to open up "slots" that you are available to teach. Qkids requires you to open up a minimum of 12 slots per week. They will add classes to your schedule based on your availability. But no worries - if they give you a class and you happen to be busy during that time frame, you can cancel that class five hours or more before class time with no repercussions. If you have to cancel at the last minute, you will lose your bonus for the week (See PAYMENT) but this is a much more lenient cancellation policy than other ESL companies. Also, if you go into a class and no student comes within ten minutes, you can leave the classroom and you will still receive a full payment for that class! Many other ESL companies do not have a no-show policy like this.
PAYMENT
Each 30-minute class will pay you $8 as a base payment. If you teach 15 or more classes in a one-week time frame, you get a $1 bonus per class you successfully taught. Parents of students can also evaluate you at the end of the class, from one to five stars. For every class during the week for which you have four and five star evaluations, you get another $1 bonus. Therefore, the potential is there to earn $10 per 30-minute class.
STANDBYS
Sometimes you will be scheduled for a "standby" class. This means you are the alternate teacher in case the regular teacher misses class for some reason. For a standby class, you log into the portal three minutes before class and stay until three minutes after class starts. If the standby doesn't "convert" (change into a class), you are free to leave the portal and you will be paid $4 for your time.
REQUIREMENTS
What are the main requirements needed to be hired? At a minimum, you need to be eligible to work in the USA or Canada. You need a bachelors degree (in any area of study), and you need EITHER a teaching license OR a TESOL/TEFL certificate. Those certificates are not difficult to acquire and they will allow you to work on it as you are working on your interviews. You also need a computer with an internal or external webcam, a headset with a microphone, and a stable internet connection (Ethernet preferred). Technically your computer should have a minimum upload speed of 2 Mbps and a minimum download speed of 4 Mbps.
EXPECTATIONS WHEN BEING HIRED
First, you will apply online. You'll send them your resume and availability, a screenshot of your internet speed, and a 1-2 minute video of your introduction. In that video, introduce yourself, tell where you live, your educational background, any experience working with kids or teaching, and then read or tell a short children's story.
Within three business days you will hear back from Qkids. If they are not hiring at the moment, they will reach out to you again when they are hiring, or you can wait a few weeks and try again.
Once you've passed that video process, they will ask you to do a demo interview. You will have to study the Qkids lessons beforehand and be able to show in this demo how to control sound, contact tech support during a class, and use the buttons available to teachers during class.
After you've passed this demo interview, you'll schedule a second interview. In this one, you will teach an adult interviewer as if they are a student in class. You'll have access to the class beforehand so you can be familiar with it!
That's it! If you pass the second demo interview, you will begin teaching in a trial period. You will teach 2-5 classes to students and get feedback from parents. Based on their feedback, you will be fully hired by Qkids!
WHAT HOURS WILL I TEACH?
This, again, is somewhat up to you, but the usual hours are 5:50am to 9:00am EST and 8:30pm to 12:20am, seven days a week. These are summer hours and are subject to change. When applying, make sure to ask them what hours are available so you'll know which hours you can teach.
THAT'S IT!
Congratulations, you made it through the entire blog post! If you have any questions I didn't answer in this post, feel free to comment here and I'll answer them as soon as possible.
I've worked for many online ESL companies (including the big well known ones). Qkids is hands down the best.
Here is some additional reviews from Glassdoor
Immediate bookings
Good pay
Really laid back cancellation policy (you just request off in the app)
No props or outside rewards needed
No need to write feedback
Honestly, too many to name.
-Perfect for stay at home parents, college students, or anyone who loves teaching
-Mutual respect between the company and their teachers.
-RESOURCES. When you're hired, the platform is filled to the brim with resources for you to explore.
-The Coaching and CC teams are friendly and so ready to help.
-Their constructive criticism is incredibly useful.
-The platform is engaging
-The students are the sweetest
-The smartphone app that holds your teaching schedule, payment info, and communication channels with your coach and CC teams.
-Flexible "request off" policy
-Supportive FB groups for teachers
-Base pay of $16 per hour, with bonuses can be up to $20 per hour, which is a little less than other companies.
-The hours are early and late in the day, especially during summer and winter hours, which can be a little intense.
- Flexible hours (you choose when you can teach)
- Good pay (about $18 an hour)
- Great support to help you succeed as a teacher
- Don't have to work too many hours
- Have to wake up really early (5am)
- Sometimes its hard to get students involved
- You have to have a space where it is quiet and no one will bother you while you teach, but also a place where you won't wake up others when you teach
- You only get paid at the end of the month
Q. How do people practice the Qkids format in order to be prepared for the interview?
A. This is a great question. Qkids sets up a demo classroom that you can enter before the interview and practice clicking around in it. Plus, they will give you some written instructions with pictures to help you out. This is great - I applied for another company and you weren't allowed to see the classroom until you went in, and you were expected to teach the lesson right away to your interviewer. Needless to say, it was really nervewracking!
Q. Does age matter? Or how long you have been teaching?
A. Absolutely not! There are teachers who have just graduated college with no classroom experience, and there are teachers who are in their 60s and have 30+ years in a classroom. Of course, there are even teachers in their 60s who have never even stepped foot in a classroom! Lots of variety. The main criteria for being hired is - can you effectively keep the attention of the children and keep them excited about class? Can you praise them and encourage them as they are learning the material?
It would be wonderful if you would use my referral code when you're signing up. I do get a referral fee when you get hired, and if you will email me at amanda.talbert@gmail.com when you get hired, I will split that referral fee with you! I'm happy to help you through the interview process as well! Good luck!
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