The Chinese government passed a law that all teachers, even online teachers for companies like VIPKID, must have bachelor’s degrees and be certified teachers. They did not clarify what that certification must be and VIPKID is still trying to get clarity from them on that.
In anticipation of this change, they created their own certification course in conjunction with TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages), the leading certifier of ESL teachers. This certification satisfies the government requirement for certification.
They added a step to the hiring process. They are requiring new teachers who do not have teaching credentials (certifications or licenses from their state) to get the VIPKID TESOL Foundational Certificate before you sign your contract. If you are a certified teacher, you may not be required to do the VIPKID TESOL but you can and I highly recommend that you do.
The VIPKID TESOL will come after you pass the first mock class in the certification center. You will be given the option of doing another certification or doing the TESOL. If you are not a certified teacher, after you upload your documents, you will have to do the Foundational TESOL certification. It will take you a few hours. I enjoyed it and learned a lot from the training. There is no cost to you other than your time. They may require you to do it even if you have a teaching certificate.
You may be thinking that this is a lot to do for a job you haven’t made anything from yet but please know that it is a part of your training for the job. Professional Development in any job is often expected.
I always tell my new teachers to add that certification as soon as they sign their contract anyway. It really helps with getting bookings. The parents look for that certification when booking classes. Even if you have the full TESOL or some other ESL certification, do the VIPKID TESOL.
There are articles to read and some videos on how to teach English. There are 2 sections in the Foundational Certificate and you will take a quiz at the end of each section. You cannot move to the 2nd one until you have passed the first. Once you sign your contract you can add the Advanced VIPKID/TESOL certificate. It’s actually easier than the foundational one.
HINT: VIPKID quizzes are notorious for being worded oddly. This makes them hard to pass. Here are some tips:
- Have the reading material open in one tab and the quiz in another tab.
- Read through the quiz first so you know what you are looking for. Then fill in the questions as you read.
- Be careful to notice if the question allows one answer or multiple answers.
- In the reading material, use ctrl F (Windows) or cmd f (mac) and it will bring up a search box where you can search for a term.
- Google the question or terms for more help from outside of VIPKID.
- Look here for some flashcards that help a LOT! https://quizlet.com/subject/vipkid-tesol/
- Once you finish all the questions, submit your answers. You will probably get a “You got 6 right and need 9 right to pass the quiz.” Or some other numbers. You will be given 2 buttons, try again or review material. Don’t click either one or it will completely erase all your answers. Hit your computer ESC key and you will go back to the quiz with all your answers still there. Now you can change one answer and click submit again to see if your score changes! EDIT: I am hearing that the ESC thing is not working now.
- After entering answers, try the back button on your browser.
So don’t be surprised if you are asked to do the TESOL Certification after passing your first Mock class.
Hello, Penny Davis 