VIPKid Demo Lesson: Live, Recorded, or Express?

    

    Your second step in becoming a VIPKid Teacher after applying is your Demo Lesson. This is also known as the "Interview". It is where you first show off your Teaching Skills and VIPKid gets to see how well suited you would be for the job. With that in mind it is super important to do a good job. There are three different ways to go about doing the Demo Lesson: a Live One-on-One interview with a representative of VIPKid, a recorded Demo, and the new Express Demo. The Demo may seem the most intimidating part of the hiring process (and it can be). After all, this may be the first time you are expected to teach anything online. With the added challenge of having to learn how to use the tools and and buttons and camera and lighting and such, it can be a bit overwhelming, but have no fear. I am here to offer some advice that may assuage some of your anxieties. In this post, we will go over the pros and cons of each Demo Lesson option and talk about which one may be the best for your scenario and preferences. 

    1.         Live Demo Lesson

                The Live Demo involves scheduling an online meeting with a live representative of VIPKid. There are several Pros to this option.

                           

                            1. You can get graded on how well you correct student error. One of the things that the representative will be looking for is your ability to correct the student's mistakes. The student in this case is obviously the VIPKid representative, however, they will make purposeful mistakes in order to see how you handle them. If you opt for the other types of Demo Lesson, this is not possible because they are recorded lessons and so you do not have a student to correct. 

                            2. You also have the added benefit of being able to negotiate your pay rate. VIPKid pays between $7-$9 starting out (minus incentive and participation bonuses and referral checks). Those with more teaching experience get paid closer to $9, however, there is a chance that during your Live Demo Lesson you have the opportunity to negotiate how much you will be paid. Here's how. 

                                The interviewer may ask you about your teaching experience. Make sure to really ramp up whatever you have done or are currently doing. Remember, things like church service, babysitting and even parenting qualify as "Experience". so don't be shy. Yes, you have experience! Make sure to be honest, but definitely talk up your credentials. It may be the difference of $2/ hr, $72/wk, $3,744/ yer..., etc. Okay, you get the point. This could be HUGE! 

                            3. Another advantage to the Live Demo option is that you can interact with the "student". Anyone who has ever performed on stage or been involved in a sports team knows that a live audience always generates energy. There's something different about game day, opening night, race day, etc. that just gets you hyped! The same is true of teaching. You can teach the same curriculum in front of a live student as you did in front of your camera all alone in your room with 100X more enthusiasm. (I'm exaggerating here, but seriously. It's true!)    

                 

                There are Cons to this option however.

                            1. Your pacing may be different in front of a live person than when you practiced by yourself. Your student's reactions and having to correct him/her may add time to your lesson, which is fine! But it is important to take note of this when you practice. Maybe pretend like the student is speaking or act like he or she made a mistake and practice correcting him or her. These things may make it not so much different from what you may experience in the Live Demo Lesson. 

                            2. You only get one take. Because this interview is live, you cannot re-record anything or start over or re-do. What happens happens and you can'ta take it back. You can do as many Demo Classes as you like before you pass, but you take back what you say in the moment (kind of like in life).  

    2.         Recorded Demo Lesson

        The Recorded Demo Lesson is another version of the Demo Lesson that is sometimes offered to prospective Teachers. If you are asked to do a Recorded Demo Lesson, a link will bring you to a web page where you can schedule a time to record your Demo Lesson. The time slot will include about ten minutes before to enter the "classroom", learn how to use some of the tools and functions, and become more comfortable with the platform. After that you have one hour to record your Demo Lesson. Your Demo Lesson should only be ten minutes long so here are some Pros to this approach. 

                             1. You can re-record as many times as you like before submitting the final version of your Demo Lesson. This can be great for those with a little bit of stage fright who are new to teaching online. With an hour to record ten minutes of lesson content, you could record as many as 6 times (hypothetically) before you submit it! 

                             2. You have more time to fiddle around with the classroom functions without taking up someone else's time. Of course the VIPKid representative will give you a couple of minutes to figure things out. If this is your first Demo Lesson, this will be your first time interacting inside the VIPKid classroom. So, you are going to want to press buttons and try drawing on the screen and dragging different tools around. However, if you're anything like me, you may feel awkward doing this with someone watching. Not only that, but I become concerned that I may be taking up the precious time of a busy person. So the Recorded Demo allows you to do all this exploration on your own, without the concern of inconveniencing anyone.  

                                3. Your pacing will be your own. Because you will not actually be speaking to a live human being, you can go as fast or as slow as you practiced. There will be no interruptions or reactions to worry about.  

                                

                The Cons to this option are as follows.

                                1. You do not have the opportunity to show off your interaction skills. Because there is no live audience on the other side of the camera, there won't be any interaction with the student. The representatives like to see your enthusiasm and excitement you can offer the class. This is very difficult (but not impossible) to do without an actual student, 

                                2. You do not have the opportunity to make corrections to your student. This may be the reason you get back your results and have a 0 in the category for error correction. They do take this into account when they are reviewing the Demo Lesson so it should not prevent you from passing. It's just something to keep this in mind.  

    3.         Express Demo Lesson

        The Express Demo Lesson is new as of April 2019 and is an expedited way of performing the Demo Lesson. It is probably the most convenient and definitely the fastest way of doing the Demo Lesson. It only lasts three minutes! Yep. You heard me right. The video only has to be three minutes long! It is pre-recorded and sent in for approval whenever you have done so. So, without further ado, here are the Pros of going the Express Demo route. 

                                1. It is super short! You are only responsible for teaching two slides. The total length of your video should be no more than three minutes. 

                                2. You can record the video on any device. It can be your web cam (which is required to teach on VIPKid), a digital camera or even your phone! 

                                3. This means that you do not have to worry about getting to know the VIPKid classroom functions for the Demo Lesson. Because you can record the lesson on any device you obviously do not have to enter the VIPKid classroom to do so. So, you can say good bye to online tools and hassles this go-'round. 

                                4. You can record on your own time. Once you get the email requesting your Express Demo Video, you do not need to schedule a time to record or submit the video. Simply record it on your own and submit it when you are ready. 

                                5. You can re-record an infinite number of times before you submit it. Because you are using your own device, and there's no expiration date on the Express Demo request you receive via email, you can take your time and record or re-record as many times as you feel is necessary to get that perfect video! 

                Some of the Cons may include...

                                1. VIPKid is typically more meticulous about grading Express Demo Lessons. This is because they are short and dense. This makes every detail of your video very apparent, so I would recommend being picky about the video you submit. I don't mean that you have to stress over it. Just make sure that you're doing a good job and that you give it your best! 

                                2. It can be difficult to show off your skills in such a short amount of time. With the maximum Demo Lesson being 3 minutes long, it's kind of hard to demonstrate all your skills. My tip is to make it as dense as possible. Pull all the stops and remember, just have fun! The more fun it was to create, the more fun it will be to grade, and the more likely you will be to pass. 

                                3. You do not get the opportunity to learn the classroom tools functions. Where this can be a Pro for some people, keep in mind that your Mock Class (step three in the hiring process) will take place in the classroom (not to mention when you actually get hired and start teaching). So, you will need to be familiar with it eventually. 

    So, there you have it: three options for completing you Demo Lesson! All of them are good all of them are unique, some may be more suitable for your needs than the others. Whatever you choose to do, know that there is an equal chance for passing. There is NO WRONG OPTION! 

   

 If you're interested in starting the hiring process click HERE to get started. I would be happy to help you through every step of the way! Got questions? Go to my Contact Page and send me an email or a Facebook Message.  

God Bless and, as always, Happy Teaching!