As of today, I hit my 14th day with VIP Kid, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. So today I thought I would post an update and share some tips for those who are thinking about joining or have recently joined.
2 Week Update
After my first week, I was certified at Level 1, or Pre VIP. These are kids who are categorized not by English proficiency, but by age. The youngest children are 3, while the oldest you can be and still be categorized as Pre VIP is 6. I have heard from a lot of prospective teachers that they could never teach this group. I, however, enjoy this group a lot.
For starters it’s mostly interactive materials. The kids get to drag and drop a lot of onscreen images, play music and sounds, and draw all over the board. This keeps the kids engaged and having fun just playing with their tablets and computers.
The second thing I really like about this age group is that they are totally into being silly, playing games, making faces, and generally having fun. Sure, I occasionally have had a kid crying where their parents are trying to get their attention, but that has only happened to me twice out of around 30 kids. It’s really not that big of a deal.
Lastly, I like the group because just like in the classroom with an ELL newcomer, you are the one to teach them their first English words. It is an incredible experience to watch those kids grow and develop in their language proficiency. I’m not saying that other levels don’t get this experience. It’s just that it’s often more rare to find older children who don’t have at least a bit of English in their lexicon.
Tips
-Be patient
A lot of people on the forums have complained about not getting any bookings. This is a process that can take a lot of time for some, while others have a much easier time getting booked out. Take the time you aren’t teaching to attend a few workshops, practice a couple of lessons and camera craft, and eventually you will start to get booked.
-Don’t complain when you have No-Shows
-Don’t let it overwhelm your life
If you would like to know more about VIP Kid, or any other topic discussed in this blog, feel free to email me, post a comment, or click the link below.
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