On the same day, I will be celebrating the completion of my first full year working for the Beijing-based education company, VIPKID.
Here are my short answers to the 5 questions I have been asked the most in the past year in regards to this job...my VIPKIDFAQ, if you will.
Okay, so your job is what?
Me. Student in China. Usually age 5-12.
One-on-one. 25 minutes.
The goal? Teach them English by any means necessary.
So you know Chinese?
Nope. Even if I did, classes are 100% conducted in English, but I have learned some words and phrases over the past year (featuring a very American pronunciation guide)...
Hello! Ni hao! (knee-how)
Goodbye! Zaijian! (zai-jyen)
Teacher, why? Laoshi, weisheme? (lao-sheh, way-sheh mah)
Happy New Year! Xin nian kuai le! (sheen-neen-kwai-luh)
If you don't know Chinese, how do you teach?
I often joke that I attended a university for 4 years to answer that question.
But really, it's patience and the full-immersion method.
Full-immersion is simply full-immersion into an English-speaking environment.
Full-immersion is the reason I lack fond memories of my parents lecturing to one-year-old me about subject-verb agreement and how to conjugate the present progressive tense in English.
Is that really effective?
Did you graduate high school feeling like you can actually have a conversation in Spanish?
(Probablemente no, porque la manera americana de enseñar el idioma es basura.)
A more serious answer: yes. It's wonderful having a first-time student. For many, it's their first time interacting with English, and by the end of class they can complete activities with English instruction! (E.g., "Circle big C.") I love it.
When do you work?
My alarm is set for 3:44 am, 6 days a week.
I work on BJT (Beijing time). I schedule my classes to be after the students' regular school day, usually 6 pm - 10 pm. That means I work from 4 am - 8 am Kansas City time in the fall in winter.
BONUS: Best student names so far?
Snow White, Dream, and Jelly
Teacher Samantha
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