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Tips to Pass the VIPKid Smart Demo
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Teaching English to students in China is a great way to earn money from home. Teachers, tutors, and even daycare providers earn great side cash working for VIPKid, earning $15 to $22 an hour. Getting hired for VIPKid is a process. If you’ve already passed the application portion, you’re ready for the VIPKid smart demo and quiz. It’s not as intimidating as it sounds, but it’s an important part of the process. Keep reading to learn tips to pass the VIPKid Smart demo.
What is the VIPKid Smart Demo?
After you complete the VIPKid application process (and get approved), you’ll move onto the VIPKid Smart Demo. Don’t get overwhelmed; it sounds a lot more intimidating than it is. Think of it as another step in the application process, and a way for VIPKid representatives to make sure you have the personality to engage students and a teaching style they’ll understand.
The demo is a combination of a short quiz and a quick lesson. When I say the lesson is quick, I mean one slide, so it is a matter of a few minutes max. This is a great practice step before you teach your first mock lesson, which is your true interview and determination whether or not you’re a good fit.
The smart demo is how they decide if they should move onto the next step with you. As long as you’re engaging, talk slowly, and follow the VIPKid teaching objectives, you’ll do just fine.
VIPKid Referral Code – What Does it Do?
I would encourage anyone starting this process to use a referral code. While it’s not a requirement, if you have a referral, it means you have a built-in mentor to help you get hired quickly. Just like a coach, your VIPKid referral mentor walks you through the application process with the goal of helping you succeed.
We’ve got you covered if you don’t have a referral yet. Use VIPKid referral code: LINDS1129 and read this post if you want to know more about VIPKID Referrals.
How to Prepare for the VIPKid Smart Demo
Before you jump into the smart demo, read the materials provided. VIPKid provides you with everything you need to understand what they’re looking for in the smart demo and mock lesson. I suggest reading through the materials at least a few times to familiarize yourself with what they need/want.
The materials also include a few videos. Watch them and talk to your referral mentor to make sure you fully understand everything. If you have questions or want to run your lesson past your mentor, I highly suggest taking the time to do it as you’ll feel better prepared.
In the VIPKid materials provided, they explain their four methods of effective teaching. The VIPKid representative looks for these techniques in your lesson, so pay close attention to:
- Repetition – VIPKid encourages teachers to repeat words/lessons until the students master them. You may spend some time repeating words back and forth, and that’s okay. Think of it as a pinball machine – you say the word, and the student pings it back to you. Once they’re able to say the word spontaneously without your help, such as being able to say the word as an answer to a question or when you point to a picture, you know they have it.
- Lesson objectives – Each lesson has an objective that the student should master. During the smart demo, your objective will be to teach a new word. The word will be provided at random by VIPKid on a single lesson slide. This is what you should focus on in your demo. You want to avoid complicating the objective by adding extra words or sentences. Keep it simple and focus on your objective.
- Speaking speed – You must speak slowly and clearly. You should talk with personality, but also clear enough that your student can understand what you’re teaching. Avoid superfluous or big words that can cause confusion for students new to English. Practice teaching out loud or even recording yourself so you can sense your speed.
- Total physical response – VIPKid looks for input other than just verbal. This includes facial expressions, hand gestures, body language, and modeling help get the point across. Visual cues are especially important when you consider the language barrier of the students. Before you record your demo (and once you know your word that you’re going to teach), take time to think of what hand gestures, pictures, or objects around your house that you can use to illustrate your word. Waving, pointing, and other gestures to indicate that you are waiting for their response (by cupping your hand over your ear, for instance) are all highly encouraged.
What is the VIPKid Quiz?
Before you teach your one slide lesson, you’ll take a VIPKid quiz. Don’t worry, it’s nothing like the quizzes you took in college. This one is only 5 questions long. Each question is multiple-choice, and the answers are in the materials you already reviewed. If you have a VIPKid referral code, go over the quiz questions with your mentor before you take the quiz. While your mentor won’t know which five questions you’ll get (they pull them randomly), he/she can prepare you for all the questions, so you feel at ease and have a better chance of passing it.
The quiz is multiple choice but is based on videos or recordings, so pay close attention to what you watch or hear to answer the questions. You get 1 minute and 30 seconds to answer each question. Most people pass the quiz quite easily, so don’t stress about it too much. If you don’t pass the first time, you will have an opportunity to re-take it.
Should I Use Props During my Demo?
Can you use props during your demo? Yes, absolutely! Is it a deal-breaker if you don’t use props? No, I passed my demo without using them. However, using props helps engage students more, and it impresses the VIPKid representative. Props make it easier for students to understand and give you more connection with your students. They don’t have to be anything special – and please don’t spend money on them.
If nothing else, grab a whiteboard or notecards to help you as you can write out the words or draw pictures to make it easier. But if you can, print out some pictures of common words including:
If you have any of these items lying around the house, you can use actual props too. For example, a ping pong paddle, a soccer ball, or a water bottle are great props. Anything that brings the words to life and helps the student understand them better helps, but again this is NOT required.
Recording the Smart Demo
Once you have everything and you’ve passed the quiz, it’s recording time. This is a great time for your VIPKid referral mentor to help you. There are 5 total slides – you’ll get one randomly chosen for you. It’s best to practice as much as possible before the smart demo – recording yourself, so you see what it feels like.
Remember what you watched in the example video they provided and mimic it using the word they provide you. Remember, be engaging, talk slowly, and encourage repetition. There won’t be an actual student or person there with you, but you can mimic having a student repeat the word back and forth to you. You say the word, pause and cup your hand over your ear to indicate you are listening for them to repeat, then you say it again, etc.
Use an engaging voice, introduce new sentences slowly, and remember your facial expressions, hand gestures, and props to get the “student” more engaged and facilitate understanding.
When will I Know if I Passed the Demo?
Most people hear back from VIPKid within 24 hours of sending in their smart demo. If you don’t hear back within 48 hours, contact VIPKid or your VIPKid referral mentor to see if he/she can find out what’s going on with your application.
I Passed my Demo. Now What?
Once you pass the smart demo, you’re ready for the mock lesson. Actual VIPKid lessons last 25 minutes, but the teaching time during the mock lesson is slightly shorter (10 minutes) as they leave time for coaching and feedback. You must pass the mock lesson before you receive your contract.
Passing the VIPKid smart demo isn’t hard, but it helps to prepare. Reviewing their materials and working with your VIPKid referral mentor is important before going through the demo. If you have experience teaching kids, it won’t be a big deal to you, but VIPKid has certain requirements they want to be met before they’ll pass you on the next step.
Take the time to learn the VIPKid nuances, and you’ll be well on your way to earning nice side cash as a VIPKid teacher from the comfort of your home.
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