As you know, I have been working for VIPKID for over 1.5 years now, and have honestly loved every minute of it. During my three contracts, SO much has changed. It is honestly hard to keep up with all of their changes; from curriculum changes, to hiring practices, to even their requirements for hiring. However, China has made some big changes when it comes to the online teaching world. It already has very strict requisites for teaching IN China and now they are starting to control the online sector too.
What does this mean? It means that teachers for any online company based in China (VIPKID, DaDaABC, Magic Ears, etc.) must now have a teaching license from your state/province (if Canadian) or TEFL certificate. This doesn’t mean some $8 Groupon TEFL certificate. That doesn’t cut it to teach in China, so chances are high it won’t cut it once regulations go into effect for teaching online too. Typically your certificate needs to meet international standards and be recognized. But again, what does all that mean??
In order for a TEFL certification to meet international standards:
- It be no less than 100 hours (i.e. 120 hour certificate is fine, a 60 hour certificate is not)
- Must include at least 6 hours of student teaching/practicum (you actually need to practice what you are learning)
- It must be externally accredited and validated by a recognized body
- Instructors must have a Master’s or higher in this field or related
A lot of the cheap online TEFL courses don’t offer some or the majority of these (i.e. after you take their course you can become a tutor and teach their course/grade work…does that sound right to you?) Another big thing is you need to have an actual certificate number that can be verified. A lot of these online companies just issue you a certificate with no certificate number. No number, doesn’t count.
So you can still apply without one but then you have to take THEIRS in order to teach. Their certificate is only for VIPKID, so if you want to teach elsewhere, you can’t without a real TEFL/TESOL certificate.
If you are looking to teach online for VIPKID or any other organization based in China, you will be need a certificate so I recommend you start looking into this. I have already heard of some teachers at companies accounts being suspended until they get a certified. But, even if you want to take the plunge and teach not only online but abroad too, you will also need a certification.
As always, DO YOUR RESEARCH when it comes to getting TEFL certified. I recommend International TEFL Academy and you can save $50 off your online course tuition with this link or code ANDSHETRAVELS.
Happy teaching and any questions, feel free to comment below and I can help to the best of my ability!
