VIPKid: Mock Interviews

The Mock Interview

VIPKid Mock Interviews can and kind of are intimidating. You are putting yourself out there and allowing people to judge you based on your performance. I'm a classroom teacher as well as an ESL teacher for VIPKid, and I can tell you that my VIP Mock Interview was just as stressful and scary as my classroom formal observations are.

How to Prepare 

Props, props, props. TPR, TPR, TPR. After you are scheduled for your Mock Class (it's basically like the interview but 25 minutes instead of 10 and it's divided into two sections: 15 for a Level 3 class, five minutes to review how you did, and 10 minutes for a Level 5 class) you should download the PPT provided and study them. Read the teacher directions at the bottom. The interviewer will likely not be in China for this one. It will be a Mentor Teacher, or a VIPKid teacher who also interviews new teachers in Mock Interviews.

Prior to the Mock Class Interview, you will gain access to the Teacher's Portal. Only a small section, however. Within the Portal, you will find a series of online workshops and videos. This is your study material. At the end of each workshop, you will have to pass a multiple choice test. However, if you don't pass the tests, you can review the information in the workshop and take the tests again.

During the Mock Class, the most important things you need to remember are: 

What are the LESSON OBJECTIVES?
Using TPR and Props
Correcting mistakes made by the "child"

Yes, it is important to use props. But they can be simple. A whiteboard, letter cards, a puppet. And yes you should use as much TPR as possible. But it is critical you know the objectives of the lesson. What is it the slide is really trying to convey to the child? If the lesson objective is to have the child say "I see a ______," don't spend five minutes trying to get them to circle it.

Do use a lot of hand and facial gestures. There's plenty of youtube videos showing how to teach a Mock class. But it's okay to make it your own! Make up your own reward system, for instance.

Finally, correct every mistake your Mock interviewer makes. If they don't conjugate verbs, correct them! But do it kindly, gently, patiently.

What to Expect

Once I was finished, the Mock interviewer asked me how I thought I did. I was honest. Then she provided her own feedback. She said I should hear yea or nea within a few days. First, it was a huge relief to be done with the interview. Now I just had to wait and see if I'd passed or if I had to endure another Mock Interview. I did the Mock 1 on a Saturday morning. On Sunday morning, I got two emails. One from my mentor Angela Silva saying I'd passed my MOCK 1! And then another from VIPKid saying I still needed to do Mock 2. booooo. So, of course I'm confused. This is the value of having a mentor. I emailed her and she immediately looked into the issue. I had in fact passed!!!!

Technology

After my initial interview/demo with VIPKid, I made the command decision to upgrade my technology. Not in a huge way, but still.... I felt that I looked kind of amateurish. So why? Why spend any money before you even have the job?

The way I look at it, if you look like you already have the job, you're more likely to get it. When I did my first interview, I used my phone's personal hotspot for my internet connection. I used my Mac's internal camera and speakers for video and audio. Somehow I made it through to the Mock stage even with these sad sad equipment props. The interview ( I chose a live one), was choppy, the sound and video were crappy, and my internet connection was spotty at best. At one time, the interviewer asked me to shut my computer down (during my interview!) and reboot. He'd wait for me. God bless him, he did indeed.

After, he mentioned all my sorry computer components and suggested I make some changes. Heartened, I did just that. First, I ran a ping test to check my internet speed. One mbps. Are you kidding me? ONE. My kids move faster than that when I tell them to clean their room. And that's saying something. So what's required to stream to China? 20 mbps. Yep. Really not a lot, but in my area it was. I live on a farm. In the mountains of North Idaho. No cable internet here, baby.

I was able to contract a satellite internet provider locally who was able to miraculously get me about 34 mbps. Yes! In business.

I then bought a headset, wireless mouse, and an external webcam. All of which allowed my far better video and audio quality.

In short, you need:

Good internet connection (at least 20 mbps): $60 for me, but prices vary
Headset: $20
Wireless mouse: $20
Logitech webcam: $60

Once past the Mock Stage, whether in Mock 1 or Mock 2, it's time for docs and pics. Then just waiting for the kiddies to book you. More on this in another post!

Interested in joining? Feel free to email me at jennyseib1@gmail.com or click here to sign up using my referral code. I'd be glad to help guide you along the way to becoming an online ESL teacher! My referral code is: 07XKEM

Happy Teaching!