teaching online has become an increasingly popular way to earn an income remotely. but are all online companies the same? Of course not. In this GoGoKid review, I’ll let you know exactly what it’s like to work for this company. (Spoiler alert: It’s pretty awesome!)
I’ve been in the ESL industry for 2 years, and during this past couple of years, I’ve obtained quite a bit of experience. I’ve worked for two brick and mortar schools in China, and had contracts with two different online English teaching companies.
GoGoKid was my first online teaching job, and I learned a lot more about teaching in the first month than I did during my first semester teaching at a school in China. In my experience, they are a terrific company to work for.
Editor’s note March, 2021: It’s been reported that GoGoKid has a long, convoluted hiring process. Magic Ears ($26/hour) and VIPKID ($22/hour) are much easier to get a job with and they are both currently hiring! The qualifications and requirements are the same as GoGoKid.
Update August, 2021: teaching English online looks a little bit different these days. China has changed its policies relating to foreign English teachers. This indicates that unfortunately, lots of of the online platforms provided in this post aren’t hiring at the moment. We will update this post as we hear more.
Having said that, DON’T WORRY! There are still lots of companies that aren’t China-based that you can apply to, such as: Preply, Cambly, iTalki, Outschool, Teachable, and Profy.
In this GoGoKid review, I’ll cover what it’s really like to work for them, how much money you can make, and how to get hired.
Table of Contents
What is GoGoKid?
What Are The GoGoKid requirements To become Teacher?
How much Does GoGoKid Pay?
How Can I Maximize My incomes At GoGoKid?
What materials Do I need For GoGoKid?
How lots of hours Can I work at GoGoKid?
How Do I apply To GoGoKid?
What Is The GoGoKid interview process Like?
GoGoKid Review: My First-Hand Experience
GoGoKid Review: The Pros
GoGoKid Review: The Cons
Is GoGoKid a good fit For You?
What is GoGoKid?
GoGoKid is an online ESL company based in Beijing that hires teachers from the us and Canada to show Chinese students. It’s one of the newer online ESL companies on the market, but it has a lot to offer.
The company started in 2018, so they’ve been around long enough to work out the bugs, and still build up a respectable size student base.
They also do a pretty good job to support new teachers and work hard to make sure that they aren’t hiring too lots of teachers at any given time.
And the best part? They are one of the most trusted and highest paying online ESL companies you’ll find.
My ESL classroom with GoGoKid
The students are between 3 and 14 years old. The majority of them will be between 4 and 9, though. classes will only ever have one student at a time. classes are normally 25 minutes long, but if the class starts late, you must show up to 28 minutes.
GoGoKid is a parent booked company, indicating you will need to build your profile and reviews to get consistent bookings. Over time, you can build a devoted group of students that you will look forward to seeing every week!
What Are The GoGoKid requirements To become Teacher?
In buy to work for GoGoKid, you need to meet the following credentials:
Be a native English speaker from the united states or Canada.
You need to have a valid ID.
Hold a Bachelor’s degree (or higher).
Have completed and received a TEFL Certificate.
Experience working with children in some capacity.
A clean criminal background.
☞ Click here to read reviews of the 7 best online TEFL companies. Or, have a look at my review of the MyTEFL course that I took. Use discount code GOATS35 to receive 35% off the MyTEFL course.
While those are the only basic requirements to get hired, there are some other things you can add to really make your application stand out.
Make sure you include any related work experience you have with children — coaching, babysitting, teaching, volunteering, mentoring, working at a summer camp, etc.
Having an education or related degree in English will likely help you get hired as a GoGoKid teacher, but it’s not a rule.
My degree is in a completely unrelated field and it wasn’t an issue for me. If you have a master’s or doctoral degree, you can expect to receive a higher starting salary, but it’s not always a guarantee that you will be hired.
Aside from that, just make sure you have a well-edited CV (resume) and a great professional looking headshot when you apply. try to make sure you’re giving yourself the best chance possible.
How much Does GoGoKid Pay?
The short answer is you will make between $14-25 USD an hour.
Online teaching with GoGoKid is one of the highest paying jobs in the online ESL industry. They offer very good rates, but their pay and incentive system can be a little confusing at first.
What Is The GoGoKid service Fee?
When you sign a contract with GoGoKid, you will agree to a service fee (salary) between $7-10 for each class.
Since you are not an employee of GoGoKid, but rather an independent contractor, you are agreeing that the service fee is the rate the company will pay you for each class you teach.
Be sure you agree to a rate that you feel is fair. It’s very tough to get a raise on your base pay!
Potential Reductions in Pay With GoGoKid
Once you start teaching you will always receive that base pay (service fee) for each and every class taught, unless you fail to complete the student feedback within 12 hours. in that case, you will only receive 60% of your service fee.
For a no show, you sit in the classroom and wait for 15 minutes, but if the student doesn’t log in during that time, you may leave the classroom — but are still paid 55% of your service fee.
For a cancellation within 24 hours, you do not even need to log in and you will still be paid 55% of your service fee.
So, basically, you don’t have to do any teaching, but still get paid.
How Can I Maximize My incomes At GoGoKid?
The real fun of the GoGoKid pay system is its incentive program. Not only do they run a variety of incentives throughout the year (such as holiday contests, spin the wheel, raffles, etc.), but they offer bonuses through your “credit score”.
This is how you can maximize your incomes with the company.
GoGoKid credit scores Score
Essentially it’s a 5 level program that GoGoKid calls your “credit score”, and teachers who are in levels 3, 4, or 5 can earn bonuses depending on their ratings and the number of classes they show in a day.
Classes taught during height times (7-9 pm in China) carry a higher weight than other classes.
It’s a little bit complicated, but it will start to make a lot more sense over time. The real thing to know is that you can make an extra $2.50 per class with this system, so in a way, you’re in charge of your own raise!
How To maintain a good credit scores score With GoGoKid
The best things to do to improve your credit scores score are the following:
Keep a consistent schedule.
Work during height teaching times (7:00pm – 9:00pm Beijing Time).
Do your very best to keep a 5-star rating.
Teach a lot more classes in a single day (based on China’s timezone). It’s better to show 4 classes in one day than it is to show 2 classes one day and 2 a lot more the next.
Basically, the a lot more 5-star reviews you get, and the a lot more classes you teach, the higher your score becomes. In turn, this will increase the pay you receive per class.
GoGoKid also pays $5 USD for every student that signs up after taking your trial class.
Things That Negatively impact Your credit scores score With GoGoKid
If you receive a negative review while teaching a “peak time” class, this could affect your credit scores score a lot more strongly.
Furthermore, attendance and punctuality issues that are the fault of the teacher will also lower your score.
Penalties and deductions will be taken out of your incentive earnings, but they will not come out of your base service fee.
What materials Do I need For GoGoKid?
In buy to work as a GoGoKid teacher, you will need to have a good laptop, headset with an attached mic, and a respectable WiFi connection.
Props and Rewards
GoGoKid also requires a secondary reward system and at least two props for each class.
A secondary reward system is any other form of reward for the student, in addition to the one built into the classroom. With the GoGoKid platform, you can award your student a gem up to 5 times during the class with the built-in system.
Your secondary reward can be anything from stickers on a piece of paper that’s visible behind you, to short games that you play with your student.
Every teacher has their own preferences for props and rewards. You can use anything from diy flashcards to things you already have laying around your house — stuffed animals, fruits and vegetables, toys, photos, etc.
It’s much less about what props you have and a lot more about how you use them!
If you aren’t a particularly creative person, there are tons of ideas online. You can also cut pictures out of books or magazines, but just be aware of the glare on glossy paper. dollar stores are also a treasure trove of low-cost props that you can use.
A Background
You will also need some sort of background, but it can be as basic or as sophisticated as you’d like. I recommend keeping it pretty basic for your interview and then finding something a little a lot more flashy once you’re hired.
A good background must be welcoming and interesting, but not distracting. one of the best and easiest ideas I recommend is to use a world map as your background. It might also come in helpful when students ask where you are from.
Other Equipment
You’ll absolutely want to make sure you have a mouse to teach. The online classroom is pretty dynamic. The GoGoKid platform has several different tools built in that you can use to make the class a lot more interactive for the student.
It’s very challenging to use these tools with just your touchpad on your laptop because it just isn’t fast enough.
If you really want to go the extra mile, you’ll probably want to invest in some desk lamps and maybe even an external webcam to make sure your students get a clear picture of you and your classroom.
Some of the easy diy props I use during my GoGoKid class
How lots of hours Can I work at GoGoKid?
GoGoKid has classes on the hour and half-hour each day between 9:00 am and 9:00 pm in China.
The company does not have a minimum or a maximum number of hours that you can work in a week. depending on your timezone, those can be really crazy hours!
While GoGoKid does not set a limit on the number of hours you can work, every teacher has a limit on how lots of classes they can show well before being burnt out.
For me, I could only do 4-5 classes back to back without needing a break, but I know there are some who show 10 or a lot more (They need to be superhuman!)
Online teaching with GoGoKid can be exhausting at times as you need to keep your energy up to keep the students engaged. start slow and work your way up to longer teaching periods.
It will probably be a bit challenging for your voice at first. Take breaks and drink a lot of water.
Also, keep in mind that GoGoKid incentivizes classes taught between 7:00pm and 9:00 pm in China. If you cannot show during those times it will be tough to reach a level 5 credit scores score and earn the higher end of your salary potential.
How Do I apply To GoGoKid?
You can apply directly on their website. It’s very straightforward and easy to follow. have scanned copies of your ID or passport, TEFL certificate, bachelor’s degree, and updated CV ready and you’re all set!
Be sure to fill everything out as completely as you can. once you apply you will need to schedule a time for an interview.
Interviews can be hard to come by if there are a lot of other applicants applying around the same time. You just have to keep checking back. It took me 3 days to get an interview time that worked for me.
CLICK here TO learn a lot more & apply TO GOGOKID
What Is The GoGoKid interview process Like?
The hiring process has been simplified considering that November 2020! sign up for our emails to receive the insider scoop to help you pass your GoGoKid interview ?
☞ Click here and we’ll help you with the GoGoKid application process & give you your best chances of getting hired and making $25/hour.
Here’s what to do for the interview with GoGoKid:
When the (recorded) interview begins, you’ll need to introduce yourself and answer a few questions. This must be 1-3 minutes long total.
1. Your full name.
2. Where are you from?
3. Your time zone.
4. What is your educational background?
5. Which TEFL certification do you hold?
6. What is your online and offline teaching experience? (as pointed out in our previous email to you, this can include babysitting, volunteering, teaching music, working at summer camp, tutoring, etc.)
7. how lots of hours are you intending to show each month? (the a lot more the better)
8. What is your expected base pay rate? ($7-$10/class) If you’re experienced, then $10/class must be your answer, and describe why.
9. Why would you be a terrific fit for GoGoKid?
Here’s what to do for the Demo class with GoGoKid:
After you introduce yourself, it’s time to do the recorded demo class by following the slides.
☞ Click here to sign up to our email list and we’ll send you the exact slides ahead of time so you can practice!
This demo class must be a 10 minutes long.
Remember, there’s not actually a student that you are teaching, it’s all pretend and just a “demo” to verify that you know how to teach.
So, you can pretend that a student answered you correctly and receives a reward. Similarly, you can pretend they didn’t pronounce something correctly, and you then right them.
Teaching in an empty classroom is a bit awkward, but try your best. once I passed the demo, I was i