Certification Stage: now what?
VIPkid merges their training with the interview process. This means your certification (or "mocks") are not a pass/fail, but rather a process to gain skills and confidence in teaching ESL in an online environment. It is expected you will have to redo your mock classes more than once! Don't sweat it - VIPkid wants you to take your mock class as many times as needed! Whether you move on after 2 tries or 20, it doesn't matter as long as you keep going! Each live mentor will have different tips and tricks to help you improve, so enjoy the 1 on 1 mentoring process and keep going!
What levels should I certify in?
As of April 2019, you can now certify in levels 2/3 and levels 4/5.
It is recommended to certify in levels 2/3 - there is the most demand for teachers at these levels, and it also prepares you for the foundations of teaching ESL at these younger levels. At this level, you can expect young students (ages 4-7 typically) who appreciate high energy, do a lot of repetition and use NO incidental language, so learning to follow a lesson plan closely is an important skill.
Personally, I love my level 4/5 students and am VERY happy I pursued this level as well, so I highly recommend it These are the 8-13 year old students. You can be a less hyper with them but there is a high expectation that you modify the lesson to fit your student as there is less repetition and more opportunities for conversation. You also need to pay close attention to pronunciation for this age group!
You may certify for both - one benefit is while you are still in the interviewing stage, you can redo your mock lessons as many times as needed. You can still certify for these classes once you are hired, but then you only get 2 chances each month to pass, so if you know you want both, why not do them now?
It is recommended to certify in levels 2/3 - there is the most demand for teachers at these levels, and it also prepares you for the foundations of teaching ESL at these younger levels. At this level, you can expect young students (ages 4-7 typically) who appreciate high energy, do a lot of repetition and use NO incidental language, so learning to follow a lesson plan closely is an important skill.
Personally, I love my level 4/5 students and am VERY happy I pursued this level as well, so I highly recommend it These are the 8-13 year old students. You can be a less hyper with them but there is a high expectation that you modify the lesson to fit your student as there is less repetition and more opportunities for conversation. You also need to pay close attention to pronunciation for this age group!
You may certify for both - one benefit is while you are still in the interviewing stage, you can redo your mock lessons as many times as needed. You can still certify for these classes once you are hired, but then you only get 2 chances each month to pass, so if you know you want both, why not do them now?
Level 2/3 |
Level 4/5 |
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