China’s online learning platform adds jobs in the US

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There are millions of children in China who want extra foreign language training, and also large number of well-educated people in the US who are qualified to teach and happen to need that kind of a job opportunity.

And a Chinese company called VIPKID is fixing that mismatch with its online one-on-one tutoring platform.

The company is listed by the Forbes magazine as the fifth best hirer in the world, and it currently contracts 20,000 foreign teachers to teach Chinese kids face to face – well, through their computer screens or tablets.

To ensure the quality of its online courses, VIPKID requires that every one of its US teachers must have a bachelor’s degree, a teaching certificate, and a background of child education.

VIPKID announces to have raised 200 million US dollars on August 22, Beijing. /CFP Photo

So the company intentionally keeps teachers’ admission rate at five percent, which means at least 100,000 foreign language speaking people are applying for a job at VIPKID.

Where does that attractiveness come from?

Cindy Mi, the founder of VIPKID, said this online teaching form became a best option for many job-hunting Americans as the retail business there is tightening its workforce.

"70 percent of our US teachers are female, of which 75 percent go for part-time jobs in retail mostly. The decreasing job opportunities in retail are hurting those teachers, while we offer them extra income and the valuable mission to help kids around the globe," said Mi.

When hiring teachers, VIPKID’s job interviewers also would make sure that the applicants love kids and the passion to work with kids in China and beyond.

The webpage of VIPKID’s online classroom. /VIPKID.com.cn

The teaching-learning interaction would also be extended after the courses. On the platform, teachers are asked to give feedback to students, and also receive direct feedback and ratings from the students or parents.

That’s why many teachers believe VIPKID is a education-driven company and want to join in so much.

The Beijing-based VIPKID opened a new office in Silicon Valley earlier this year, and Mi is focusing on overseeing the company's growth there.

The company aims to hire half a million American teachers in the next 10 years.