Qkids Review: Why Qkids is the Best Company to Work For

A complete Qkids review from a Qkids teacher.

When looking up ESL companies online to make a decision on which one to apply to, it can be hard to find Qkids reviews from teachers who have worked there. Unless you are or have been a Qkids teacher, you will not be able to give the most honest and thorough review of this online teaching company.

As an official Qkids teacher, I will give a complete review of the job details, pay, and work schedule.

If you are looking for a remote job with flexible hours that you will enjoy, then look no further. You should become an online English teacher with Qkids!

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Is Qkids legit or is it a scam? It is 100% legit.

When I tell people about teaching English online, the most commonly asked questions I hear are:

“Do I need to have a degree in education?”
“Is it a real job?”

No, you do not need to have a degree in education in order to teach English online!

Yes, it’s a legit job. I am a teacher for them and can tell you the job is real and very rewarding.

As a QKids teacher, I have made $1,200/month all while working from home while my kids sleep.

Review of Qkids:

What is Qkids?

Qkids is an interactive online teaching platform. English teachers from the US and Canada teach young students ages 5-12 years old from across the world through this platform.

This position will be for an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. It is an online, work from home opportunity. Join Koby and Momo as they help you teach students English through fun, interactive games.

Qkids Requirements:

You must be eligible to legally work in the US or Canada.
You must have a bachelor’s degree or be a student enrolled in college. Your degree or major does not have to be in education.
You must be able to commit to 6 hours a week at minimum. (12 lessons).
They prefer teaching experience but also will accept those with experience in tutoring, mentoring, homeschooling, working at a daycare or church, coaching, etc. Make sure you include this experience in your application.
Due to the new regulations in China, they now require all teachers without a degree in education to have a certificate such as TESOL, TEFL, CELTA, or ESL. You can earn a TESOL easily through International Open Academy with their 120-Hour TESOL Certificate.
There is a technical requirement for your equipment of a minimum upload speed of 3Mbps and a minimum download speed of 15Mbps.
You will need a computer with a webcam, a headset with microphone, and a stable internet connection (cable connection is preferred). I personally recommend purchasing a headset with a noise cancelling microphone.

Qkids Application Process:

To begin the hiring process you will have to pass an initial screening. The initial screening includes your resume, availability, a screenshot of your computer SPECS, as well as a 1-2 minute introduction video.

In the video, you will introduce yourself and tell the recruiting team where you live, your educational background, and your experience teaching or working with kids.

Then you will read a short children’s story. Make sure to be animated and have fun! Pretend you are reading to real children!

After submitting this video demo, you should hear back from the hiring team within 3 business days.

PRO TIP: Submit your video demo within a day or two after filling out your basic information on the website so you can speed up the application process and start working as soon as possible.

Examples of this video demo, as well as instructions, can be found on Qkids’ website: Video Demo Instructions.

If you pass the initial screening, then you will meet members from the recruitment team for two live demo interviews. (They will take place online on their platform).

The demo interviews will include interview questions as well as a demonstration of your technical proficiency (ability to use their platform correctly) and your teaching skills.

If you pass demo 1, you move on to demo 2. If you pass demo 2, then you will move on to 2-5 trial classes.

You will be teaching real students in your trial classes. You will receive feedback from the families as well as your trainer from these classes.

You will also be compensated $8 USD/lesson for these trial classes. (Each class is 30 minutes long).

If you pass the trial classes, then you will become an official Qkids teacher! Hooray!

Qkids Position Details

It can take weeks to start teaching with other online ESL companies because the parents book you based on your profile. At Qkids, the company schedules your lessons so you can start working right away.

You will not need to do any lesson planning as the curriculum is already made, but you will need to prepare for lessons by reviewing the materials. You may utilize props to help assist in teaching.

The great thing about Qkids’ classes is that the company teaches English through the use of games. So it’s very easy to teach these classes and a lot of fun for the students.

Each class will have 1-4 students. Although it may sound intimidating, having a full class is actually easier than having one student.

This is what the classroom looks like:

You can pick and choose different stickers to add to your screen while you teach. You can also type a message using a text box. The students faces will be on the bottom of the screen.

Qkids hours:

The available time slots are as follows:

They do provide additional evening time slots during Chinese New Year and the summer that include hours similar to the weekends, all week long. Each class is 30 minutes long.

You will submit your availability to the company weekly and they will have your schedule ready every Sunday evening.

They also offer an understanding class cancellation policy: If you need to cancel a class, you can notify the Qkids Class Coordination Team. If you notify them at least 24 hours in advance, there will be no penalty. They are also very understanding if you need to cancel the day of the class due to an illness, etc.

Qkids Pay:

Qkids hires teachers as independent contractors. This means you would be required to do your own taxes.

(For the past two years as an online teacher, I haven’t lost any money doing my taxes by using the home office deduction. Don’t forget to save receipts for anything you purchase!)

The pay rate is $16-20 USD/hr which will be for two 30 minute lessons. The base pay is $8 USD per lesson.

You can also earn attendance bonus ($1) and performance bonus ($1), calculated weekly. With full bonuses, the pay is $10 per lesson or $20/hr.

Teachers will get paid via bank transfer to their accounts. There is no charge for the transfer fee.

You will get paid once a month by the 15th, for the entire previous month. For example: A payment on July 15 will cover classes from June 1-30. All payments will come in form of US dollars.

Qkids Classroom:

I like to change my classroom to match each season. The company highly recommends using a map or educational background while teaching. You may also use their characters and logos for your background.

Find out what equipment is needed for teaching online.
Find props ideas to use in the classroom.

(Picture of my son in my classroom during the Christmas holidays).

Qkids Review from an Official Teacher:

This job is not only fun and rewarding, but the platform helps create a learning atmosphere that is highly engaging and interactive. With characters such as Koby Koala and Momo the Monkey, you can help teach young language learners through stories and animations.

There is no need for creating multiple reward systems as the platform contains its own rewards. The games keep the kids engaged in the lesson, making it easy to connect with them and keep their attention.

The staff is supportive and there for you whenever you need them. They make it easy for you to take time off work, as well, with a laid back cancellation policy that doesn’t reprimand you for taking off time for being sick, etc.

You don’t have to create any lesson plans, reward systems, or leave lengthy feedback for your classes. It can’t be any easier to have a job that not only you enjoy but that helps transforms the lives of so many students.

Watching these students learn a language that is completely foreign to them is an incredible thing to be a part of.

The best part is that you can do this job while your kids are in their beds asleep! This makes it a great opportunity for stay-at-home parents to be able to still contribute to the household income without having to jeopardize time with their children.

The early morning and evening hours will not interfere with the rest of the day with your kids because once your classes are done, you are finished for the day! The hours are even convenient for those that do work outside of the home that want supplemental income.

One of the added perks of working for Qkids is their cancellation policy. They do not penalize you like other ESL companies if you need to cancel a class.

Another great perk – Every once in awhile, you might get a class that has no students that show up to it. After ten minutes of waiting to see if your students arrive, you are allowed to leave the classroom. But, you still get paid for the class.

Qkids or VIPKid? Which company should I teach for?

As someone who has worked as an online English teacher for VIPKid, GogoKids, and Qkids; I can say that I have enjoyed teaching with Qkids the most.

Qkids is the easiest company to get hired with of the three companies. The demo interviews during the hiring process were relatively painless to get through, even as an introvert.

The classes are easier to teach because the kids learn through the use of games. I find that it makes it easier to keep the students engaged and focused.

Having more students in the classroom may seem intimidating but actually makes teaching easier. If a student doesn’t understand something, most of the other students will chime in; making it easier for them to grasp the concepts quicker then when teaching one-on-one classes.

The feedback done after each class is relatively painless to complete compared to VIPKid. It can be done much quicker.

If you are the type of ESL teacher that needs to review thoroughly before each class, Qkids may be easier for you to teach for because there will be less to review beforehand. You can teach each class without reviewing anything beforehand after you have taught for awhile and know what to expect.

(Although some classes do dive into Chinese money, etc. which you will need to know the names for in order to instruct so make sure you have seen the lesson beforehand).

On the other hand with VIPKid and Gogokid, I always need to go through the slides of each class and spend some time making sure I’m prepared for it. (Although Level 1 classes are much quicker to prep for).

I just thoroughly enjoy teaching for Qkids the most and look forward to my classes with them. I split my schedule between VIPKid and Qkids.

I usually work one class a day Monday through Friday mornings with Qkids, then work Friday and Saturday evenings, and Saturday mornings. With VIPKid, I work Monday through Friday mornings.

Here is a look at my schedule from last week. I took Saturday evening off for a family event. I worked 5:30 A.M. – 7:30 A.M. with VIPKid Monday through Thursday.