VIPKID: Adding Level Certifications

So you've joined VIPKID, congratulations! After you've set up your classroom and recorded your intro video you'll be teaching your first student in no time. That's exciting, I hope you have as much fun as I do! I'm sure you still have questions so I'm going to be answering those I've seen a lot of as well as ones you submit. The first one I'll be tackling is level certifications procedure.

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​How do I remove add to the levels I can teach?

This question has two parts. The first one is simple though, thankfully, if you don't want to teach a certain level student you just submit a ticket at the FreshDesk. Let them know that you would like a certification removed and they will process it within about 48 hours. Once the certification has been removed parents will no longer be able to request you for those classes.

If you are wanting to add a level however there are a couple different options...

You may find that after you've been teaching a while you see an email come up that says you may be qualified for an additional level. If this happens you just click over to read & watch the information they provide for the course and then take a short test. If you pass then the certification shows up immediately and you can begin getting bookings. If not then you can typically retake the test and eventually gain your certification.

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The next option is that you will see notification in the Teacher's Portal on the Academy tab. Click in and you'll be presented with not only all the available workshops you can take to become a better instructor but with a list of suggested certifications for you. All of the ones with colored badges you have already acquired but the available one(s) will also be there in grey... click it to go through the course information and take the quiz. Simple.
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The last option is to submit a ticket to FreshDesk like you did for the removal of a course. The current rule is that you may only go up or down one level from where you are currently certified to teach with each expansion. This makes sense as it lets you adjust as you add age and language fluency levels to your lessons. I have used this method on all but the summer courses personally. 

One you submit a ticket they will usually get back to you within 24 hours to let you know they are reviewing your request and you will see the new certification or a new test appear within a week if they agree that you should expand your levels taught. The last time I requested the summer courses as well as Level 5 and here is the reply I received about two days later.

I saw the Proper Pronunciation grey badge appear in my Academy within the next few days and the Level 5 badge was added to my certifications based on my experience teaching at that level as explained in my ticket and their review of my classes. I find this method the most effective as you have someone personally review your file and get an answer yes/no within about a week. 

Finally, what am I currently certified in and what am I working towards? My current certifications are shown here. As they make the interactive levels 3-5 available to students I will work towards getting certified but as they are not available I will be working on MC Trial 3.0 which the course that will be replacing my Trial certification in a few months. Trials are cool in that if the student signs up and you were the last teacher he/she worked with then you get a $5 bonus. 

I hope this answered your questions on gaining or removing a course. If you have additional questions shoot me a message and I will be glad to answer if I am able.

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My referral code is: HEATH0116​