Whether you're creating your teacher profile for the very first time OR you're considering re-vamping your profile, THIS is your opportunity to hook new followers and up those bookings.
When I started teaching, I waited (not so patiently) for 1.5 weeks to book my first class. It took me 4 weeks to become 75% booked. It took me 5 weeks to become FULLY booked. I personally saw a good response in followers and in bookings just by tweaking my profile here and there.
If you are just starting out, know that the booking will pick up soon enough. But before the bookings can start rolling in, be sure to spend some time making sure your profile will catch the right eyes. Here are some ideas to try...
WAYS TO MAKE YOUR PROFILE SHINE:
First of all, know your audience. There are basically three main parties that you are looking to impress: the parents, the students, learning partners/VIPKid sales people. First and foremost, the PARENTS are the clients. They are paying good money for a quality English learning experience. Second, it is not uncommon for the parent to allow their child to choose from a narrowed down selection of teachers. Put yourself in a young child’s shoes, and make sure your profile will be appealing to them as well. Next, you’ll want to impress the VIPKid Learning Partners and even sales people. The LPs/sales people are able to book your classes (especially trials) and can also recommend teachers to the parents that they work directly with. They are the middle man between the families and you, so you’ll absolutely want to make a good first impression with your profile on the LPs.
Let’s talk about your profile picture! This is the VERY first thing that the parents can see. When looking for a teacher to book, parents will basically scroll through a never-ending list of tiny thumbnail pictures of teachers. Knowing this, choose a picture that will not blend in with the sea of teachers. Don’t be afraid to use a colorful picture. Just be sure that it’s not too busy. YOU need to be the focus of the photo. Make sure you have good, bright lighting, especially on your face. Natural sunlight works beautifully! You should be looking eye-level at the camera to avoid awkward angles. Try to avoid an obvious selfie, but you do not need a professional headshot. Use the timer function on your phone to take a picture if no one is around to take a picture for your. Beyond these tips, where you take your picture and what you include in your picture is up to you! It can be in your classroom or outside of your classroom. If you want to hold a prop, go for it.
Now, you’ll need to choose two “featured” photos or more casual pictures to include on your profile. The viewer can see these pictures after they click on your profile. Choose two pictures that tell something about yourself. What do you want your audience to know about you? Do you have any interesting hobbies or have you traveled to a fun place? If you have a family, choose a good family photo. Use these photos as an opportunity to tell about yourself. I would recommend that at least one of your photos shows that you are friendly and/or good with kids! Below are my current featured photos. One shows a hobby and one shows my family.
Next up is your intro video! Don’t overthink this! Simple is great. Your video can be 15 seconds to one minute. Your goal is to display a quality, clean, captivating glimpse into what an English class with you would be like. Make sure your video has good lighting. Be happy, positive and welcoming. Show off your friendly attitude! The most important piece of advice I can give you here is to pay attention to how you speak in your video. (MANY of the parents speak minimal English.) Your audience is listening for a slow speaking pace, clear speech, proper pronunciation and good volume. Here is my current intro video:
Your “About Me” section or bio is an important section to capitalize on. Again, keep it simple. The parents who read your bio are most likely reading MANY bios. So it’s great to stick to the key points here. Also, keeping your bio to-the-point will help to ensure a better translation. That being said, here are a few pieces of info that I recommend you include:
Start with a BRIEF intro. (ie: Hello! My name is Teacher Chelsea and I am excited that you have considered me to teach your child.)
Next, lead with experience! Choosing a teacher with teaching experience is essential to our parents. They may not read any further than your experience. (ie: I have 5 years of classroom teaching experience.) If you don’t have teaching or classroom experience, that’s okay! Play with the wording to show off your teaching skills. (ie: If you were a nanny for 3 years who read stories and played with play-doh, you “guided three children in daily reading and learning activities for three years.” BOOM.)
Next, state your education and any relevant certifications that you have. (ie: I have a Bachelor's Degree from Texas A&M University in Education and I have an ESL certificate.)
Next, include one sentence related to your classroom/teaching style (a very abbreviated teaching philosophy if you will). Tell the reader WHY your class is awesome and HOW your class will benefit their student. (ie: My class is ___ and your child will ___ .) Shoot to include a few buzz words here (ie: positive, fun, confidence, encouraging, engaging, motivating, etc.).
This is optional, but you may choose to include one sentence related to your personal life. (In my bio I say: When I am not teaching, I love spending time with my husband and two young boys, running, cooking, and playing at the beach.)
And finally, wrap it up! I chose to say: “I look forward to the opportunity to partner with you and work with your child.” That’s it!
Try changing one or more of the above things (pictures, bio) each week until bookings pick up. You’ll know when you start to catch some attention. Once you teach a class, don’t forget to follow up with great feedback and send a card to the student to show some extra love! Check out this BLOG POST to hear my 10 easy tips to be a "5 Apple Pro"!
Now that your profile is complete, here are some other things you can check on to insure your profile is as BLINGED OUT as it can be:
Verify that your teacher tags are as SNAZZY as you are! You will be assigned up to 5 teacher tags when you are hired. These are tags that your mock mentor most likely suggested for you based on their impression of you. I sent in a ticket to ask about my tags, and learned I was only given 4. They provided me with a list of tag options and said I could select 5 tags of my choice. None of the options are bad, but it may be in your best interest to choose tags that best fit you! I chose: enthusiastic, experienced, creative, pronunciation correction, speaking and discussion. Here are the options they shared with me:
Check to see if you are opening your schedule during Peak Peak Times (PPT) times. These are the times that are the most popular for students across the board. If you can open times during these slots, your chances of being booked increase dramatically. (Even if there are only a couple of days/times each week that you can open PPT times, do it!)
If you cannnn, open up your schedule for 2-3 weeks out. I do not do this anymore, but when I first started, I wanted to parents to be able to see that I intended on working a consistent schedule. That way, if a student tries and likes your class, they know they will be able to book with you again at a time that is convenient for them.
Gain as many certifications as you can/as you’d like to, and make sure these certifications appear on your profile! More certifications essentially widens the playing field and increases your chances of being booked. If I were you... I would certify for trials ASAP. After I was hired and was waiting on bookings, I obtained my trials certification. MINUTES after the certification was added to my profile, I began getting notification of trial bookings! Trials! Do it!
Open up short notice bookings! Just be sure that you are awake to check for slots booked overnight. OR close your slots that are not booked before you go to sleep. Trials are often booked short notice.
Send a ticket to ask for either trial or major course bookings. Let VIPKid know you are READY to begin teaching!
BRING ON THE BOOKINGS!
And there you go! I hope these tips are helpful for you. I am sending all kinds of positive booking vibes your way!
<3 Teacher Chelsea
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