Digital Nomad

VIPKID

What I wish I knew my first week with VIPKID.

My first week with VIPKID was a little rough. I was getting home from my winter nursing assignment. I was freaking out about not getting bookings. I was reading that it took some people months. I didn’t have months.

My first week, I tried to cram so much stuff in. I had never taught ESL before. And I quickly realized it was going to be a lot more complicated than I thought.

I tried to get every certification. I opened every slot. Never unpacked. I Sat on my bed, checking my phone every hour. When I did sleep, I was waking up every hour to check my slots. I was about to lose it. 

Practice makes progress not perfect. VIPKID Quote

One morning, after my 3rd workshop of the day, I finally just closed my computer and told myself that I could not work on VIPKID for the rest of the day. I closed my open bookings. And I went for a run. Ok… maybe a walk. I ended up getting two bookings that day, and I felt like all the information I had gathered the previous days finally sunk in.

I actually got a booking on my 2nd day. But when I read the other teachers’ notes, the student seemed like a “problem child.” Great. This booking wasn’t until the next week; therefore, I had a week to fester in my anxiety.

My advice for your first week VIPKID:

1. Take workshops.

I got hired and then didn’t take it any further until I got back to Vegas after my winter nursing assignment… When I sat down at my computer, I realized I had no idea where to start. I learned so much in the workshops. And there are workshops for every topic.

2. Do not take too many workshops.

DON’T sign up for five workshops a day. By the time I was on my 3rd workshop, I couldn’t focus, and I felt like I wasn’t learning anything even though I’m sure it was very informative.

3. Take the workshop “Marketing Yourself.”

It talks about how to tweak your profile and what Chinese Parents look for. 

4. Don’t make yourself crazy. 

5. It’s not as bad as you think.

I was losing sleep for no reason. I know I am not the best teacher, but I realized the 25 minutes go by quickly. It is a lot easier to talk to a real child instead of a wall or some guy pretending to be a five-year-old.

6. Preparation will get easier. 

I am super organized and need to be prepared. I made a binder and organized it by level. It made me feel better, but even after my second class, I realized you wouldn’t have to prepare as much as you may feel like you do. Yes, in my first class, I made notes and practiced. It took me all day. Because of all my preparation for my first class, my second class only took me about thirty minutes of preparation. It helped that it was the same student and the same unit, but I understand what teachers say.

I hope this decreases the anxiety you have when you first start with VIPKID. Just remember, it will get easier. If you are not a teacher yet and are interested in becoming one, you can learn more here. And please use my referral link to apply.

Travel with VIPKID

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Nurse and Nomad

Nurse & Nomad

What the hell am I doing? A few days ago, I posted on social media that I bought a one way ticket to Indonesia. Most of the comments were along the lines of: ‘congrats’, ‘proud of you’ and ‘so jealous.’ Others, mostly by my dad and other concerned family, were: “What are you doing?” Are you quitting nursing?” 

So what am I doing? And what am I thinking? 

I have been an emergency room nurse for 12 years and although, yes, there are some good moments, right now the bad seems to outweigh the good. I am burnt out. I need a break.  

I originally heard the words digital nomad a few years ago and tried every avenue I could think of related to remote nursing jobs. Shockingly, there are not that many you could do from a foreign country. 

For years, I have been talking to friends (and my poor boyfriend) about wanting to run away to some country, sit on a beach and somehow make money. Recently, I was surfing the internet for the millionth time about online jobs when I started to seriously consider teaching english online. I applied with a company called VIPKIDS and made it through the application and interview process.

I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, but I did know it needed 3 requirements: 

  1. A beach 
  2. Far away from home 
  3. Cheap

Bali continually showed up as a top location for digital nomads. Decision made.

Around the same time I finished the hiring process, I was casually looking for flights. I am obsessed with travel hacking and found a flight for low frequent flyer miles on the exact dates I was looking for. It was the only award flight I could find for that month. I had worked all night and was already in bed. Did I have the right date? Was I really going to go to Bali instead of just talking about it? F*** it, I hit confirm. 

Flight to Bali for $12. Done.

So my plan:

I will leave Colorado where I spend my winters working as an ER nurse and go back to Vegas. I will work my per diem job for about 6 weeks, while I get attempt to get my life together. Then on June 20th, I’m out. I plan to be somewhere in Southeast Asia for about two months. After my travels in Southeast Asia, I will most likely return to the US before heading off on another adventure. Im considering this an experiment.

Can I support myself working online? Can I really live in a foreign country for an extended time? How do I get internet? Where do I stay? Etc…. 

So…

Nurse and Nomad

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