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Last Updated: March 9, 2021

The VIPKid Community Team Responds to “Trending" Topics


​​Our Teacher Service and Support Teams are always keeping a pulse on what’s trending in the community. In Trending Topics, we’re digging deeper into issues affecting teachers within the last week and providing clarity whenever possible.​​​​​​

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Please see our updates below for trending topics that we’ve identified over the last week; we will update the timestamp when updates are added. ​​​​​​​

Week of March 9 Update 
Updated 3/9/21, at 8:00 a.m. (Beijing Time)
  1. Reports of Audio Glitch in Some NMC Level 1 Classes
  2. Reminder: Daylight Savings Begins March 14
  3. What to Do if I’m a Teacher Impacted by Severe Weather or Outages This Winter Season
Reports of Audio Glitch in Some NMC Level 1 Classes

Over the past week our team has seen posts on social media of teachers reporting that they are experiencing sound issues when attempting to play audio files in some Level 1 New Major Course (NMC) classes. Reported issues include, but may not be limited to, the phrase “dressing” playing on repeat in place of the correct audio recording,


If you believe you are encountering this issue or have in the past, please send a support ticket with more information, including dates/times, class IDs, and any relevant screencasts so that our team can review this matter further. This information will help our technical team investigate further, so we thank you for your cooperation. 


We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we look into this.

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Reminder: Daylight Savings Begins March 14

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday March 14, 2021 at 2:00 a.m. Next Sunday, we’ll set our clocks forward one hour for the start of daylight savings and welcome a little extra light in the evenings. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for daylight savings on March 14, when clocks will spring forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. (local standard time) in most US and Canadian Time Zones, respectively. 


Please note that China does not observe Daylight Savings Time and their clocks will not change. As a result, Peak Peak Times in your local time zone will be impacted if daylight savings is observed in your area. For example, Peak Peak Times in Eastern Time are currently 6, 6:30, 7, and 7:30 a.m. After DST begins, Peak Peak Times will change to 7, 7:30, 8, and 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. If DST is observed in your area, don’t forget to review your availability, prepare for the new time difference and plan accordingly with your teaching schedule.


If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly by sending a support ticket.

What to Do if I’m a Teacher Impacted by Severe Weather or Outages This Winter Season

Teacher safety is our top priority. We are aware of the lasting impacts of the winter storm in Texas. We will work closely with all impacted teachers to make sure that there is no penalty for classes cancelled as a result of severe weather.
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If you are a teacher impacted by severe weather or natural disaster, we recommend following the steps below:

  1. Cancel potentially impacted classes and close any open slots during this time to limit cancellations. 

  2. Use the Block Slots feature to prevent any new booking requests and to alert your regular students that you may not be available on certain dates due to a natural disaster.

  3. Apply for Soft Cancellations directly in the Teacher Portal and add “I am a teacher affected by ______________" as a note. 

NOTE: If you received an incorrect Finish Type for a class you missed as a result of natural disaster or severe weather, please apply for a Change FT in the Teacher Portal and/or contact our support team by sending a ticket. 


Affected teachers are advised to stay safe and follow the emergency guidelines issued by local and state authorities. 


For more in depth information, please review VIPKid’s Natural Disaster Procedure.


Above all else, you and your family’s safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a support ticket. ​​​​​​​

Week of March 2 Update 
Updated 3/2/21, at 9:00 a.m. (Beijing Time)
  1. Clarification About the “Review Class” Pop-up in the Online Classroom
  2. Reminder: Daylight Savings Begins March 14
  3. What to Do if I’m a Teacher Impacted by Severe Weather or Outages This Winter Season
Clarification About the “Review Class” Pop-up in the Online Classroom

Our team has recently seen posts on social media reporting confusion related to a pop-up reminder at the end of New Major Course (NMC) lessons. Specially, on the goodbye slide for NMC Levels 4, 5, and 6 teacher will see a pop-up GIF with the following reminder message: 


Additionally, on the final slide of all other NMC lessons, teachers will see the following pop-up reminder: 


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After each New Major Course lesson, students participate in a 15-minute pre-recorded review class with three other students. The purpose of this pop-up GIF is to help teachers remember to remind students about the review or writing class that takes place following the conclusion of your one-on-one NMC class. The pop-up reminder first launched on February 9, 2021 (Beijing Time). 


Please note that if you finish class on time, students will have 5 minutes to prepare for their pre-recorded lesson review or writing class. However, please keep in mind that if the class was not started or finished on time, students will have less time before proceeding to their review class. For example, if you finish class 2 minutes past the scheduled class end time, students will only have 3 minutes (and not 5 as the pop- up reminder will state) before their review/ writing class. 


Additionally, we would like to remind all teachers to press the “Finish Class” button before exiting the Major Course classroom. Hitting the "Finish Class" button is what triggers the recorded review class to begin for your student, which creates a smoother classroom experience for students and parents. 


You can find more information about this slide update to NMC classes in the Library of your Teacher Portal or by clicking here. You can also read the information we shared in the Weekly Update on January 5, 2021 regarding the “Finish Class” button and review class reminders here. 


If you have any other questions or concerns about this update, please let us know by sending a support ticket.

Reminder: Daylight Savings Begins March 14

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday March 14, 2021 at 2:00 a.m. In two weeks, we’ll set our clocks forward one hour for the start of daylight savings and welcome a little extra light in the evenings. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for daylight savings on March 14, when clocks will spring forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. (local standard time) in most US and Canadian Time Zones, respectively. 


Please note that China does not observe Daylight Savings Time and their clocks will not change. As a result, Peak Peak Times in your local time zone will be impacted if daylight savings is observed in your area. For example, Peak Peak Times in Eastern Time are currently 6, 6:30, 7, and 7:30 a.m. After DST begins, Peak Peak Times will change to 7, 7:30, 8, and 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time. If DST is observed in your area, don’t forget to review your availability, prepare for the new time difference and plan accordingly with your teaching schedule.


If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us directly by sending a support ticket.

What to Do if I’m a Teacher Impacted by Severe Weather or Outages This Winter Season

Teacher safety is our top priority. Please note that our teams are actively monitoring weather conditions throughout the globe. We are aware of the winter storms and the lasting impacts and outages in the Mid-South and throughout other impacted regions. We will work closely with all impacted teachers to make sure that there is no penalty for classes cancelled as a result of severe weather.


If you are a teacher impacted by severe weather or natural disaster, we recommend following the steps below:

  1. Cancel potentially impacted classes and close any open slots during this time to limit cancellations. 

  2. Use the Block Slots feature to prevent any new booking requests and to alert your regular students that you may not be available on certain dates due to a natural disaster.

  3. Apply for Soft Cancellations directly in the Teacher Portal and add “I am a teacher affected by ______________" as a note. 

NOTE: If you received an incorrect Finish Type for a class you missed as a result of natural disaster or severe weather, please apply for a Change FT in the Teacher Portal and/or contact our support team by sending a ticket. 


Affected teachers are advised to stay safe and follow the emergency guidelines issued by local and state authorities. 


For more in depth information, please review VIPKid’s Natural Disaster Procedure.


Above all else, you and your family’s safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a support ticket. ​​​​​​​

Week of February 23 Update 
Updated 2/23/21, at 8:00 a.m. (Beijing Time)
1. Feedback Regarding Changes to the Apple Score Review Process
2. What to Do if I'm a Teacher Impacted by Severe Weather or Outages this Winter Season
Feedback Regarding Changes to the Apple Review Process

We want to thank all the teachers who asked questions, provided suggestions and voiced concerns about the changes to the Apple Score review process. As noted, we understand that changes to the platform, particularly regarding parent feedback, are always an adjustment and we want to assure all teachers that we are listening.


We appreciate the ongoing and pointed feedback in response to this policy change and we encourage all teachers to continue to reach out and share your thoughts. We value your honest communication with us regarding this announcement.  


Thank you for all of your suggestions over the past week. We are working to review and advocate for these suggestions in order to improve the teacher experience on the platform. We will update you as soon as we have any further information. 


In case you missed the announcement in the Weekly Teacher Update last week, you can learn more about the updates to the Apple Score review process here


If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns you would like to share about the upcoming change to the Apple Score review process, please do not hesitate to contact our Support Team through the Teacher Portal.

What to do if I'm a teacher impaced by severe weather or outages this winter season? 

Teacher safety is our top priority. Please note that our teams are actively monitoring weather conditions throughout the globe. We are aware of the winter storms in the Pacific Northwest and the Mid-South and throughout other impacted regions and we will work closely with all impacted teachers to make sure that there is no penalty for classes cancelled as a result of severe weather.


If you are a teacher impacted by severe weather or natural disaster, we recommend following the steps below:

  1. Cancel potentially impacted classes and close any open slots during this time to limit cancellations. 

  2. Use the Block Slots feature to prevent any new booking requests and to alert your regular students that you may not be available on certain dates due to a natural disaster.

  3. Apply for Soft Cancellations directly in the Teacher Portal and add “I am a teacher affected by ______________" as a note. 

NOTE: If you received an incorrect Finish Type for a class you missed as a result of natural disaster or severe weather, please apply for a Change FT in the Teacher Portal and/or contact our support team by sending a ticket. 


Affected teachers are advised to stay safe and follow the emergency guidelines issued by local and state authorities. 


For more in depth information, please review VIPKid’s Natural Disaster Procedure.


Above all else, you and your family’s safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a support ticket

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Week of February 16 Update 
Updated 2/17/21, at 2:00 a.m. (Beijing Time)
1. FAQs About the Perfect Streak Challenge
2. What to do if I'm a teacher impacted by severe weather or outages this winter season?
FAQs About the Perfect Streak Challenge

Recently, our team has received a high volume of questions about the Perfect Streak Challenge. 


Please see the FAQ below for clarification on Perfect Streak Challenge: 


What is the Perfect Streak Challenge and how long will it be available?


The Perfect Streak Challenge is available to teachers with an active contract as of January 1, 2021. 


The challenge will be a year-round activity, and rewards will be issued every month according to a teacher’s perfect streak progress. 


What is considered a “perfect streak”?


Each month, you are considered to keep a perfect streak if you:

  1. Received at least one booking.

  2. Finished at least one class with one of the following Finish Types:

    1. AS SCHEDULED

    2. STUDENT NO SHOW

    3. STUDENT IT PROBLEM

    4. SYSTEM PROBLEM

    5. Finished at least one class with no Service Failure issues, including Late Atical, Early Leave, Valid Negative Parent Feedback, and Offline Parent Feedback.

    6. Classes approved for Soft or Medium Cancellation will disqualify you from the Perfect Streak Challenge that month

If I break my perfect streak, can I restart the challenge? 


If you receive at least one No Payment Class or Service Failure Class in a month, your perfect streak for that month will end. However, your streak will restart next month. 


Note that you can appeal any potential No Payment Class or Service Failure Class by applying for a Change FT in the Teacher Portal to ensure you don’t break your streak or miss out on rewards.


If you have not yet, we recommend checking out this page for more information on how you can get a perfect streak. Additionally, you can check your Perfect Streak progress in the Teacher Portal under the Class Tab.


If you have any additional questions or concerns about the Perfect Streak Challenge please feel free to contact us directly by sending a support ticket.


What to do if I'm a teacher impacted by severe weather or outages this winter season? 

Teacher safety is our top priority. Please note that our teams are actively monitoring weather conditions throughout the globe. We are aware of the winter storms in the Pacific Northwest and the Mid-South and throughout other impacted regions and we will work closely with all impacted teachers to make sure that there is no penalty for classes cancelled as a result of severe weather.


If you are a teacher impacted by severe weather or natural disaster, we recommend following the steps below:

  1. Cancel potentially impacted classes and close any open slots during this time to limit cancellations. 

  2. Use the Block Slots feature to prevent any new booking requests and to alert your regular students that you may not be available on certain dates due to a natural disaster.

  3. Apply for Soft Cancellations directly in the Teacher Portal and add “I am a teacher affected by ______________" as a note. 

Affected teachers are advised to stay safe and follow the emergency guidelines issued by local and state authorities. 
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For more in depth information, please review VIPKid’s Natural Disaster Procedure.


Above all else, you and your family’s safety is our top priority. If you have any questions or concerns, please submit a support ticket

Week of February 9 Update 
Updated 2/10/21, at 6:00 a.m. (Beijing Time)
  1. Fixed: Some Teacher Received Incorrect Data in Their Weekly Teacher Report
  2. A Reminder About Lunar New Year
Fixed: Some Teachers Received Incorrect Data in Their Weekly Teacher Report ​​​​​​​

Last week on February 2 (Beijing Time), some teachers may have received their Weekly Teacher Report with incorrect data.


The data errors were the result of an internal system malfunction, which has since been resolved by our technical team. Please note that all teachers were sent an additional Weekly Teacher Report with updated data.

 

Additionally, our team received reports that a handful of other emails sent out by VIPKid have had incorrect information. Our teams are reviewing the system issue that resulted in the data errors in the last Weekly Teacher Report to determine if the other email errors are related to the issues that affected the WTR. If you've received an email with incorrect information, please send in a support ticket so we can investigate this issue further.


We apologize for any inconvenience or disruption to your workflow that this data error may have caused. If you have any additional questions, please let us know by submitting a support ticket through the Teacher Portal. 
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A Reminder About Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival and Chinese New Year, is here! This year, the Lunar New Year begins on February 12, 2021 with the official public holiday lasting from February 11 to 17. Many celebrations, however, will continue throughout the month until the Lantern Festival on February 26. 


During the Spring Festival, many students will travel or take time off for family, rest, and relaxation. Consequently, some teachers may see a slight decline in bookings throughout the month of February. It is important to note that, because of the pandemic, students may be traveling less this holiday than in previous years, which may lead to a higher number of bookings than typical for this time of year. These unprecedented times make bookings harder to predict, so we appreciate your patience and understanding throughout the holiday.


If you’re wondering why your bookings may have changed or you want to learn more about Spring Festival, VIPKid’s Erik Chong discusses all things Spring Festival in this very informative (and fun) Facebook Video.


Please note that bookings should return to normal after the holiday. Additionally, if you haven’t already, we recommend opening up more time slots to help increase your chances of getting booked. 


Keep an eye out for other incentives and opportunities this month to help with bookings during the Lunar New Year. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know by submitting a support ticket


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