BetaKid Review Summary

BetaKid/BedaKid teaches children 1v1 and considers any teacher with a degree, TEFL certificate and teaching experience, though Native Speakers are paid more. Pay is still average, and whilst bookings are good, you must commit to a long-term fixed schedule of at least 10+ hours a week or risk penalties for any changes.

BetaKid Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Good booking rate with no maximum hours – ability to work full-time
• Decent teaching materials are provided
• Good support received from trainers

Cons:

• Lower pay is offered to some (Non-Native Speaking) nationalities
• Payments are sometimes received late
• Long-term fixed schedule is required that can’t be changed without penalty
• Must commit to teaching at least 10+ peak hours per week
• Heavy penalties for changes, lateness and cancelations
• Some accusations of racist recruitment practices

Is BetaKid Legit?

BetaKid, also known as BedaKid, is a legitimate online ESL school based in China. Founded in Shenzhen in 2018, BetaKid online teaching is conducted one-on-one with children between 4-16 years of age. BetaKid English classes come with prepared lesson plans and in-class activities, and use original US elementary school materials. The company’s legitimacy is underlined by being a strategic partner of the McGraw Hill education brand.

BetaKid Salary / Pay

BetaKid advertises an hourly pay rate ranging between US$12-20 per hour ($6-10 per class) for Native Speaking passport holders from the USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and ‘depends on your educational and professional experience’. They also hire South Africans but pay them less (around $8 per hour/$4 per class), along with Non-Native Speakers with a neutral North American or British accent. The class rate can be topped up with bonuses and referral incentives.

BetaKid pays via Payoneer, supposedly on the 15th of every month, however it can take a couple of days for the money to reach one’s account and teachers have complained of delays on Glassdoor:

BetaKid Penalties

BetaKid doesn’t pay for student cancelations, and they can also levy a number of heavy penalties:

• Schedule change = $100
• Lesson (feedback) notes not submitted on time = $20 complaint fee
• Insufficient class time = full class rate deduction
• Lateness = half class rate deduction
• Absence = $20
• Canceled booked class = half class rate deduction
• Canceled open class/leave when student hasn’t shown up = $1 per class

BetaKid Hours

The BetaKid peak hours are between 5-10pm, Monday to Friday, and 9am-10pm Saturday and Sunday (Beijing Time). BetaKid classes last 25 minutes and you must be willing to work 5 days a week and open at least 40 hours of teaching slots over the month (10+ per week). While you are free to choose which peak hours you work, your schedule must be fixed and consistent for 6 months and you won’t be allowed to change this without incurring a $100 penalty (reported below from Reddit), which won’t suit teachers requiring more week-to-week flexibility:

BetaKid Requirements

BetaKid recruits must meet the following requirements:

• Possess a neutral American or British accent
• TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certified
• Bachelor’s degree/relevant diploma (Majoring in English and/or Education is an asset)
• 1+ years of experience in teaching children of all levels
• A (Windows 7 or later) desktop/laptop computer with a built-in or external webcam
• Headset with a built-in microphone
• Reliable, high-speed wired internet connection with a minimum upload and download speed of 10 Mbps (you can test your internet connection speed here)
• Active, enthusiastic and outgoing personality 
• Able to work during the company’s schedule
• Quiet and clean working background

While some BetaKid adverts express a preference for Native Speakers, they do hire other nationalities too, in particular teachers from South Africa and Serbia. Unfortunately, however, the company has also been accused of racism in some of its recruitment:

BetaKid Teacher Application

BetaKid jobs are regularly advertised on Facebook and you can apply via the BetaKid website by submitting the following information:

• Name
• Gender
• Birth date
• Nationality
• Resident city
• Time zone
• Mobile number
• Email address
• Skype account ID
• Highest level of education
• University/College attended
• Major subject
• CV/Resume (upload)
• Teaching certificate
• Times of application (attempted number)
• Teaching experience
• Do you have a regular job?
• Age of students taught?
• Referrer (if applicable)
• Where you heard about the company

BetaKid Interview

Should your initial application pass screening, you will be invited to a BetaKid interview on the phone or Skype. Beyond the usual questions regarding educational background, qualifications and teaching experience, candidates have been asked how they would respond to scenarios, including:

• ‘How would you explain the alphabet to a 4 year old?’
• ‘What would you do if a kid had a tantrum in the middle of the class and the parents weren’t present?’

If you pass this stage, you’ll then be scheduled for 2 hours of training on 2 days. You’ll be sent their textbook and instructed to select one of the lessons which you’ll record yourself teaching as a 10-minute demo. If this is acceptable, you’ll finally submit your computer specifications, internet speed, and copies of your qualifications, and then you can start teaching.

BetaKid Reviews

The BetaKid Glassdoor page gives the company an average rating of 3.5 out of 5, with 66% of reviewers willing to recommend them to a friend. Among these BetaKid experiences, the benefits are summarized as full bookings, good teaching materials and support from trainers, while there is criticism regarding late payments, the fixed schedule, lower pay rates for certain nationalities, interfering parents, strict penalties, and racist recruitment accusations.

Here is a balanced selection of positive and negative reviews written by BetaKid teachers:

Conclusion – Is BetaKid Worth It?

BetaKid is neither an amazing nor a terrible option amongst online ESL jobs. While they provide different pay rates according to nationality, have strict penalties and insist on minimum hours over a fixed schedule, these disadvantages are common to other companies too. The bookings are relatively high which makes them worth considering, though not as a first choice option as the pay is less than what can be earned elsewhere with a degree, TEFL/TESOL certificate and teaching experience.

You can apply on the BetaKid website.

A full list of other online teaching companies can be found here.