Konnekt Kid Review Summary

Konnekt Kid recruits US, Canadian and UK teachers for online ESL lessons with young Russian students. TEFL/TESOL is needed for group classes, while private classes require a degree in Education or Psychology. As a small company that only hires when needed, it can take months to respond to applications, if at all.

Konnekt Kid Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Moscow time can complement Asian and/or American hours/jobs
• Tries to fill existing teachers’ schedules before recruiting new hires
• Company covers conversion/transfer fees on payments
• No pressure to finish the lesson (can repeat if necessary) – prefer teachers connect with students

Cons:

• Very small company
• Only hires from the US, Canada and UK
• Need a Bachelor’s degree in either Education or Psychology to be considered for private teaching
• Can take months to hear back (if at all) as they only hire when needed – candidates are added to a waiting list

Is Konnekt Kid Legit?

Konnekt Kid is a small but legitimate start-up company, founded in Canada at the end of 2018 by Natalia Bystrova. It provides online ESL lessons to children in Russia between the ages of 4-12 years and, at the time of writing, has around 20 teachers but is growing.

Konnekt Kid Salary / Pay

Konnekt Kid pay in Canadian dollars and have two rates, depending on whether you are a private (one-on-one) or a group teacher (with up to 4 students). Group Teachers receive $7.50 CAD per class/$15 CAD per hour (which converts to around US$12 per hour). Private Teachers earn $9 CAD per class/$18 CAD per hour (just over US$14 per hour).

There is an additional $0.50 completion bonus per class.

To receive payment, Konnekt Kid teachers must complete and submit an invoice in Google Sheets with their hours for the month. Non-Canadians are paid via PayPal, while Canadians can receive their pay through a domestic bank account (Konnekt Kid covers all conversion/transfer fees).

The initial contract term is for 6 months.

Konnekt Kid Hours

Konnekt Kid working hours are between 10am-10pm (Moscow Time). Peak hours are in the late afternoon and evening between 3-10pm.

Private classes last 25 minutes (starting on the hour and half-hour), while group classes are 30-minutes long. You must arrive 3-minutes early in order to let the students into the classroom on Zoom, and there is a short feedback form to complete after class on Google Docs. Group classes include an admin co-host/teaching support who will help manage the classroom by contacting parents if any students are being disruptive.

Classes are scheduled through Google Calendar and you must set your availability by the 15th for the forthcoming month. Bookings are assigned by the company, and you need to be consistent with your schedule once you take on regular classes (students often take two classes a week).

Additionally, there is a coaching/training meeting once a month with the owner.

Konnekt Kid Requirements

Konnekt Kid requires that all their teachers be Native English Speakers with a neutral accent from the USA, Canada or UK and have experience of teaching ESL.

The only qualification you need to be a Group Teacher is a TEFL/TESOL/CELTA certificate, whereas Private Teachers require a Bachelor’s degree in either Education or Psychology.

Konnekt Kid Application Process

Apply by visiting the Konnekt Kit website and submitting this form with the following details (every section must be completed for the application to be considered):

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Do you have any experience teaching English online? (less than 1 year/1-3 years/3+ years)
• Teaching experience
• Do you have experience working with groups online? (Yes/No)
• Do you hold a Bachelor of Education or Bachelor of Psychology? (Yes/No)
• Do you hold any of the following? (Bachelor’s degree in any field/TEFL/TESOL/CELTA/None of the above)
• Are you legally allowed to work in Canada, US, or the UK? (Yes/No)
• What are the qualities that make a great teacher?
• Which hours are you available to teach? (10am-1pm/1-4pm/4-7pm/7-10pm MSK)
• Provide a link to your demo video
• Upload your resume

As Konnekt Kid is a small company that only hires when needed, your application may be placed on a waiting list for several months and, even then, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Konnekt Kid Interview

Should you be invited, the interview is a relatively-informal conversation with the company owner, lasting around 15-20 minutes. Typical Konnekt Kid interview questions include:

• What is your experience?
• Where have you worked?
• What were the companies and curricula like?
• Have you worked with student groups and/or individuals?

Following this there will be a mock class, usually with friends or family of the owner, though occasionally with a real cohort of students. You’ll be expected to display:

• high energy
• TPR
• realia/props (either virtual or physical)
• a group reward system (the lesson notes will indicate when to award stars to students)
• extension
• lots of incidental language (the owner wants the students to be exposed to and connect with a Native speaking, and for the class to be fun and engaging without any silence)

You should receive a decision as to whether you’ll be hired immediately after the mock class. The initial contract term is for 6 months.

Konnekt Kid Reviews

As a small start-up, there are not many Konnekt Kid reviews available yet from its teachers. There is a Konnekt Kid Glassdoor page, but it only has one, albeit positive, review from the early days of the company (at the time of writing):

Conclusion – Is Konnekt Kid Worth It?

Considering how competitive it has become for teaching positions outside of China since that country changed its ESL regulations, it is worth considering any legitimate company elsewhere that pays a reasonable wage. While Konnekt Kid doesn’t offer the highest amount, it’s not the worst, though most people don’t have a degree in Education or Psychology, restricting them to the lower rate. Moscow time allows for this to be supplementary job to other work in Asia or the Americas. The company seems to support its teachers in not over-hiring or pressuring slide completion within a class, but its small size also restricts the number and speed it can recruit at, and you may never hear back from them about your application.

You can apply to Konnekt Kid here.

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