VIPKID Cancellation Policy: Everything You Need to Know
Life happens and in certain circumstances, it might be necessary to cancel a VIPKID class. In this post, you’ll learn all about the VIPKID cancellation policy, the implications of cancelling a VIPKID class, and how you can avoid any negative consequences.
How Many Classes Can I Cancel with VIPKID?
As with any job, there is always a bit of wiggle room for attendance in case of emergencies. The VIPKID policy allows each teacher up to 6 missed appointments (cancellation or no-show) per six-month contract.
Here is how VIPKID calculates missed appointments:
āļø If you must cancel one, two, or three classes on the same calendar day, this counts as ONE missed appointment total.
āļø If you must cancel four or more classes on the same calendar day, this counts as TWO missed appointments total.
VIPKID Teacher Cancellation vs. Teacher No-Show
In the VIPKID world, there are two different scenarios for a teacher missing class:
1. Teacher no-show
2. Teacher cancellation
If the teacher doesn’t show up at all or cancels the class within 2-hours of the class start time, this is considered a teacher no-show.
When a teacher cancels a VIPKID class before the class begins, this is known as a teacher cancellation.
Based on the VIPKID cancellation policy, there are different consequences for teacher cancellations versus teacher no-shows, which we will cover below.
Teacher No-Show Policy
As stated above, a teacher no-show happens when a teacher does not cancel a class and doesn’t show up. It is also considered a teacher no-show when a teacher cancels a class within 2 hours before the scheduled start time.
When a teacher no-show occurs, the teacher will not receive payment for that class and in turn, will have $10 per class deducted from their paycheck. Although I don’t fully agree with this deduction, this is how VIPKID has set up their teacher no-show policy.
Cancellations
Based on the written policy, a VIPKID cancellation can take three forms: soft, medium, and regular cancellations.
VIPKID Soft Cancellation Policy VS Medium Cancellation Policy
A cancellation can be considered soft or medium when the VIPKID teacher provides valid proof of one of the following scenarios: illness, natural disaster or emergency, birth, or death. The severity of the situation and proof of documentation will determine whether or not you’ll receive a soft or medium cancellation.
1. Illness
To be considered for a soft cancellation, the illness must affect you, your child, or spouse. The illness must be serious; a hospital visit or urgent care visit would most likely qualify.
You won’t be considered for a soft cancellation for everyday illnesses such as a cold or flu, but you could be granted a medium cancellation with the proper documentation.
Always submit a doctor’s note and medical bill with your soft/medium cancellation request. The doctor’s note should be descriptive (date and time of visit) but there is no need to include your diagnosis or personal information.
2. Natural disasters and emergencies
Natural disasters and emergencies is a large category that many scenarios may fall under. These are emergencies that are out of your control including hurricanes, power outages, accidents, etc.
Unfortunately, VIPKID can be quite stingy about what they consider “out of your control”, so they do not accept things like traffic jams or delayed flights as an emergency scenario.
Since I use VIPKID to fund our world travels, booking classes around flights can be tricky. I always give myself a day or two after my flight is scheduled to land before I start teaching again. If I arrive at my destination on time, I can always open short notice classes.
Valid documentation for natural disasters, power outages, or accidents include an official letter from the power company, an official weather report for your area, or a police report.
Keep in mind, VIPKID doesn’t always side with the teachers about cancellations. Unless the weather is dangerous enough to make national news, it might not qualify for a soft or medium cancellation. In cases like this, it’s important to have a back-up internet source (we use GoogleFi) and battery-powered lighting on hand.
3. Birth
This one is self-explanatory. If you (or spouse) go into labour, VIPKID will consider this a soft-cancellation. To qualify for a soft cancellation, submit a doctor’s note, medical bill, and birth certificate. This seems like a lot, especially with a new baby, but it’s VIPKID policy.
4. Death
This scenario is a bit more complicated than childbirth. VIPKID will only declare a soft or medium cancellation in situations that involve immediate family members (parents, spouse, children, siblings, grandparents).
In order to apply for a soft or medium cancellation, you’ll need to submit an obituary and death certificate.
Consequences For a Soft or Medium VIPKID Cancellation
Based on the VIPKID policy, if your cancellation is declared soft or medium, it will NOT count as one of the six allowed absences or cancellations for your contract. This means you will not be at risk for termination if your cancellation is considered soft or medium by the VIPKID staff.
There will also be no financial consequences for soft cancellations, while medium cancellations will have a financial consequence or paycheck deduction.
The financial penalties for medium cancellations are as follows:
1. Medium cancellation (canceled 24+ hours before the class) = no penalty
2. Medium cancellation (canceled 2 – 24 hours before the class) = $2 penalty per canceled class
3. Medium cancellation (canceled less than 2 hours before the class) = $10 penalty per class
These penalties will be taken from your paycheck and listed under “Deductions”.
How To Apply For a Soft or Medium Cancellation
To apply for a soft or medium cancellation, go to your VIPKID dashboard and select “Classrooms” in the “Class” dropdown menu. From here, select “All Classes”. A list will generate that shows all of the classes you have taught this month.
Next, click “Cancellations & No Shows & Change Finish Type”.. a mouthful right?!
Once you’re redirected to a new page, select the class or classes that you wish to apply for and choose “Soft/Medium Cancellation”. This is where you’ll supply all of the valid documentation for your cancellation (doctor’s note, birth certificate, etc).
In order to submit an application for a soft/medium cancellation, the class must have a teacher no show or teacher cancellation finish type.
Be sure to submit your soft/medium cancellation application within 30 days of the missed appointment. You can check on the status of your application by going back to this same page and finding the class in which you applied. Details will be listed directly next to the class.
VIPKID Regular Cancellation
A regular cancellation is a cancellation that doesn’t fit any of the above scenarios and this is subject to VIPKID’s discretion. Regular cancellations do apply to the six cancellations allotted per VIPKID teacher contract.
These cancellations are also subject to financial penalties:
1. Regular cancellation (canceled 24+ hours before the class) – no financial penalty
2. Regular cancellation (canceled 2 – 24 hours before the class) – $2 penalty per canceled class
3. Regular cancellation (canceled less than 2 hours before the class) – $10 penalty per class
Note: I often see VIPKID warn teachers about the negative consequences of cancelling classes, but let’s get real.. LIFE HAPPENS.
Don’t feel embarrassed or afraid if you must cancel a class. Students and their parents will understand. Of course, avoid canceling as much as possible, but if you must, you have six missed appointments per contract.
VIPKID Student Cancellation
If you’re wondering what happens when a student cancels a class, head on over to our blog post, VIPKID Student No Show: Can I Leave Yet?
The Wrap-Up: VIPKID Cancellation Policy
When life happens, don’t worry! As VIPKID teachers, it isn’t the end of the world to cancel a class every now and then. I hope this post helped you understand the VIPKID cancellation policy, how you can apply for soft/medium cancellations, and how you can avoid any negative consequences.
If you have any more questions about the cancellation policy, leave me a comment below!
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Thank you for all the information you are providing-it is very helpful!
What is the best way to connect with you?
I am currently working full-time but want to begin working with VIPKID next school year.
Is it possible to submit the first part ( or more) of the application process and be on hold if I am accepted for next year?
What is the best way to contact VIPKID directly?
Thank you in advance for your help!
Evanne Jordan
Hi Evanne!
I sent you an email; let me know if you received it š
Laura
Hi there!
I am on my second contract with VIP and absolutely love it. It has truly been a blessing. However, I sadly have missed several classes and was wondering once the 7th class is canceled does that mean automatic termination or is there a review/probationary process? Does the company take into consideration the average number of classes taught and/or parent feedback?
Hi Melissa,
I think it’s a case-by-case basis. What I would do is reach out to VIPKID directly and see what they have to say about it. Have you been able to apply for any soft or medium cancellations? Also, the classes that you’ve missed, did you cancel them or no show? I think that matters, too!
Feel free to email me or you can reply to this comment! I’d be happy to help you figure this out as best as I can.
Hi! I am so embarrassed to even ask or talk about this about this. Today, I missed my 6th class. I was up and ready by 12:00 am and ready to teach at 12:30 am—closed my eyes for a minute and fell asleep–late for class by 10 minutes—marked a teacher no show. And I had been so carefully because of the time change.
3 classes over the last few months I cancelled a good week before the class as because of my carelessness overlapped bookings. However, when I cancelled and rescheduled the class for a half hour later it didn’t matter to the support team as they said I had cancelled.
I can”t specifically remember the other two, but I love this job and I am a very responsible and punctual person. Is there anything I can do to make it up? I do not want to be terminated. Is there anyway to actually speak to someone and talk about concerns?
Also, I have one student who is pretty regular; however recently he has been asking for a time slot that when I am not available and I have to decline scheduling that time–can they not see what times we have made available on the schedule? I’ve tried to explain to select an earlier slot, but I can not seem to get the parent or learning partner to understand.
Thank you.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all of this.
Anne
Hi Anne,
This is definitely something to talk to VIPKID about. I have never personally been in this kind of situation, so I can’t say with certainty. However, I do know that it is based on VIPKID’s discretion whether or not they offer you a new contract after 6 teacher no shows. I would recommend reaching out to the support staff at the company and see what they have to say.
If a student asks to book a class that you cannot accept, don’t worry about it. I actually just let 99% of my booking requests expire because I feel that rejecting them is a bit harsh. So I just let them expire. There’s no need to talk to the learning partner or the parent about it. They can see what your schedule is, but only 1-2 weeks in advance. If they request a slot, that’s just what is most convenient for them. If you can’t accept, just ignore and let it expire. No big deal.
Hope this helps!
Hello,
Can you give input as to why students are canceling classes and not signing up? I have no bookings and would love some input as to what is up.
Jeannine
Hi Jeannine,
Based on what my regulars have told me, students are currently going back to their brick & mortar schools or at least they are about to go back. I actually just had my favorite regular cancel 10 classes with me over the next two weeks because her school unexpectedly decided to reopen.
Is there a way to look at my six months schedule to see how many classes I have missed? I really am not sure about 2019. Thanks!
Hi Juanita,
If you submit a ticket to VIPKID, they’ll be able to tell you how many you’ve had from the past contract!
Hope that helps!
Hi,
So this is my first 2 days, I opened some slots for today and checked LATE at night here. I had no booking and 3 minutes before the class I had someone book me! But…..I was asleep. So now Iām brand new and I have a teacher no show, will I be able to recover from this?
Hi Christa,
They cannot book you 3 minutes before class. The system won’t allow it. They must book you 1 hour before class. So, unfortunately, the class must have been booked at least an hour before. Be sure to check the app, don’t just wait for a notification. Sometimes the app notifications are late or they don’t work.
Hi there,
I’ve recently joined VIPKid (about 1 month ago) and due to this horrible pandemic, I did get a lot of bookings straight away. However, 2 weeks ago I was in Poland when they closed their borders so I had to abandon my plans and jump on an emergency flight. Unfortunately this meant I had to cancel a full day’s worth of classes (9 in total). I’ve applied for a soft cancellation, explaining the situation and providing proof and am still waiting to hear back.
Ever since those cancelled classes, I’ve been getting 30-40% of the classes I used to get. Used to have 8-9 a day, now down to about 3 a day. I initially thought it has to do with my cancellation rate; which I understood resets every 30 days. However, my class finished rate was sitting at 100% for 2 weeks, until today, 02/04, when it dropped to 91.2% and finally reflected those cancellations.
Because the day after I had cancelled my classes, there was an immediate decrease in short notice bookings, I assumed it had to do with that. However, because that participation stat has only recently updated on my profile, I’m concerned that it hasn’t been visible for the last two weeks and the sudden decrease in bookings had to do with a different reason entirely. I know this is a pretty specific question and that there’s really no way to predict or explain high and low bookings. I’m just wondering if you know what parents see after a day of cancelled classes?
Thanks so much, I’ve found your posts so helpful as I’ve started working with VIPKID!
Macall
Hi Macall,
Did you request a soft cancellation through the classrooms tab or did you submit a ticket? I also had to cancel two entire days of classes about 10 days ago because we were in Greece and we needed to get back on very short notice. I heard back from VIPKID within an hour that my cancellations were granted a soft cancellation. I did it through the classroom tab; I didn’t submit a ticket.
Right now, things are a bit wavy as far as bookings. Many teachers are experiencing an excessive amount of bookings while others are seeing a decrease in bookings. I can say that most students are going back to school this week or next week, which is why many teachers are seeing a decrease in bookings. I cannot be 100% sure, but I assume booking rates will return to normal after the students get back to school (approximately April 7th) and settle in.
I hope this helps! Also, I highly recommend checking out our post: Teach Kids English Online: 9 Awesome Companies. Working for more than one online English teaching company can help combat lulls in bookings like this.
Take care,
Laura
Hi,
Thanks so much for all this information! What happens if a teacher misses two classes in a row on the same morning? Does it count as one or two Teacher No Shows ?
Thanks,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
I think it depends.. Did you miss the classes or did you cancel them? I think if you cancel them, they count as one but if you missed them I think they count as two.
Hope this helps!
Hi!! I had to cancel some classes because I got Covid and was horribly sick. I did submit a doctor note and was granted soft cancellations. My question is, can parents see your participation score for a whole 30 days or will they see it on the first of each month for the following whole month?? I have noticed immediately last week and this week I have gotten zero new to me students booking. All of my regulars continue to book, but I haven’t gotten any new students in about 2 weeks. ā¹ļø How long will I take a hit with my bookings? Thanks!!
Hi Kelley,
It really is such a bummer that our participation score is affected by it considering it isn’t our fault. I’ve had this happen to me as well. It will take 30 days from when you canceled them to drop off your participation score.
Keep your head up! It’ll go by faster than you think.