VIPKid to Cease Offering Foreign-Based Tutoring Courses to Students in China
After Chinese regulators issued a set of rules known as “double reduction” to mitigate student pressure, domestic private education services firm VIPKid announced on August 7 that it will no longer sell new course packages involving overseas foreign teachers. The decision, which was published to the company’s official WeChat account, also expressed that existing customers will only be able to renew classes taught by overseas-based tutors until Aug 9.
For past customers who have already applied for courses, VIPKid will guarantee the normal fulfillment of the contract, while the students outside China and related international business will not be affected.
China’s recent double reduction policy stipulates that foreign recruits should comply with relevant national regulations, and it is strictly forbidden to hire foreigners residing abroad to carry out training activities.
Tencent-backed VIPKid was founded in 2013, with North American tutors’ one-to-one teaching representing its main business. According to the firm’s official website, as an online one-to-one foreign tutoring institution, VIPKid has more than 70,000 North American teachers and more than 800,000 paying students across 63 countries and regions.
The company also mentioned that its “VIPKid Adult Course,” “Bilingual Intangible Cultural Literacy Course,” “Oral Speaking Course by Chinese Teachers” and “China-Based Foreign Tutoring Course” are all in the final stage of internal testing and will be launched soon.
Pandaily previously reported that Chinese internet giant ByteDance plans to lay off teachers, sales and advertising staff in its education training business.
SEE ALSO: ByteDance’s Dali Education and Gaotu to Layoff Employees Under Pressure of Double Reduction Policy
In late July, the Chinese government issued new regulation, demanding that curriculum-based tutoring institutions be barred from raising money through public listings, new curriculum-based tutoring institutions will no longer be approved and all existing firms must be registered as non-profit organizations.
