Pros
* The good feeling of helping others through interpretation. * You can pick up or give aways any shift available (flexibility)
Cons
* Really bad pay- interpreters at hospitals get paid at least twice as much and don't have to follow so many protocols. Unfairly, Spanish interpreters get paid way less than other languages, even though Spanish queue is the busiest of all-at all times. Also, there is NO room for negotiation. You either take what they pay or go somewhere else (regardless of your experience or education)-the same applies to supervisors, whose pay are not that much higher of interpreters. * No shift differential- the center works 24/7 and regardless of the time you work (day/ night/weekend), you get paid the same. *Hiring is done by quantity and not quality-due to hight turnover, company is constantly hiring lots of new employee and many times employees do not have the necessary skills (or willingness) to succeed in their jobs, and supervisor are expected to do miracles with them and are held liable for their performance. *No career advancement opportunities-only way to advance is to become a supervisor. After that, you are pretty much not going anywhere else, as senior management is well established and it seems that's how their group want to keep it. * Short breaks-1 or 2-15 min breaks (and 30 min lunch) depending on how many hours are worked. Almost 3 minutes of that are spent going to the restroom, one way. No time to relax and drink a cup of coffee if you decide to go to the restroom, so choose wisely which one you would rather do. *Unfair handling of complaints-when a client complaints, interpreters are issue write-ups, which includes termination. Although this is a good practice, many interpreters are still held liable for complaints that have no base or truthfulness. Once a complain comes in, it is very hard to dispute it. Also, they have no recordings of the calls, so you just accept the write-ups with no evidence. * Low employee morale- due to poor advancement conditions, many employees work there until they can find something else. Many employees do not look forward to working there for a long time as they soon realize other companies offer better benefits and care more about its people.