Job Discussion Forums

[Skeletor]

Hi Maskif,

First of all, Interlink is just a s**tty company to work for.

That aside, as you stated, you don't know Interlink.

Third, Interlink doesn't do extensive readings or any readings that I know of.

So all you have left is the small amount of language garnered from feedback and language tasks. Due to the lack of language learning knowledge on the part of the instructors and Interlink management, the feedback given and the tasks that the students undertake are not based upon the students' interlanguage and therefore do not build upon the language that the student is actually currently learning. Rather the feedback and language tasks that the students do are based upon what the teacher or Interlink predicts / wants a student learn at any given level. And, as we all know, a) you can't predict what any given student will learn at any given point in time, and b) you can't make a student learn something that they aren't ready to learn yet.

And so, Interlink's system sucks.

[mahdi1432]

Skeletor: When and how long did you work for INTERLINK?

[lazarenoir]

I worked for INTERLINK in the US for one calendar year, after which I decided not to renew my contract. To be fair, I don't know how the Saudi operation compares, but I had serious concerns about the company, both principle and practice.

One thing I can say, the teachers on staff were great, and very committed to their students. But the underlying philosophy of the program is idealistic at best, and frequently flies in the face of current research in SLA. There's a strong push toward pacifying upper level admins, which largely eliminates constructive discussion or self-critique. Program evaluations were mandatory for faculty, and they were not anonymous--I was explicitly told by a senior teacher *not* to offer any critique of the program, because they'd send in an overseer to "rectify" things. Sounds dramatic, but it's a real issue.

Because they want all materials developed online, the workload is extremely heavy (unless you recycle activities, which in reality most do). The assessment system is essentially non-existent; the claim is that it's "holistic", but on the ground, there's just no way of establishing consistency across the program.

In my time there, I didn't meet any teacher who seemed genuinely happy with the company. Those who did best were those who, as a previous poster mentioned, "talked the talk" in front of admins, and then did what they thought best in the classroom regardless.

Also, salary was below market, with no guaranteed raises; contracts are at-will; health insurance provided was subsidized at around 85%, but with deductibles so high it was very much like having no insurance at all.

Again, the faculty were great, but I wouldn't recommend the company to anyone.

[Skeletor]

I worked for Interlink for 2 years Mahdi and I know them intimately.

[saudiman]

[TheEasyLife]

Two years skeletor!!!! Jesus Christ!!

I and all of my colleagues lasted one year of a sexless existence before we all got a collective bump on the head, came back to reality and realised that life is for living.

[saudiman]

[saudiman]

If you would like more information regarding Interlink-EGA, please visit the following threads:

Interlink / TVTC
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=105859&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=


EGA/INTERLINK Flight Scam
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=106823&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

[TheEasyLife]

Does anybody still working with Interlink have any news regarding the closure of sites? The sooner these jokers are ruined the better.

[mahdi1432]