Job Discussion Forums

[rebob]

I am wondering about getting teaching jobs at call centers. What exactly are they looking for and what does the job involve? I have seen ads for companies who want a Masters in TESL or linguistics, of which I have neither. I am a Canadian public school teacher. Should I even bother applying?

[travelingirl68]

Hi rebob,

While a Master's in Linguistics is not required, you should be aware that working in call centers is not teaching in the traditional sense of the word. A majority of the time in my location is spent monitoring calls and giving feedback to engineers about their overall communication (cross-cultural, soft-skills, and linguistic), with a much smaller percentage of time focussed on individual coaching, small group instruction, and occasional classes on business writing, etc.

I enjoy what I do, but it is not for everyone. India is great for living and travelling, if you are interested, please let me know!

[flutterbayou]

I think you should go ahead and apply. What call centers want are people who can train agents in soft skills, diction/pronunciation, and some refinement of grammar. They want people who can explain western culture so agents can manage to bridge communication gaps over the phone. As a teacher within a public school system in Canada, you have a lot to offer in terms of facilitating classes in people skills.

When I worked for the call centers in Chennai, the company provided three weeks of orientation training so that everyone was on the same sheet of music.

Good luck!

[comenius]

I mentioned this in another post, but make sure to check the working hours before signing up for one of these positions.

Call centers operate during the daytime hours of the country they are servicing.

If you're working with a team that handles US day calls, you're gonna be seeing a lot of sunrises from the office.