Avantages
I've been reading some of the reviews and have to say that I am satisfied with my salary, of course one always wants more money but I think people have to look at the big picture. I have been working for nearly 10 years now and can't really complain, my schedule is perfect and money is nice, you have to learn to be patient though, I mean you can't expect to make the same amount if you're just starting out plus they don't require any sort of degree or experience to hire. I don't know how they do it now, but I did get a pay increase when I became an all-call interpreter, plus I have three different bonuses that I get every month, plus they have over time bonus for those people who can put in overtime. granted the ot bonus is not year-round but when they offer it I take it, plus we have access to private insurance. Some of the problems people have mentioned (no vacation or time off pay) sadly you have to partly blame your state laws. Costa Rican law states that you are entitled to 2 weeks paid vacation, first three sick days you get paid half a day per day before social security kicks in, 4 months full pay maternity leave and a Christmas bonus equal to your average monthly salary and if you are willing to work the graveyard shift, it means a 30% rate increase so like I said, can't complain. Now I have the pleasure of working from home with very little supervision plus an extra bonus to help pay for my internet service. The job itself although stressful and mentally exhausting is wonderful and interesting, plus you learn something new everyday, even after 10 years on the job! Some calls are very difficult because they can be rather long or audio won't be so great or maybe you have a rude client, but hey that happens everywhere.
Inconvénients
Ever since I started working from home the cons have considerably decreased. Let me explain, work environment was a big issue for me, some of the supervisors tended to not be nice or very understanding at times. There were a couple that were always late, did minimal work and could be just plain lazy, that was very frustrating, at home, I can't witness that so it has given me peace of mind to just do my job. The "offices" in Heredia are awful, just a modified hangar/warehouse that houses some offices and about 120 cubicles, it could get really bad sometimes because there were too many people and not enough space, I'm guessing by sending a lot of interpreters home they have relieved some of that, but I still think that the place has just plain gotten too small and old. Cubicles are downright ugly, but not all of it is the company's fault. Sadly you can see graffiti on a lot of them, broken chairs, scratched computers and keyboards, it's very difficult to do maintenance when employees don;t take care of their place of work. It's a team effort and neither the company nor the employees are doing their part.
