Pros
Working at GoFluent is not difficult. We start on time and end on time and almost never bring home work -- at least for trainers. Not much technical skill is needed to do the job well. The atmosphere is pleasant, especially for introverts, as one can do his/her job without having to interact with others regularly, unless of course they wanted to. The people tend to be friendly, interesting and on the educated side. The offices are located in bustling urban environments. It pays slightly more than average, I think, although this was more true for employees hired earlier on. The clients/students are probably the best part of the job. Everyday, a trainer would encounter people from all walks of life, chat with them, share knowledge with them, learn from them and even become friends with some of them -- all the while being on another side of the world from them.
Cons
Working 9 years with the company, I was quite disheartened to realize I had nothing much to show for it at the end. There wasn't any sort of reward or compensation for the duration I stayed inthe company despite having invested a good chunk of my life there, perhaps contributing to its growth or success (or possibly, otherwise). The skill set I developed working for GoFluent is rather specific and it wasn't very easy translating it into another job nor very useful, unless I took on another position with the same specifications in another company in the same industry. Although we normally never worked outside the office unless we wanted, most days tend to be saturated with lessons and sometimes there was barely time to rest or even eat in between. As can be imagined, some students can require more effort than others and it was nearly impossible to "recharge" or find one's bearings afterwards if there was an appointment right after theirs. We are forced to adhere to a fixed schedule and not doing so is counted against us. Surely, everyone has difficulties with work from time to time but as a GoFluent employee, we didn't have the liberty to "walk it off" or take a breather to recover. Even planning a personal leave must be done at least two months prior lest it was counted against us. This was also the case for sick leaves. Lessons cancelled due to our infirmity or lack of foresight were points against us. Lastly, the quality control method was quite rigid and cold. I understand the necessity for standards to be measured and maintained but in a job that requires interaction with spontaneous, volatile and frequently changing beings (adult humans), the system that regulates these lessons must be equally flexible as well. I think the standards ought to consider the employee as much as it considers the client.
