Call centers recruiting Salvadorans abroad

An interesting article on the CNN website notes how foreign companies which operate call centers in El Salvador have started to recruit workers from the population of Salvadorans living in the United States. Call centers need English-speakers, and the companies hope to lure young people who learned English in the US back to El Salvador to work the phones. According to the story:
In order to meet the demands of companies outsourcing their call centers to El Salvador, the Central American country is beginning a program to recruit its employees from an unlikely location: the United States.

The Salvadoran government's economic development organization has started a program called "Meet Your Roots" that "looks for children of Salvadorans born in the U.S. and Canada to reside and work temporarily in El Salvador in order to strengthen their identity and ties to the country," according to the organization's Web site.

While strengthening cultural ties, the Salvadoran who staffs call centers serving the U.S. market can earn up to $1,500 a month.

Comments

Anonymous said…
It has been my understanding that not even middle-management earns such an amount in El Salvador.
El-Visitador said…
"It has been my understanding that not even middle-management earns such an amount in El Salvador."

Your understanding has not been very accurate. Even if it were, do you have anything against the "working class" making more than managers?

Besides,wages are determined by supply vs. demand. If plumbers are relatively scarcer than marketers, plumbers make more money than marketers. Nothing wrong with that! Long live the "working class"!

Likewise, if phone-minded English speakers can make more than the average monolingual Salvadorean, what's there not to like? It might even drive Salvadoreans to better ourselves and learn a second or third language.
Anonymous said…
Your understanding has not been very accurate. Even if it were, do you have anything against the "working class" making more than managers?
-------
It's not what I want or I don't want. It has to do with the nature of capitalism. A business that pays more than the going wage better make sure that the services they're selling will command a sufficient price to cover their overhead AND generate a profit. El Salvador isn't Bangladesh. The cost of engaging in a first-world-style business in this country isn't as low as you seem to imagine. And no, flipping pupusas is not a first-world-style endeavor.
Anonymous said…
Trade Unions are not allowed, and in order to accomplish that, the arenazi regime is terrorizing sindicalists at the moment to assure the multinationals a terrorized and complacent working force.
Anonymous said…
I'm not sure if this is true, but someone commented me long ago how places like DELL had hard time finding people fluent with english for their staff. I believe this is another way to try to mend that, other than just promoting English classes.

To visitador. You bet... long live the proletariat! ... you douche.
Basta de Casaca said…
Tim and the people who live in the US know, that the average salary for people who don't have a college degree in the US is between $1,500 to $2,500 dollars a month or more, depending on what they do for a living. Some people who work in construction (who by the way might not even speak English at all) can make from $2,500 to $5,00 a month or more. Of course, salvadorans who are bilingual have better chances of making even more money than that. So...

Do they (people promoting call centers) honestly believe that after people have made great sacrifices to flee the country to go to the US to get a decent job, learn English, live in peace, etc, they want to go back or send their children to work for a miserable salary in El Salvador? Do they honestly believe that people are that stupid? Who is going to be stupid enough to go back the most violent country in latin america to get a job that pays much less than the average job in the US?

The salvadoran government should stop spending millions of dollars in stupid propaganda, and they should invest those resources in promoting and offering free English classes for LOCAL students who have good grades in order for them to qualidy for these jobs; By doing that, the government will be helping reduce local unemployment.. and who knows? that may even help reduce the number os mareros on the streets.
Perhaps the government doesn't want to do that; perhaps they want high unemployment rate, hight crime rate, so people flee the country to go to the US, and we all know that more emigration of salvadorans equals more REMESAS.

This call centers thing sound more like a "Bienvenido Hermano Lejano" for the deported mareros. STUPID IDEA.
Anonymous said…
If i could make more the $1000 a month, i'd prefer to be in El Salvador rather than being a third class citizen in USA. I've done all kinds of crappy jobs,that really sucks.
Chris Gomez said…
Samuel you got it right on, it was all governement supported propaganda, I have implemented some of the biggest contact centers in san salvador. With this new left government for the first time in history the left here has one. It will be interesting to see how this government plays out the next 5 years. What I can tell is that as far as labor pool goes, there are thousands and thausands of unemployed people who need a job. The market is not saturated like it is in costa rica or contries in other continents. Discovering El Salvador by Multi Nationals can be beneficial to El Salvador citizens because they bring in allot of jobs, as long as it makes sence for these companies to right shore their operation in El Salvador
Mr. balls said…
Middle managment makes Approximately between $700 and $800 a month, the call centers are run like old landowners run their plantations eighty years ago, maybe upper managment makes over a $1000 a month, currently there is a shortage of personnel due to bad reputation this places have earned over a short period of time.
sonny said…
hi tim if i live in belize and i want to work in El Salvador do you know of a contact number or email there where i can send my resume and CV? i specifically refer to the call centers in El Salvador as i'm Salvadoran but have resided here for over 20 years. i would really appreciate your assistance. my email is saqbeenie@yahoo.com call me sonny by the way and thanx in advance. looking forward for your reply. Best Regards
Austin said…
Awesome I like it!!!
Call center industry is so much bigger now.Also most important aspect of 21 Century. if You need call center company it provide Telemarketing Call Center & Phone Answering Call Center Services.
Unknown said…
Aside from acquiring your own 1800 Number, recruiting credible agents will keep the business going.
murtaz jadoon said…
Lucky to see this site,
Jobs
Steves blogs said…
Although El Salvadors industry is growing at a stunning rate, Currently Convergys, teleperformance and Transactel, Focus, a starting agent makes about 450 a months upper middle management makes about 600 to 800 dollars a month, it has gone down since 2010, by a 25%, not only that, most of the employees there a deported from the united states.