If you are looking for a job and you know at least two languages (one of them must be English) you might consider applying for a role at Teleperformance. Teleperformance (TP) is a multinational corporation that specialized in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). It is headquartered in France and has a presence in over 80 countries.
Brief description of Teleperformance
The main business areas for Teleperformance are customer acquisition, customer care, technical support, and debt collection. Some countries where Teleperformance is present include:
- France,
- Lebanon,
- United Kingdom,
- Brazil,
- Chile,
- Philippines,
- Albania,
- India,
- China,
- Canada,
- Mexico,
- Colombia,
- Norway,
- Italy,
- Greece,
- Portugal,
- United States,
- Australia,
- the Netherlands,
- Egypt,
- United Arab Emirates,
- Romania, amongst others
Teleperformance in Portugal
Teleperformance was recently awarded the best company to work for in Portugal. It is also the fastest growing company in the last four years in Portugal. It passed from 5000 employees to more than 10,000. Teleperformance has also become very popular in Portugal. This is because it offers people the opportunity to work in a fast-paced multicultural environment. They also have outside office activities from creative writing workshops to hardcore hiking to make work fun. Read more about working in Teleperformance in Portugal in their own words.
Teleperformance offices in Portugal
Teleperformance has several offices in Portugal. The locations where you can find their office buildings are:
Teleperformance Porto
If you are lucky enough to work in Teleperformance Porto, you would have the advantage of spending your office hours in an innovative and modern building. You would also enjoy incredible views over the Douro valley. If you are working in Teleperformance Porto, you are most likely going to work in customer service as TP Porto supports big companies such as Zalando or Google. Interested in living in Porto? See our article on living in Porto.
Teleperformance Covilhã
If you want to work near the mountains and near the only place in Portugal where you can practice winter sports, TP Covilhã is the place to be. If you work there, you are most likely to work in customer service or in customer technical support. The best part in Covilhã is that you can explore the wonders of Serra da Estrela, continental Portugal’s biggest mountain.
Teleperformance Lisbon
Teleperformance Lisbon is one of the greatest employers in the city. There are four Teleperformance buildings in the capital city; two in the city center and two new establishments in Lisboa Oriente:
- Lisbon Oceanário
- Lisbon Atlântico
- Lisbon Infante Santo
- Lisbon Estefânia
If you work in one of these four centers, you will probably be employed in customer care, technical support, social media reviewing for the most important companies of the world like Microsoft, Wish, Google and so on. Finding a house in Lisbon can be complicated but we want to help you. Check out our guide.
How to apply to Teleperformance
In order to apply for a job in Teleperformance Portugal, you just need to go on the internet.
- Search for Teleperformance Portugal and then click on it,
- Look through job opportunities,
- Choose the one that matches your skill set,
- Upload your CV and add your phone number
If your CV matches the minimum requirement, you will be contacted by a talent acquisition officer via email or phone. Thinking about moving to Portugal? See this article about jobs for foreigners in Portugal.
Interview process Teleperformance
As I mentioned earlier, if your CV matches what they are looking for, the next thing is a phone interview. You will be asked some questions about yourself and the project you are going to work for (it is nothing particularly difficult, it is just like any other work interview you had before). If the recruiter is satisfied with your profile, you are going to be asked to confirm if you want to become part of the company. If your answer is “Yes, I do!” then you are moved on to the next step which involves two exams.
- English language proficiency test
- A typing exercise
If the exams are a success, you will receive a final call from your recruiter, where you will receive the details about the job, place of work, start date and salary. After that, you can start packing your stuff, book the flight and move to the place where you were hired. However, there is another step to start working for Teleperformance, namely signing the contract. In order to do that, you need to pass the training. See finding a job in Portugal for tips to help your search.
Training
Each project usually has a period of training that can stretch from two weeks to four weeks, depending on the difficulty of the tasks. The training is normally provided in a 9 to 5 schedule. During this time, you will be required to pass some exams regarding the “product” and if you fail, you are not going to work for that project. What if this happens? You should worry too much as you would be directed to another project, where you will start another training. Also, you should know that during the training period you will be paid half of the salary. Once you have passed the training, you will be moved to the operational center and you will start your job. Would you like to know more about the salaries in Portugal?
Working Hours in Teleperformance
About working hours in Teleperformance, you should bear in mind that you are most likely going to work on a flexible shift. This means that sometimes you are going to start your job either in the morning, afternoon or in the evening (the good news is that if you work late shifts you are going to receive more money).
Minimum Requirements to work in Teleperformance
Virtually, anyone can apply for Teleperformance, whether it is in Portugal or elsewhere in the world. For most Teleperformance roles the minimum requirement usually includes.
- Excellent communication skills,
- Proficiency in English and any other language,
- Good typing skills,
- Passion for customer experience interaction.
Other requirements
Of course, depending on the project and the job position you want there, you might need additional skills. For example, in some cases, in order to apply, it is required you have a degree, or a Master’s degree, a high proficiency in a specific language, or a previous knowledge of the client you are going to work for. In this case, if you miss one of the requisites for the job, the process of hiring might be more difficult. However, since there are thousands of possibilities, it is always worth trying it.
Language Requirements
Working for Teleperformance or any other BPO company, it is deadly essential to know different languages. As mentioned earlier, English language proficiency (C1 level) is important and another language. It can be either Portuguese, Spanish, Italian or French. To be sure to succeed in the hiring process it is very important to know at least two languages. However, depending on the market, you might work with just one. For example, if the project you are going to work for is only established in Italy, you are not going to use anything except Italian. But you will still need a good level of English because training and internal policies are usually in English. If you know more languages, there is a chance your career in this company will be a lot easier and faster. Being able to deal with multiple markets is a big plus that will give you the possibility to move quicker in the company. This is particularly true if you know some languages that are rarely spoken like Norwegian, German or other languages spoken in the north of Europe.
Preferred Skills
In order to work in a multichannel company like Teleperformance, it is essential to be IT literate and not be afraid of pcs and keyboards. Depending on your project, there might be a set of skills you need in order to apply. But certainly, you will need soft skills because you will be working in a multicultural environment as well as dealing with clients from all over the world. It could also be a plus if you have marketing, training or managerial skills. However, if you do not have these skills you should stay positive as Teleperformance offers training in order to learn those skills. This allows you the possibility to shape your career as you prefer.
Working conditions
In Teleperformance Portugal, the work week is formed by 40 hours of work, 8 hours a day, with a lunch hour in the middle. There are some strict rules when you access the offices, in order to grant data security of the clients, but apart from that, the working conditions are not that bad or rigid. You can also enjoy some benefits while working in Teleperformance. For example, Teleperformance offers accommodation for its staff in need of an apartment. If you don’t need one, of course, you can refuse (and you will have a higher salary) but if you need to relocate, this will really smoothen the process. You will also have access to a lot of discounts. Depending on the project you are working on, you might have a discount for Adidas, booking and other famous brands. Also, if you had to move from another country to come and work in Portugal, they will refund you the cost of the flight up to €250. Want to know more about working in Portugal? See this article on working in Portugal.
Is it worth working in Teleperformance?
If you ask me if it is worth working in Teleperformance I have to say that there is no clear answer, it depends on your current situation, your expectations and your flexibility. As I mentioned before, you will most likely work on very flexible shifts, so you might start your workday in the morning, afternoon or evening. If you don’t like this kind of working hours, I would suggest you consider another company (even if you might try and get used to it). If you have great ambitions, and if you want a high salary. I must warn you that working in Teleperformance would not make you rich. However, if you are struggling to find a job, or would like to work in a multicultural environment where you can meet a lot of different people, this is the job you want. There is constant turnover, so you are going to meet a lot of people. Also, the hiring process quite fast not extremely difficult. You will also have the possibility to grow quickly within the company and even work other locations outside Portugal.
So, is it really worth it?
Probably working in Teleperformance is not your dream job, nor the salary you would like to receive in your paycheck all your life. Nevertheless, it can be an experience that will change your life. You will get to improve and sharpen your soft skills while having a wider understanding of how life works (which is an extremely important asset nowadays).
Other Business Process Outsourcing Companies in Portugal
If after this article you are not considering the option of “Working for Teleperformance”, you might try other big multichannel companies like Arvato and Sitel.
Finally
I know this is an overload of information. It might be difficult to decide if it is worth working in Teleperformance, for this reason, what I would like to suggest to you is to give it a try. You’ll never know! Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for more tips about life in Portugal.
