Cultural Center for Language Studies interview questions

Cynthia, the owner of the two Texas branches of CCLS, called me the day after I submitted my resume online. I went to her office in Houston a few days later for an in-person interview. The interview process was very simple - she didn't inquire much about my background, didn't ask for transcripts, references or recommendation letters. There was also no teaching demo. This was the first red flag for a *teaching* position. She offered me the job at the end of the interview, and said that I would be required to complete a ~10 hour training in order to become "certified" in CCLS methods. This training would be unpaid. That was the second red flag. She showed me some of the materials, and they certainly looked a bit dated. They seem to rely heavily on their own DVD's and cartoons. No authentic materials. This was the third red flag. Finally, she said that while she didn't want to charge me for the training, she would require a $300 "security deposit" that would be returned if I completed the training and worked at least 50 hours "before I quit". Fourth and largest red flag, alarm bells were flaring! Rather than discussing much of the teaching, hours and next steps, she asked if I could give her the check now. She seemed VERY eager to receive the $300 check from me, as fast as possible. I did not give her the check, and instead went home to think about it. I called her the next morning to express my concern about the security deposit, and asked for it to be waived. She said it was a protection for her because she has had so many employees drop out of the training or quit suddenly. It sounds to me, like there may be an issue with employee satisfaction within CCLS. There are no Glassdoor reviews for the Houston branch at the moment, so I really have nothing to go on besides the interview and my phone call with Cynthia. There are definitely ESL-job scams out there, so be weary if an employer asks YOU to pay. Remember, you should *never* pay to work somewhere. You get hired, and they pay you. I don't know if Cynthia is running a scam, or if she has a serious problem with employee turnover, but I knew this was not the place for me. Hopefully this review helps other qualified ESL teachers avoid a scam.