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Hawthorn Muscat IELTS/English Centre
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:55 am    Post subject: Hawthorn Muscat IELTS/English Centre Reply with quote

I was looking through eslcafe trying to find some recent comments about working at Hawthorn Muscat IELTS/English Centre (Not on a contract through Hawthorn since they lost almost all of those) and I wasn't able to find anything.

I just want to warn people who are thinking of taking a job there as an EFL teacher at either their Muscat or Sohar branches. You should really consider all of your options before taking a job here. You will be dealing with Majali, who no doubt has quite a reputation on this forum, and you will also be dealing with some other management (an American guy in particular) that are nearly impossible to work for.

They are purposely grossly understaffed, though they are making plenty of money from the IELTS that they administer which is currently keeping them afloat. So expect to do the job of 3 people including management positions with little to no extra pay. Also, say goodbye to weekends because you will be pressured into working on Fridays and Saturdays as well. They will tell you that they'll pay you overtime and then, come payday, they will pay you much less than they agreed to.

I also noticed in their most recent job advertisement that they no longer offer 250 RO as a housing stipend. This means you will have to live in whatever accommodation THEY deem suitable. When I moved to Sohar they put me in what they told me would be 5 star housing. It was quite the opposite. PM me if you would like pictures of the flat they stuck me in.

It's just not worth your time to even try to work for them and finish a contract. Almost all the people I worked with or former employees I heard about during my time at Hawthorn lasted 2-4 months and then hopped on a plane with no notice because they couldn't deal with the management abrasively coercing them into doing things they didn't want to do or picking up the slack due to the complete lack of management.

I was making and saving more money (Oman's not cheap) and dealing with a fraction of the nonsense that I dealt with at this organization in East Asia. Most people I met weren't able to save any money working at this place.
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Sleepwalker



Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 454
Location: Reading the screen

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 5:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Years ago they were highly successful and considered a good place to work.

Sad to hear this news.
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2017 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah I heard a lot about their Glory days while I was there. It's too bad it turned out like this. The foreigners managing it now(Majali, an American and a French girl) are running the place into the ground.
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Barbary Falcon



Joined: 26 Aug 2016
Posts: 9
Location: Arab world

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 6:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't speak for the Hawthorn Center but I previously worked for Hawthorn in one of contracted colleges. I rated them as one of the better employers in the Middle East. Of course they may behave differently in centers they directly own.
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1st Sgt Welsh



Joined: 13 Dec 2010
Posts: 946
Location: Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

PostPosted: Fri Aug 04, 2017 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Barbary Falcon wrote:
I can't speak for the Hawthorn Center but I previously worked for Hawthorn in one of contracted colleges. I rated them as one of the better employers in the Middle East. Of course they may behave differently in centers they directly own.


Seconded. I worked for them in a CAS as well. They weren't perfect, but what recruiter is? As to what it's like in the Center, I wouldn't have a clue.
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The thing is, they don't really recruit anymore because they lost all their contracts with the CAS. When I was there they had one contract out in Salalah and one where you have to fly back and forth between Duqm and Muscat. That's it.

The only job offer they have posted recently has been to work at their Centre, which is such a terrible place to work that they can't keep employees for more than 3 months. I intentionally posted this to warn people about working at their centres since clearly no one seems to know what it's like there. They are no longer a Recruitment company.
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silverbrain



Joined: 11 Jun 2013
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 7:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
It's just not worth your time to even try to work for them and finish a contract. Almost all the people I worked with or former employees I heard about during my time at Hawthorn lasted 2-4 months and then hopped on a plane with no notice because they couldn't deal with the management abrasively coercing them into doing things they didn't want to do or picking up the slack due to the complete lack of management.

Could you please expand upon this.

Were you provided with the necessary visa?
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 05, 2017 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It is extremely rare for Oman employers... even the worst... to not provide proper visas. There may be the occasional tourist who works illegally for a short time, but even that is very rare.

VS
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 8:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eventually they gave me a proper Visa but they almost didn't. They almost let me overstay my 2nd tourist visa. I had to remind them again and again until one day Majali called me, less than a week before my 2nd tourist visa expired, and told me I had an hour to get ready and pack my stuff to go to the UAE for 1 night.

I don't know what Oman was like before but half of the staff at Hawthorn are on illegal visas. Even some of the teachers. I was surprised. The IT, accounting staff and some of the receptionists had no real contracts. One of the receptionists in Sohar (an Omani) was devastated because they refused to give her a contract/benefits. They told her if she didn't like that that there were 20 other girls who could take her place. It's probably true, but still a bit immoral to say to an employee in my opinion.
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Sun Aug 06, 2017 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As for the other teachers getting on planes and leaving, there was a Scottish guy that was working for them, couldn't deal with it and hopped on a plane back to Asia without giving notice. This was 2 weeks or so after I arrived. There was another American/British couple that did it before I arrived as well as a South African girl that had, apparently, a bad experience with the American manager. They all left without notice.

Basically the American manager does a good deal of bait and switch. He makes a lot of promises, says they need help in Sohar and promises loads of extra money as an IELTS examiner. Once you get there and you start teaching 25 hours per week, answering phones with the receptionists, creating exams for random books you're never going to use, consulting customers and skipping lunch to plan for your classes, you start to realize that it's not everything you had imagined.

They will ask you to give 4-8 hours of intense IELTS classes on Fridays. The people who I know that did this were paid less than they were originally promised. The American will pressure you into becoming an IELTS examiner because he can't find enough willing to work for him. Then they will try to get you to do it 3 Saturdays per month. That leaves you with one day off per month for, maybe a couple hundred extra rial (if they pay you what they promised).

You will be picking up the slack because the Manager will often take trips to Dubai and not be around during the week to deal with the day-to-day operations. He especially enjoys not being around when classes start or end. Important dates and times really. So you will have to manage.

All of this for 900 ro and change(if you work Fridays and Saturdays) plus a very substandard apartment. If this seems worth it, more power to you. If you do end up going, make sure to PM me for information on how to contact the Ministry of Manpower. You will probably have to use their services.

This may seem like I have a personal vendetta against Hawthorn (and maybe I do) but this is more or less the same experience everyone has working at their language centers (NOT recruited on a contract with the CAS, I can't stress that enough).


Last edited by travelbug0055 on Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:28 am; edited 2 times in total
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Colombo



Joined: 01 Jul 2016
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

@travelbug0055

I did a 2 year contract with Hawthorn for a CAS position & I'm sure because it was a government client Hawthorn followed immigration protocol meticulously.

But for their own 'enterprise' I think they don't have the same accountability & don't even try to meet the same standard. It seems like an IELTS™ sweatshop.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 1:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Majali... and a language school. A recipe for teacher abuse.

VS
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 9:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah I was tempted to put "IELTS Sweatshop and Teacher Abuse" as the subject of the discussion but cooler heads prevailed.
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silverbrain



Joined: 11 Jun 2013
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
Majali... and a language school. A recipe for teacher abuse.

VS


OH dear, I was thinking of accepting an offer. Is that guy really so bad? I only spoke to an American guy and not Majali.
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travelbug0055



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The American guy is as bad as Majali. I think he might be his protégé.
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