Job Discussion Forums

[BoomBoom]

What's up with Hawthorn Muscat? I'm not referring to their dodgy, almost indiscriminate recruiting for MOHE, but to their actual schools. Not only do they offer teachers a poor salary, I hear they had 4 managers in 4 years at one place, and 2 managers in 2 years at the other - and the current manager of one doesn't even have a degree!

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

[Ma]

Dear BoomBoom

Need to get your facts straight. Hawthorn Muscat does not recruit for MoHE, that is the parent company, Sur International. Hawthorn Muscat and Hawthorn Al Hail have now been lucky enough to get two new directors, both of whom are highly experienced, both in EFL and Oman, and are already making Hawthorn a better place to work.

Why do you call yourself BoomBoom? Firearms obsession?

[veiledsentiments]

[Kornan DeKobb]

[Sleepwalker]

I asked a member of staff at Hawthorne this years ago and was told that Majali had nothing to do with the Hawthorn Centres but he was able to use their name when recruiting.

From this I always assumed that they were two separate entities with Majali having 'wasta' with the sponsor.

Incidentally, many people have 'moonlighted' at Hawthorne and have been happy with the centres. Hawthorne were considered at the same level as the BC by many students. The first post may be misleading - anyone working there just now?

[veiledsentiments]

With all of these recruiter based positions for MoHE of MoM, it depends greatly on which branch you are assigned to... and even that is not completely predictable from year to year as management changes as fast as the teachers.

Majali seems to have wasta all over the place... as long as he has lasted with his track record.

VS

[Ma]

LOL, my surname so ISN'T Jali, but gave me a laugh.

Sur International own hotels and other schools, notably in Sur! Majali works for them and has his own little companies under their umbrella, you should see the list on his business card!

Hawthorn is a franchise, check out Hawthorn-Melbourne and Navitas online, they are quite big but have little bearing on what happens in Muscat.

The school was a competitor to BC but at present is no threat!

Forgot to say in my last post, both of the current directors have degrees and then some....am I one of them? Can't answer that with a straight face!

[veiledsentiments]

[Eijse74]

...

[danmbob]

any recent updates from Hawthorn? they posted on the TESOL career center recently.

http://careers.tesol.org/jobs/6667302/efl-lecturer

[nomad soul]

[EFL Educator]

Oh Man my EFL colleagues there tell me this company has the highest turnover of teachers in OMAN!!!

[MuscatGary]

I worked for Hawthorn for three years at one of the CAS Colleges. On the plus side I got paid in full and on time every month. The accommodation in the first year was basic and the furniture was old, soiled and damaged. I took the rent allowance after a year (200 OMR + 30 pcm for bills) and got my own place for which I had to add extra but it was worth it. There is a high turnover, partly to do with the nature of the CAS Colleges which are in remote locations and with poor, unmotivated students and shocking management. Maybe a bigger problem was that Hawthorn were not allowed to renew teacher contracts until the MOHE had finished their own recruiting each year, this meant that teachers who were unable to apply for direct hire were kept waiting until late June and even July some years, becoming increasingly more anxious and naturally looking elsewhere. The MOHE is not a great deal better, the money is better but there is no support and they don't pay new teachers for several months at the start of the contract. You also need a lot more paperwork for them.

[Tazz]

I think the concept of support and assistance are totally alien to Omani recruiters-and the colleges themselves will also do nothing to help any new hires.....as said before, at least Hawthorn provide some much needed assistance with accommodation on arrival-most of the MOM recruiters do absolutely nothing.

[MuscatGary]