Job Discussion Forums

[Middle East Beast]

This outfit just posted a job at another TEFL website.

Anyone have any information on them?

The salary seems reasonable, and they advertise single accommodation.

Thanks in advance.

MEB

[the minister]

More anon, but for now, and with the benefit of first hand experience, Serco Kanoo - do not do!

[deadly_pugger]

[Christian St.Bacon]

Eight months ago maybe they were advertising - certainly aren't now..

shukran very much

[the minister]

You might choose to go elsewhere on the internet to find out about Serco and Kanoo. Serco is a services contractor whose main work is in defence and security. The company's prison vans could be seen transporting London rioters to and from court last year. Kanoo is a long-established industrial giant which enjoys considerable prestige in Bahrain for its philanthropic work. Both companies are FTSE100 companies and blue chip investments. Together, as Serco Kanoo Training Solutions, they thought they had identified a specific need in ELT in Bahrain. They hadn't, and their proposed Foundation English programme ground to a halt over a difficult period late last year. People were laid off and teachers who thought they had secured a position with the company were left waiting for months - to no avail; there were no jobs for them. The company is run by a group of managers who have been drawn from the Serco and Kanoo branches. Most are ex-military and none has any experience in education. Some of them have shown little respect for teachers or for education or for academic processes generally. They employed a Head of Studies whose CV showed 20+ teaching jobs over the last 18 years and who arrived with only one reference - from a friend who used to work alongside him. He had a diploma in computing but demonstrated few skills even in word processing. He was despatched to the UK to interview teachers and set out to find people who had fewer qualifications than the one which he possessed. Getting wind of this, a manager was sent quickly to join him and 6 teachers with good backgrounds were hired. Then they waited. Not at all nice. At the time, when Serco Kanoo was 'do not do' - the company had no licence to teach, no students, and, because of the Head of Studies' inability to do the job, failed to supply even a curriculum to the various ministries which were requiring evidence of fitness to operate. Eventually, our hero was removed from his post and another teacher was put in place. This chap seems to know what he is doing; the company now has teaching licences and has won contracts. Most remain within the company's general and previous experience - education for personnel involved in aviation and security - but further contracts look likely to be secured and the Kanoo organisation is impressed enough with the new man to have committed to further investment for the long term. If Serco Kanoo advertise again, it will be because they actually have work. So, the usual considerations will apply. More anon....

[deadly_pugger]

Thanks for the info minister, that's certainly more than I was told as one of the teachers who was 'hired' and waited (and waited and waited...) for a position. I even handed in my notice at a good job in London on the strength of their offer:

"Thank you for attending the interview in London last week.

We have completed the interview process and are pleased to inform you that we would like to offer you employment with SKTS in Bahrain.

We will send you a formal Letter of Offer, including a start date of employment, within the next 7 days."

Obviously that letter never came, but I had the foresight to apply for multiple positions as I already had a bad feeling about this company; remember, I applied for this position in July and this message came in December!

Anyway, as it turns out I made the right choice and took a different position (in the middle east) for more money and better conditions than SKTS were offering.

you said "If Serco Kanoo advertise again, it will be because they actually have work" but after my experience I wouldn't work for those clowns if they opened the last language centre on earth.

so my message to them is "Serco Kanoo - you can lick my shoe!"

[the minister]

While Serco Kanoo is, perhaps, not of a size which draws in huge numbers of teachers at the start of each academic year (they currently have none) and might not, therefore, be worth the effort of a posting, things have happened at the company which certainly makes it worth posting a word of advice to avoid any of their recruiting afforts which might appear in the near future. As before, it's 'more anon' but, for now, it is 'as you were' on this company: Serco Kanoo - Do Not Do! Trust me on this. Even if you're broke and stuck for work, this company will leave you worse off than before you arrived. There will always be an alternative to this. Take care! Back soon.