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I hope you will accept another article from me. Since you posted the "Instructor Life Cycle" memo, I feel compelled to respond. As I said in my earlier submission, I have been an Instructor at the St. Louis center for almost six of its eight years. Three or four years ago I saw the memo. That is too long to remember the exact words, but the one posted here certainly seems to be it. The tone and ideas are definitely the same. So, why am I willing to "admit" that I have seen it, and even to "confess" that many franchisees take it seriously? That is what prompted me to take keyboard in hand again. I would like to respond to the memo on three levels: what the memo actually says (as opposed to how it is interpreted), how it is interpreted in actual NH centers, and its timing.
As to the content, I stipulate that the tone is quite blunt. Some are put off by bluntness, but others (myself included) are not. I very much appreciate knowing exactly where I stand without having to parse facial expressions, voice tones, or meeting schedules to figure it out. You should also know that when an instructor is hired at NH (unless they come from another center) it is considered an entry-level job designed for people who are changing careers or starting their first real career. In 1994 (about which more later) very few people stayed in their first job very long in any industry or company. It was in the nature of starting a career: get enough experience to look good on a resume and move on. The memo is simply acknowledging that fact and drawing from it the business conclusion that there is no reason not to get the most you can from them before they leave. It is not the same as hiring fully qualified, experienced professionals. Placed in the context of much hand-wringing, this can be made to sound evil, but-evil or not-it was perfectly normal in 1994, and still is in many companies today. The new people get the assignments and hours no one else wants, little if any vacation and the expectation that they will learn the ropes on their own.
To me, its is the second part that is surprising. The memo recommends that after an instructor has been with the company for 18 months to consider them "proven" and having "paid their dues" and to give them whatever it takes to keep them: "more money, fewer teaching days, more prep days, more time off, send them to special events, allow them to teach / not teach what they want, never work them on double shifts, nights or weekends." I challenge anyone to find a company where entry-level newbies pay dues for only 18 months, and then become highly privileged. You might run the question by a couple of doctors or public school teachers.
The words on the page, while blunt, reflect business reality (especially as it was in 1994): new entry-level hires run gauntlets. It goes on to recommend extraordinary largess a year and a half later-an extraordinarily short time. Sure doesn't sound evil to me.
The memo's interpretation is another matter. To begin with some franchises have taken the "first 18 months" bit to extremes. I have even heard of owners and managers using it as an excuse to be personally abusive of instructors: calling them names, etc. Please notice that the memo never advocates, or even condones such behavior: it is the behavior of a personality disordered individual who has acquired a degree of power over others. Even when I have screwed up royally at our center no one ever called me names-the subject was always and only my behavior. When I mentioned to our owner that I had seen the memo, he told me that many franchisees pay no attention to the second part. According to the memo one of the two reasons for the first part is to find out who to pamper. Ignoring the second part is just plain dumb: turnover will eat your lunch.
You also have to remember that 1994 was a long time ago. Systems that cannot adjust to changing circumstances are doomed. Up through '96 or '97 the hiring seminars at our center were packed to the rafters. Over the last few years, though, the flood of applicants has dwindled to the point that we now have a full-time Corporate Recruiter on staff. Our center stuck to the memo (both parts) for a while, but when the high tech labor started drying up and almost no one stayed, our owner decided that we couldn't afford the turnover and put a stop to it. New instructors get a minimum of two weeks training before hitting the classroom which includes taking some of the classes they will be teaching and test teaching classes in front of Training Supervisors and senior instructors. It is not uncommon for a new instructor to get "straight 10s" on their first class. Everyone gets a prep day for each day of a new class: our utilization goal is 80% (one prep day per week) but newbies get MANY more than that. We are all paid well, receive excellent benefits and are treated with enormous respect as professionals and as people. We have almost no turnover, and I can't remember the last instructor who left because they didn't want to work here. One left because she missed teaching children so badly, one left to stay home with her new baby, and a couple moved for personal or family reasons.
Finally, a bit of personal witness: I am 51 years old, and this is the best job I have ever had. I am paid what I think I am worth (and how many can say the same?). I am treated like royalty. I have the best boss I have ever had and her predecessor was the best I had ever had up to then. The atmosphere in the office is so up-beat that sometimes it is hard to tear myself away to go home (Ok, not a LOT of times, but sometimes).
I don't want to give the impression that all NHs are great. They are independently run and I am sure some are just as bad as many of the postings here would have you believe they all are. I can tell you that I know there is at least one that is as good as a company can be, and have heard of others. I hope you will hear from some of them.
Mark Russell
Principal Instructor
[Editor's note: This story references a memo purported to have been distributed to All New Horizons franchisees in 1994. Two people have reported that they have seen it, that it does exist, and that to varying degrees, the advice contained within it is followed by franchisees. Any other former or current employees who have seen the memo are encouraged to email me for further confirmation.]
I used to be employed by a New Horizons in Texas, and was afforded some amusement and sadness both when I found your website. Anyone who doubts the complete accuracy of your story (I do not) should reconsider, as all of the other stories pretty consistently back up the fact that New Horizons has, to say the least, a consistent and ethically flawed business model. By "New Horizons," I really mean the corporate entity which first established the model and actively encourages franchises to follow it.
To back up this statement, I offer the following: a memo emailed from the Corporate office to franchise owners in 1994. It's unfortunately lengthy, and I only go to the trouble of typing it here because: (a) I have insomnia tonight, (b) I'm a decently quick typist, (c) it's an appalling memo that cries out to be made public. This document came to me quite by accident (I wasn't even with the company in 1994, and in fact this particular location didn't open until 1996); when it did, it became clear to me that most of what I had attributed to poor middle management is actually deliberate and systemic. In an environment influenced by the author of what follows, Mr. Betz's experiences should not seem so unusual:
[Begin Memo -ed]
To: All Franchise Owners Date: February 2, 1994 Re: Instructor Life Cycle What two things do the following people have in common: Steve Albin Bill Baker Al Batinga Mike Brinda Joe Devartanian Carolyn Evans Stevan Fisher Marshall Henley Ed Hyner Charlott Johnson John Mercer Paul Muldoon Kent North Vince Rowe Tom Steele Bob Villareal Mark Winburn 1. They all started out their employment with New Horizons in Santa Ana as Instructors, but that is not the most important point; 2. The other item they all share is the most important: they are no longer Instructors. Why, and what can you learn about Instructor management from that fact? I'll tell you what I have learned about the Instructor life cycle, but first, take a look at what these former Instructors did after their life as an Instructor: Steve Albin Instructor, Operations Manager Bill Baker Instructor, Courseware Manager Al Batinga Instructor, General Manager, President Mike Brinda Instructor, Take your pick Joe Devartanian Instructor, Training Manager Carolyn Evans Instructor, Training Manager Stevan Fisher Instructor, Facilities Manager Marshall Henley Instructor, Sales Manager Ed Hyer Technician, Instructor, Sales Manager, General Manager Charlott Johnson Instructor, Training Mangager John Mercer Instructor, Operations Manager Paul Muldoon Instructor, Account Executive, Franchise Support Manager, Vice-President of Franchise Support Kent North Instructor, Training Manager, Vice-President of Operations Vince Rowe Instructor, Training Manager, Franchise Support Manager Tom Steele Instructor, General Manager Bob Villareal Instructor, Training Manager, Sales Manager, General Manager Mark Winburn Instructor, Training Manager, Sales Manager, Director of Franchise Sales Now, in regards to the above and what it means to the Instructor life cycle and Instructor management, here is an important stat you should know, and more importantly, manage your instructors by: Only 2 out of 10 Instructors you hire will stay with you past two years, and here's the BIG point, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM AS INSTRUCTORS. Let me say it again, but differently: 8 out of every 10 Instructors you hire ARE GOING TO QUIT WITHIN TWO YEARS, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM AS INSTRUCTORS. When I say "NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO FOR THEM AS INSTRUCTORS" I mean you can: - give them more money - give them fewer teaching days - give them more prep days - give them more time off - send them to special events like Novell "Brainshare" - allow them to teach / not teach what they want - never work them on double shifts, nights or weekends Hear this clearly: doing the above for any Instructor who has been with you about 18 months or less is a grave mistake. It poisons the culture. Here is the philosophy, which revolves around the old saying, "When you get a lemon, make lemonade". Let's say what I am telling you is a lemon: would lead to too much Instructor turnover (which is a wrong conclusion). How do we make lemonade? 1. Accept what I am telling you and use it in your Instructor management. 2. Follow what I am telling you: unless and until an Instructor has been with you 18 months or more, they run the Instructor gauntlet. What is the Instructor gauntlet? (this is the lemonade part) - do not give them any more money (save it for something else) - do not give them fewer teaching days, give more (and save the money of hiring more Instructors) - do not give them more prep days than you feel is right (and save the money of hiring more Instructors) - do not give them more time off (and save the money of hiring more Instructors) - do not send them to special events like Novell "Brainshare" (save the money for something else) - do not allow them to teach / not teach what they want (and you will avoid creating a little prima-donna blackmailing dictator) - work them on double shifts, nights or weekends when necessary (and save the money of hiring more Instructors) 3. The 2 out of 10 that like teaching will only surface while running the above gauntlet. And EVERY Santa Ana Instructor - past, present, and future - will run it. For the two out of ten that like teaching, and only AFTER they run the gauntlet, they are the rocks you build your company on. They paid their dues. Therefore: - give them more money - give them fewer teaching days - give them more prep days - give them more time off - send them to special events like Novell "Brainshare" - allow them to teach / not teach what they want - never work them on double shifts, nights or weekends unless urgent During the time your Instructors are working in this environment, LOOK CLOSELY and you will find your own Al Batinga's, Ed Hyer's, Bob Villareal's, etc, etc. You may not know this, but not a one of the managers listed above has the background on paper to do their job. But I'm not interested in paper qualifications, let's talk real world. In the real world the process of running the Instructor gauntlet surfaces the true CHARACTER in the person. The CHARACTER in the person is key. I am telling you from experience, those that are unwilling to pay their dues YOU DON'T WANT FOR THE LONG HAUL. It's not bad that they move on, it's good! For proof what I'm telling you is not only true, but has the added benefit of actually working, I invite you to talk to any manager on the above list and ask them if we didn't do anything short of work their butt off when they were Instructors. That process told me of their character. You give me somebody with character, and I'll make a manager out of them. The upshot of what I am telling you is that you can do nothing to stop Instructor turnover, so make it work for you. To be blunt, why blow your money, fool yourself into thinking you have a happy camper Instructor, only to have them come in and quit anyway? If you try appeasement, you will simply waste your time and money. Don't do it. I have been doing this long enough to tell you only two people in ten will make the Instructor position their career, NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO. Therefore, work those other eight through the gauntlet. Not only will you get your moneys worth, latent management material will surface (cream rises to the top and all that sort of cliche stuff) and you will begin to build your management team.
[End Memo -ed]
The memo ends here. NOTE: This is a direct reproduction of the entire document; I have not changed so much as a single letter, even with regard to capitalization or grammar - which explains more than a few errors. Emphasis (capitals, underlining) is also maintained from the document. Other than being a person in upper management from Santa Ana, the author is not identified; which isn't surprising since it looks to be a hardcopy of an email.
After working at NH longer than I should have, I can attest to the following: New Horizons (throughout Texas and in every single location that I have ever heard specifically discussed; but I hope that there are a few well-run exceptions here and there) faithfully follows the advice in this memo. And in the office where I worked, I would say that the results have not been as "good" as the author predicted; perhaps 2 of every 25 or so hired stuck around as long as two years. I didn't actually have the time to keep track of all the people I saw go through the system, but that's a pretty realistic estimate; and of the few that stayed longer than two years...no, they were not rewarded with more money or perks or even management's respect.
I will say this for the NH system: it has one unintended but positive effect (from the instructor's point of view), and that is that the instructors - 99% of whom are fantastic people and are dedicated to teaching in spite of the hostile environment - develop very close bonds, somewhat akin to what soldiers in battle must experience. ;) I have yet to work in an office where I enjoy the company of my coworkers as much as I did there.
I have to say that I am terribly sad to hear about such a TERRIBLE ordeal you had at this company New Horizons Computer Learning Center OF MILWAUKEE. I happen to be an instructor at a New Horizons facility and I wonder if your RESEARCH showed you that most are independently owned and operated? That the policies and instructors that you run into in one facility are not what you would run into in another?
In all of you VENTING (which we all need to do) and hostility did you consider what your sites impact is on the other facilities and instructors that teach there? Did you think of www.newhorizonsmilwaukeesucks.com or even better www.nhmilwaukeesucks.com in parody of the local facilities websites? I don't want you to think that I feel you are wrong or that what happened to you was appropriate, I don't! It was ridiculous rude uncalled for and completely illegal. BUT I do feel insulted about some of the generalized statements in your site.
In reality did you even contact the corporate office located in Santa Ana, CA to find out additional information about what their liability is and what they can do to assist you in the fraud perpetrated on you by a franchise owner? Or was a Corporate owned facility? Do you even know if you went to the highest level?
Should you have had to? NO OF COURSE NOT!!!!! BUT as an educated consumer these are reasonable actions to take prior to this website. Please don't look at this as a message about "I like new horizons waa wwaa". Please take this for what it is worth. Not all of the facilities are the same. Not all of the instructors are the same. Please consider what your domain name states.
Mandy M. McCool
FULLY QUALIFIED MCIWED, MCIWD, CIWCI, CIWP, CIWA, N+, A+, MOUS Master
Training Manager/Recruiter
Joseph, I feel for you and your pocketbook, and mostly your wife, for having spent that kind of money for computer training and not received what you paid for.
I work for another New Horizons out of state, and have for over 5 years as an Account Executive (salesman). Personally, I have seen hundreds of individuals that work for companies, and some who are changing careers, come into our center and walk out with either the knowledge to get their certifications, or just knowledge that helped them to get a job making the kind of money that they were hoping for.
I feel that our center has the kind of instructors that I would compare with any other center in the country that does this kind of training. I am wondering why you don't name this site "New Horizons Wilwaukee Sucks".
Regarding your wife, for the two classes that she was most disappointed with, she should not have attended the second class with an instructor that she knew was not good enough for the first class. As for the first class, she should have followed the New Horizons policy and repeated the class and demanded to have the class with a different instructor.
It is unfortunate that you had such an experience with New Horizons, and obviously it is disheartening to hear as a loyal employee of my franchise, however I am certain that New Horizons has many more excellent franchise locations than bad ones such as you experienced. I hope your wife ended up getting, or gets the training she wants for her career.
Sincerely,
Barry "An Ethical New Horizons Center"
This coming June I will have been an instructor at the St. Louis center for six of its eight years.. I would never denigrate the experiences--or minimize the pain-expressed in other postings, but I would like to offer another perspective.
As a franchise operation, most centers are owned by different individuals and as with all small businesses the personality of the owner will be reflected in every aspect of the life of the center. In every group of 250 people, you will find good ones, bad ones, and everything in between (as well as a few off to the side.) Ours is a good one.
The first couple of years were hard. We worked very long hours for less than most of us could have gotten elsewhere. Small start-ups, at least those that succeed, are like that. Everyone has to make sacrifices, including the owner, or the imbalance between revenue and expenses will spell quick bankruptcy. Yes, turnover was very high. Most instructors left within a year for higher paying jobs. I doubt most of them would have been able to land those jobs without their New Horizons experience and the spectacular growth of "Skills" section of their resumes. I stayed because I enjoyed the challenge, and because my resume was growing at the rate of about a page a year. At the end of my first year I was promoted to technical training, eventually earning every exam-based technical certification Microsoft offers.
About three years ago our owner realized that the turnover was limiting the growth of his company. Many policies changed dramatically and turnover almost stopped instantly. Instructors still work 50 - 60 hours a week, but how many IT professionals don't? Today I earn a very competitive salary, receive really excellent benefits (including a 401K with employer matching based on profitability), and am treated with impeccable respect as a professional and as a person. Our Training Manager is the best boss I have ever worked for in my thirty-odd year working life, which is saying a mouthful because her predecessor was also the best boss I had ever had. My job is difficult and demanding--as are all jobs in successful small IT companies--but the rewards, satisfactions, and professional growth I enjoy are far more than worth it.
By the way, and for the record, only once was I asked to deliver a class for which I did not feel fully prepared. A few months after I was hired I was putting up my board work for a beginning Word class when my manager told me that one of the other instructors had had a wreak on the way in, and I had to teach his beginning Lotus 123 class, which I had not prepared. He tapped me because he knew that I had used 123 in various versions for several years and knew the program well. Other instructors did the board work and loaded exercise files while I went over the book. This was too long ago to remember the exact numbers, but I do remember that the class was successful. At NH that means that the student evaluations averaged at least 9.2 on a ten point scale.
With regard to "the class goes:" If you bought ticket to a show, arranged a babysitter and scheduled the time, only to be told that the show was canceled because the cast wasn't prepared, how soon would you return? And if the cast really wasn't prepared, but you had a good experience, would it really matter to you how prepared the cast felt?
I would also like to weigh in on the issue of "real-world" experience. While I have certainly had my share of IT experience before I got to NH, I have no consulting experience with the versions of the products I currently teach: they all came out since I went to work for NH. I understand experience and I understand training. I believe the issue to be a red herring for two reasons. First, and most importantly, the classes (at least the Microsoft Official Curriculum classes, which is what I teach) are necessarily a bit superficial. That may sound amazing to some students because most of the classes are so full of material as to make your brain explode, but think about it: how could anyone expect to become a guru in a complex product embodied in dozens or hundreds of megabytes of object code after five days of class? Microsoft's premium certifications (MCSE, MCDBA, and MCSD) are supposed to-and in the great majority of cases DO--represent professional competence, but MINIMAL professional competence. In the absence of other experience, mastery of the content of the classes prepares you for an entry-level position. While teaching such classes successfully certainly requires knowledge of the product and time spent using it, daily professional use of the products is simply not necessary in order to impart entry-level skills. Besides, since I encourage my students to share their experiences I have the benefit of learning how the products work in a large variety of environments-knowledge I can share with subsequent classes.
The second reason I think this is a non-issue is more anecdotal. I have had the opportunity to take classes from a wide variety of instructors: some were NH trainers, some were independent contractors, and sometimes I have even been sent to classes taught by competitors. Without fail, those who were best at helping me to understand the concepts and techniques were full-time instructors, not part-time instructors who were also consultants. Teaching involves a very specific and difficult skill set; it is not the same set of skills required to use a product daily. If you want someone to install, configure and/or fix something then real-world experience is paramount. If you want someone to teach YOU how to do those things, daily teaching experience is more important.
Finally, I'd like to mention student satisfaction. Our center trains thousands of students each month. I am certain that you could find some who did not enjoy the experience. They may have expected more (or less) from the class than was actually in it, or the instructor may have had a bad day (haven't you ever had one?) On the other hand our average student evaluation score for last year was 9.56, and we have MANY students return regularly when new products are released or versions change. We try hard to meet every student's needs; for example, I have on many occasions spent an hour or two on an individual basis with students who were having a particularly hard time passing some exam or other. Do we nail it every time? Sadly, no. But we do try hard, and we nail it far more often than not.
Again, I would never deny the experiences that have been posted here, and genuinely sympathize with the victims. My purpose has been to emphasize that each New Horizons center is a separate business. While there are many similarities, there are also significant differences among them. My advice to prospective students, IN THE STRONGEST POSSIBLE TERMS, is to THOROUGHLY investigate ALL the educational opportunities available to you, and to make sure that the criteria you use to make a decision are appropriate. Ask for references from students, interview some instructors, ask IT employers their opinions of the students from the various educational institutions. It's a big investment: make it carefully. I just recommend that you not simply write off the New Horizons nearest you on the basis of a few horror stories. You owe it to yourself to find out for yourself.
Mark Russell
MCT, MCSE+I, MCSD, MCP+SB, MCDBA
Principal Instructor
[Editor's note: This author originally submitted this story on January 17, 2001. It had to be edited rather severely to remove identifying information. At the webmaster's request, he has rewritten it without such information, and the updated version was posted on January 21, 2001 and is found below with only the footnote added by the webmaster.]
I was an instructor at New Horizons of Milwaukee in Wauwatosa, WI. Sad as it may be, everything the webmaster and his wife noticed and experienced is very true. It is also very true that we (the instructors) were/are made to teach classes right after attending/prepping a class or passing a test for certification in that class, with or without any real experience. We always end up looking stupid whenever we have a client or 2 with some real life experience who asks questions.
Right now in New Horizons Wauwatosa none of the MCSE instructors are certified MCSE's in 2000 which I presume is a requirement to teach MCSE 2000 classes. Only 2 of them were MCSE on NT 4.0 and that certification should have expired on the 31st of December[1]. The Certified Internet Webmaster classes are supposedly being taught without any official authorization from CIW. The Novell classes were taught for months by unqualified and inexperienced people. [You need to be a Certified Novell Instructor or Trainer to teach those classes.]
Customer service is the least of Mr. Alozie Aguwa's concern, all he does is to provide quick fixes which always came around to haunt the organization. The average instructor is paid $22,000 a year, made to work unreasonable hours, with no matching 401k plans, no worthwhile benefits, and promises of "free training" which is basically having the instructor attend a class and then teach it the following day or sometime soon. So the so called "free classes/training" is actually for the benefit of the organization.
The whole organization "New Horizons of Wauwatosa" is a sham. Now I can't say that the same for the other franchises, so I would avoid using generalizations. Everything the other complainants said are true and can be verified. Mr. Alozie Aguwa is the General Manager and he is ruining the place even more with his dictatorial method of management. He doesn't allow for constructive criticism. He threatens to fire at will anybody who resists his style of management and uses the "good cop/bad cop" techniques with clients and the "divide and rule" on the employees by instigating them against one another.
The Lab is an ineffective [for the clients] and fraudulent way of making extra money. The lab is nothing but some series of software (Netg) based set of simulations. All in all, I think the New Horizons corporate should come down and rectify the mismanagement in NewHorizons Wauwatosa.
[1] MCSE certification for NT4 remains valid until December 31, 2001. According to a few MCTs in the know, being certified in NT4 gives instructors the right to teach MCSE 2000.
My name is xxxxx xxxxx. I ask that you withhold my name. I worked for New Horizons New York when I first moved to New York. I started out as a trainer, and I have to say, they have to be at the very top of the "Companies That Suck" list. Their business approach, model, and mission are absolutely counterproductive to longevity.
They treat their employees as if they were subhuman. Low pay, high workload (sometimes 6 days out of the week), and very poor training (with very very little support) are only a few of the things they put their employees through. The instructors are, at times, given one day to prep a new course. This could be a course that they have never even thought about before, but yet they may be expected to teach it the very next day.
I was told by a senior staff member (which means they've been there around 6 months) that the company mission statement not in so many words, basically says, "Screw over your trainers, over work them, underpay them, and if they're still around in 2 years, they're too stupid to breathe, so keep it up." They're poisoning their own well. The trainers are the core. Without the trainers, they have nothing to offer.
I later moved into HR (or recruiting, as they called it.). I only stayed in the position for two months since I basically had to lie through my teeth by telling people what a great company New Horizons was, and how much they could learn. I also learned more about their tactics while working in HR. On one occasion, I witnessed the senior management literally taking bets on whether or not an employee was going to cry when they fired her. What a disgrace!
Customers, I ask that you not even think about taking courses at New Horizons. They are a company that cares about nothing but how much money it can rake in, and they don't care how they get it. The equipment is EXTREMELY outdated and in poor condition. Many times the equipment does not even work! The instructors are usually the bottom of the barrel, although you could get lucky and land an instructor with some experience. It would be a much wiser use of your money to sign up for classes with Executrain or ANY other computer training center other than New Horizons.
I worked for New Horizons New York. The hiring process is true. Instructors who can present regardless of computer knowledge. One day prep for a new class. Two days for a more difficult class like Advanced Access. Turnover is rampant 3-6 months due to excessive work load, no vacation for the first year, and stress of teaching unfamiliar material. Salary 24k to start with the "freedom" of taking training classes for free with them (if your not using your free or personal time to prep a class)
BEWARE STUDENTS. It's pot luck with the instructors. With luck you get an experienced instructor (one who has taken their lumps) or a newbie who doesnt know which end is up.
BEWARE THE MCSE TRACK This is the money maker. Research your teachers befoere buying into the program!
It is sales sales sales. The sales people and owners make an excellent living at the expense of the instructors. The instructors are rarely recognized and only compensated when the "school" is in a bind because of mismanagement (Very Nepotistic).
Bottom line:
NEW HORIZONS IS A BUSINESS FIRST AND LEARNING INSTITUTION SOMEWHERE BELOW THAT!
One bonus for me was learning a ton about computers under the stress i endured. Sort of like going to computer boot camp. LOL
NOTE: At the author's request, some data which would make this former employee easy to identify has been removed. [...] denotes such deletions, and editor's notes are enclosed in brackets.
I worked for New Horizons [...] so I would like to say for the record that not all of the people who work for New Horizons suck. I'm an MCSE/MCSD MCT and I had to work behind the last three General Manager's backs in order keep up my practical skills and I agree that any MCT who doesn't at least do consulting on the side is a paper MCT and it comes through most of the time in class.
There are currently 3 MCTs, which are totally paper MCTs working for New Horizons here locally [Raleigh-Durham NC] now. What they know is only from the books and from preparing for exams. It's not their fault and it's not really Microsoft's fault the curriculum, despite what some people say, is excellent and teaches you all aspects of the products.
The problem is that the industry looks more at if MCSE is on a resume than experience. However, I've found true IS people who know what they're doing go on more than just seeing MCSE on a resume. Anyway, enough defense for the Microsoft Education Programs. Now on to why New Horizons SUCKS.
New Horizons sucks because of its management practices and everyone suffers for it. There's a General Manger by the name of John, who was put in the lead of a large NH center in Chicago. His previous Computer experience? A PHD in Computer Science? Educational training in computer education? No, he was manager of a Budget Rent a Car in Las Vegas.
My research with New Horizons world wide as a whole finds similar stories of shady characters such as Paul "The Goon"[see note 1]. John was so bad that when he was transferred to another NH in NC he brought his girlfriend[see note 2] along with him, he promoted an instructor with just 3 months experience as an applications instructor and no previous training management experience to Training Manager. He promoted an AE with just 3 weeks experience to sales manager. When his girlfriend left to go be the Goon's girlfriend, I mean go to another NH, he hired a waitress from a steakhouse next to a strip bar to be his operations manager (then apparently when things weren't "working out" he sent her packing back to the steakhouse) He also went on lavish trips and hung out spending thousands at the local strip bars, recently he left with the franchise owner holding the bag, and to top it all off he apparently has easily gotten another position with another training company.
All this leads back to practices in Santa Ana that teach a sales system that's way outdated. It's all sales sales, screw the customer and our employees, we can always find more of both. It's apparent that's been the company's attitude all the time. [...]
People of New Horizons if you read this, your business practices are a legal powder keg about to explode. [...]
Notes provided by the author, not the editor.
[1] Paul "the Goon" is Paul Muldoon, he's a real creep who's Owned/GMed several NH franchises and worked for NH Inc. He used to be in Chicago, before John, then in San Deigo, to hear him talk he's NH Inc.'s President's right hand man, but really I believe they're just strip bar buddies together. There's also another creepy character name Roberts who is the owner/GM of Charlotte NC and Orlando FL centers. Both of them are perfect examples of the screw the customers and employees we can always find more mentality.
[2] The girlfriend's name is Kara Kosolke(or someting like that). She used to be Paul's girl until John came along, she used to get drunk and talk about her and Paul's sexual escapades in the office in Chicago.
I am a former employee of New Horizons Madison. While the people I worked with were wonderful, and I made many great friends, the management sucks.
It is pretty bad when the owner makes his wife the manager of the entire place and the woman couldn't find her way out of a cardboard box. (Much less ANYWHERE around in a computer) She didn't even have a computer in her office.....they apparently frightened her!
Thank you for putting up this great web site! I am already passing it to my other ex-coworkers! STICK IT TO THEM!!!
I always felt so bad putting those people through one of the "advanced" classes when they had worked with the software almost 20 times as long as I had!
Joe, I just read your entire site and it is very interesting. I'm a former instructor at a newhorizons center. I'm no longer with the company for the very reasons you and so many others have complained about. It's all about the money. I didn't know that these problems were so wide spread. I started at new horizions with no computer experience, but I gave a good presentation so I was hired. You learn new classes in One day and I have learned classes over night which happens very often. Sales make promises to clients that's impossible for an instructor to deliver. Although this center did pay more than $10.00 an hour we were very much be low industry standards.
"The Class Must Go" is the number one rule and is adhered to. I have reported to work expecting to teach one thing and end up teaching a class that I have never seen before in my life. I left the company after I had conversation with a student. For some reason she felt the need to tell me the amount of her loan and how desperately she needed to learn these classes because she was a single parent and if she didn't she could end up on the streets. At that point I started looking at those students for what they really where, PEOPLE. I new that I was not prepared to teach some of the classes that management wanted me to teach. Ya I could get in front of a class and tap dance and get and evaluation of all 10's but did they learn any thing?
New horizoms is in the business of sales not training. I'm at another computer training center and you would not believe the differences. It's not driven by sales so instructors sat-in on a class and prepare for five days for a one day class now that preparation time.
Good job Joe. I hope this site will at lease make people shop around for computer training.
I like New Horizons because It is THE best place to train....and because I work here! You have some valid points in your web-site, but you do seem to lump us all in with one center. New Horizons is a franchise opportunity with HQ in California. Centers have been known to lose their franchise due to issues just like you discuss in your defamatory web-site. If you were to use some discretion in this matter, I am sure you could contact the "Best Practices" division of NH in California, and they would work with you to bring about a solution that would benefit all parties.
Take the time to contact Jerry Wright at our HQ and I am sure you can work something out!
I was an employee at the New Horizons location in Madison, Wisconsin. I must first say that the instructors at NH are hard workers who do an excellent job given the ridiculous working conditions. Most of them do an excellent job given the poor business practices and lack of respect for them at the New Horizons that I have encountered. Most of them also burn out after 6 months to a year just from being tired of getting low pay, little respect, and long working hours to do a thankless job. Now only my issues with the company.
I was amazed at the business philosophy of the owners in Madison, and of New Horizons Corporate. Here are many common business practices:
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