New Horizons Employee's Stories - Page 2

I was a tech instructor at NH of Madison for 2.5 years. Don't know if you heard, but that franchise just closed, ignominously.

There were tons of things wrong with that place, just like with all the others, but I'm not going to list everything here. Suffice it to say that I'm one of the lucky ones: my coworkers were, for the most part, amazing, great people from whom I learned a ton. I busted my butt and came out with a huge portfolio and a couple years' of great design and development experience that I could not have otherwise gained in such a short time. All the skills and experience I got while teaching added to my existing skill base and portfolio and helped me land a great IT job with a solid company once NH folded. So on one level, I'm very thankful I worked there and hold many of my ex-coworkers in high regard. The problems I had with the few people who caused me trouble could have happened anywhere, 'cos those folks just plain didn't like me. I don't think it had anything to do with NH; I could have worked with these folks anywhere and we would not have gotten along.

Okay, that's my caveat. Now the news. Early in 2002, things started getting really, really bad in NH Madison; reviews were not occurring, equipment was distinctly NOT being upgraded (teaching photoshop on pII 200s? Gimme a break), raises were many months past due, facilities was scraping the bottom of the barrel for repair and supplies, sales people were quitting or being let go in record numbers, class sizes were diminishing, then it happened; the company missed payroll. We got our checks a week or two later, but many people there were living paycheck to paycheck, and took a hit because of it. Two more pay periods ended up being missed, and two paychecks bounced. Things were grim.

Somehow the owner talked Executrain into buying the place (happened in July). That pissed off NH Corporate, so they awarded the customer database to the Green Bay/Fox Valley franchise owner, and some key instructors and sales reps went to Inacom, which is another training place in Madison. So there are now three different training companies calling all the same customers and offering the same types of classes in the Madison area. I guess things have gotten pretty ugly, with one company calling the clients and saying "Oh all of the other company's classes are cancelled, so don't go there." Yikes.

The worst thing of all, in my opinion, was that no employees got paid for their last two weeks of work. A bunch of us banded together and filed wage claim forms with the state, which is now initiating legal action against the (former) owner to get the $65,000 or so he owes us in pay.

Surprised no one else has told you about this yet.

I'd also like to add something about your site: I discovered newhorizonssucks.net early on in my tenure at NH, and it inspired me. I saw all the horrible things that were going on, all the people getting screwed out of their money and getting bad trainers who didn't know their material, and I vowed that none of my students would suffer that fate at my hands, and none of them did, as far as I know. Some may not have liked me personally, but they all learned, and no one ever took issue with my command of the material. I wanted to make sure that no matter what else sucked about my company, I was going to do my absolute best to give people more than what they paid for in the classroom, so at least I could hold my head up when it was all over and feel good about myself and the work I did, even if the company I did it for -- as you say -- sucked.

I was one of the original instructors for NH - Racine/Kenosha/Walworth - something like February of 1999. It was a new franchise at the time, and the General Manager was a very charismatic person who I was excited about working for. His energy was infectious, and you couldn't help but buy into everything he said. On a personal level, I still like him.

We trainers started out with a reasonable amount of prep time, because we started two weeks before any students entered the building. Being a new center, we were not in a position to offer tech classes, so we prepped for Microsoft Office applications. I didn't have a lot of experience with Office at the time, because I was a Mac user, with little experience on a PC. But I had been a teacher for two years, so I knew how to prep for new material, and I picked up the classes pretty quickly.

Once things got rolling, we had very little prep time. In the classes we taught often, that wasn't really a big deal, since we had developed a system, and had enough time in the classroom that we could anticipate questions that might come up. We also made notes about how students were using the software, so that we could use those examples the next time around.

For the classes we did not teach often, lack of prep time caused a great deal of stress for most of the instructors. None of us wanted to provide a bad product to our students. Many of them were repeat customers, and we did not want to let them down. We all received high evaluation scores, so that wasn't our concern. We didn't want people leaving feeling that they got ripped off. We also had good relationships with our AE's, and we did not want them to have to try and sell more classes to someone who had a bad experience. I loved working there, even though the days were long. I was able to combine two of my career options into one - teaching, and computers. And I enjoyed working with the people in my office.

After 5 months, though, I had an opportunity to try going into business with my parents, so I took it. Within three months it became evident this wasn't going to work, so I started looking for another job. I had a few resumes out, but no calls. I talked with NH Racine about any opportunities they might have, and they offered me the training manager position, which had been unfilled since they opened. In September, I rejoined the company, very excited about the opportunity.

The attitude in the building seemed a little different when I came back, but the same instructors were there, and a handful of the original AE's were still there. There still was no prep time for trainers, even though we had all been told from the beginning that we would get one day a week to prep. As a public school teacher, I learned the need for prep time. On my return to NH, we were teaching new classes like FrontPage, HTML, Access, Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDRAW! and others we hadn't taught in my first go-round. While I had experience with most of them, teaching them without a chance to run through the examples is different. How am I supposed to know what areas I have questions about, much less the students? And what about potential problems like things that might not work, or might take too long, or not fill enough time? As the training manager, I was able to get one day a week without a class, but that was to do things like prepare for our "Career Days" or plan new classes, or crunch instructor evaluation numbers, or watch instructors teach.

As the training manager, there were a few things that did bother me. We had an instructor who worked his butt off for us. All of the students in his classes liked him. He had a great ability to learn how to teach a class in a very short amount of time. He never got a bad evaluation. I worked in the trenches with him every day, and I envied his teaching abilities - remember, I am the one with the teaching degree, and I am very critical of instructors.

Two occasions involving this instructor stick out as red flags for me as far as the franchise. The first was a day that he had the flu. He called in saying that he could not come in, because, while the vomiting had stopped, the diarrhea was still working its magic. I told him we would cover it, since I wasn't scheduled to teach that day. I had a very strong relationship with him, and am confident he wasn't just playing hooky. The GM, however feels that having the flu is not an excuse for missing work. They make medication for that, so just take some, is his opinion.

The GM pushed me hard to discipline the instructor for missing time. I couldn't justify punishing him for getting sick, so I didn't. It was brought up on occasion by the GM, but people get sick, so I let it go.

A second situation with this instructor involved him doing a class in our "satellite" classroom (read: a hotel conference room an hour from our center). Students put out nametags provided in the back of the text on the table. Happens for each class. I don't remember the details three years later, but somehow, the evals and nametags got piled together, and the instructor grabbed the pile, crumpled them up and threw them away. As he was packing up, he realized he did not have the evals, and found them in the trash. He straightened them out and brought them back. There was an eval for each student, and I think I remember that they all gave him a 10 out of 10.

The GM called me in and wanted me to find out what the instructor was hiding. I told him I didn't understand what he meant. He told me that since the instructor tried to throw away the evals, he must have been trying to hide something. I said I thought it was an honest mistake and I had almost done something similar at the same hotel. Besides, why would an instructor try to hide that he was nearly perfect? The GM wouldn't hear it though, the instructor was not to be trusted. Based on my relationship with the instructor, I knew this was far from the truth.

We had a tech instructor who doubled as our support guy. He was paid well below market value, but had signed a long term contract. I was given the task of putting together numbers on salary in the area for certifications we were beginning to sell for. At a company function, I was asked to talk about how things were going and give some info to the AE's about my research. I said how much "the average in our are for ... " was. Later, the GM told me not to mention it in front of the tech guy, because he did not want the tech guy to know he was so under paid. I said I thought it was pretty crappy to pay him so low if you would have to hide it from him, and besides, the tech guy is pretty smart, and I'm sure he already knows you are shafting him.

These, along with the way other people were treated in the office caused me to be open to the phone call I got in January of 2000. It was for an interview based on a resume I had sent out in August of 1999 before rejoining NH. They offered me a position making the same money I was making at NH, with spectacularly better benefits, a relatively flexible schedule and a chance to help rebuild the department I would be joining. Oh, and they offered 40 hours a year of paid training time, plus tuition reimbursement for me to get my degree in computer science, with no contract asking for my first born if I leave the company.

I took it. Mind you, I wasn't looking, it came to me. When I told the GM, he turned ice cold on me. He took it very personally. I stayed for two weeks, in which time, he did not talk to me once. I was part of his management team, and he wouldn't talk to me. "If you wanted to work somewhere else, why did you come back?" I tried to explain to him that when I came back, I did want to work there, but the situation was different at the time. Funny, but when he hired me the first time he told me that I would get training and experience that would allow me to go where I want in the computer industry, then he gets mad when I do.

Within one year, my new company gave me two separate substantial raises to bring me up to market value based on my skill level. I have received raises every year since, as well. I still enjoy a very flexible schedule, great perks, some of the best people I have worked with and for. For NH corporate to say that the best way to treat instructors is to "run the gauntlet" is insane. I would have stayed if I had been paid a reasonable amount (and didn't have to race my co-workers to the bank so that my check didn't bounce), been given time to prepare for my job and felt my co-workers were being treated with respect. I would guess that I would have had to work at that New Horizons for three or four more years to come close to the salary I had after one year at my new position.

I have more details, both good and bad, but this is long enough as it is. I would like to add that, at least while I was there, I believe our AE's truly believed in what they were selling and believed that the instructors were delivering the best they could offer, given the training they did or did not have. Yes, they pushed the clubs and tech packages, but in my discussions with them, they really believed that a tech package was valuable to the students. I fielded a lot of questions about "this student wants to do this. Should I put them in this tech track or that tech track?" If they didn't care about what they were selling, they wouldn't have asked for my advice. I know that at least a few of the AE's even called students who were in a club to remind them that they still had classes to take, and give them a list of a few that were coming up. That is different from some of the people who have said that AE's would push packages and not care if a student took classes.

I am sure that each center is different. I know that, at my center, there were just as many good things as bad things. It was an experience I am thankful for. I know our students got the best we could offer. We all cared about whether or not the students appreciated their experience.

Well, we are a company that has supplied the New Horizons Bay Area with contract instructors. We have done business with them twice. Well, both times they have not paid us on time. One invoice was 15 days late and the other payment of $3500 they are holding hostage until we drop the late fee. This is not happening!

This is how it turned out!!!!

We called accounting in Dallas, TX. No one knew what was going on. They couldn’t find the invoices at first. We also put a late fee on in the contract agreement. While after dealing with NH accounting we figured out that it was best to speak to the president of the NH Bay Area. Not to name names but his name is Ken Hagerstrom, what a winner. He told us that he wasn’t going to pay the late fees owed to us. His reason for the invoices being late was because of the economy. His company agreed to our terms on a contract. This has nothing to do with the economy. That may be why the economy is the way it is. Because of millionaires like Ken, not paying us small businesses on time. He also said that he would not pay our company for the services already rendered unless we sent him a letter agreeing to drop the late fees. We told him that if his company would have paid on time that we would not be in need of late fees. Regardless, he would not pay us any money owed even for services rendered. So, we told him that we would send him and his company (New Horizons of the Bay Area) to collections. He said that he didn’t care. He just bought this company which was 9 million in debt so what’s another couple thousand. He said he wouldn’t answer to the collection letter either. Remember this is a CEO of several New Horizons locations saying that he would not answer a legal letter. Wonder what else is going on inside that company.

I guess the story is be careful who you do business with in the New Horizons franchise chain. We have decided from now on if we do business with any New Horizons nationwide. They will pay for our services in advance.

I would highly recommend too do so. And, watch out for the New Horizons Bay Area. If the CEO is that way I could only imagine how his employees are.

Respectfully,

A concerned vender!

Now, I don't have a specific "New Horizons Sucks" story, but really just another rehashing of some of the standard ills that seem prevelant.

Now, my franchise is better than many, from what I've read at this site- the owner and general manager are one and the same. They did not require the signing of a two year contract, and do not hold me to any obligation.

However, there are certain trends that seem to be prevelant:

1) Rejection of the opinions of employees and managers if those opinions do not agree with thier bottom line- profits.

2) Understaffing seems to be SOP. We are currently running short a Training Manager, our facilities department (maintaining 10 classrooms, about 200 computers, web tools, reporting databases) runs on two paid employees and a handful of unpaid interns.

3) Underequipping also seems to be SOP. Most of the hardware purchased is bottom line or bargain basement. Several times, Microsquish Certified classes have run and the hardware used was not the hardware required by the curriculum.

4) Instructors are not given reasonable time to prepare for the classes they get assigned to teach. Sometimes, these issues are unavoidable, like when someone calls in sick and that class needs coverage. However, due to understaffing, most instructors are teaching 5 days a week most of the time, and occasionally, they are required to pull a double shift one of those days.

5) Larger clients are treated to royal treatment at times. I understand wanting to impress the big spenders, but when it comes at the point of ignoring set policies, creating customized classes with no specified outline, or sending instructors to perform consultations and working as developers without any adjustment of the days pay. Example: Recently, an instructor from our staff was hired out to a prominient firm to create a Visual Basic Macro inside of Excel to create a user interface. This was not an instructional job, and while that particular instructor loved the opportunity, it was an innapropriate use of his abilities.

I am a former applications instructor for NH Pittsburgh. I was hired in April 2001 and fired a week before my one year anniversary. As you know, the students fill out evaluations at the end of every class. Back in February I taught an onsite at [a client *]. There were about 6 students in the class and it was a lovely day with temps between 60 and 70 outside. I taught the class and mentioned that because there were only 6 students and the material was familiar that we might get out early and enjoy the weather. Class ended at 3pm, and hour and a half early. I took written evaluations back to NH where I received an overall score of 9.7 and many students commented that the pace was "too slow". The next morning my manager called me in to say that the liaison had complained that I "rushed" the class to get out early and that the students felt I skipped information. I received a written warning which went into my permanent record. I replied to the warning and blew it off. A month later I returned to [the client *] and again the liaison complained about me. She said I was "pumping her for information" about the original complaint. This is ridiculous since I knew exactly what had happened. The owner of NH PIttsburgh wanted to fire me then and there but my GM and my manager convinced him not to. He is based in Memphis and his first name is Rob, that's all I know.

About a week later, I was teaching a Dreamweaver class and one of the students (who owns an ad agency and had enrolled subordinates in many classes) said that every time she tried to insert a background picture it turned out "queer". I said, "Do you mean that in a bad way?" She said, "Of course". I explained what she was doing wrong and we finished the class. I never saw her evaluation of me, but I was told that she complained about me. She called and withdrew her workers from any classes I was teaching and NH had to cancel a class because of low enrollment. This caused me to be fired.

[ * Editor's note: At the request of the author, references to the name of the client have been removed from this story.]

Dear Webmaster,

Would appreciate if you could keep my identity a secret as I am currently still working for New Horizons.

I would like to share my experience of the past one year that I am working as an Account Executive in New Horizons. There has been many good experiences but sad to say, the bad experiences seems to overcloud the good. It seems that the stories in here are mostly from United States and I would like to share my experience from some other part of the New Horizons Franchise:

Here is one of the many stories that could be shared:

I am working for New Horizons Malaysia for the past one year. When I first join the company, I was made to understand that our income or commission is based on the sales quota that is given to us. But what a surprise I got when I turn up for work later, there is another appendix which was conveniently 'forgotten' given to me where all the direct expenses has to be deducted of the sales in order to claim our commission. These direct expenses are for example, book/coursewares or instructor fees which I personally feel should be absorb by the company. I have no choice but to swallow it as I need the job and as known, the Asia economy is not doing well at the moment.

I would also like to point out that the management does not care for the welfare and concern of the customers should they have any problem or grievances as many times the management just brush off or push the buck to the AE's. All they care are to make more money and if possible suck the blood dry from the customer. They have actually went to the extend of delaying things till the customer get fed up and just go away. This is not how we should treat our customer who are loyally paying our trainings.

Another issue is that they are also not concern for their staff welfare as we are made to slop and chase for our customer payment should you want to receive your pay check end of the month. Their motto, no money, don't get your pay check. (not your comm but your base salary) even if we manage to get the payment in, our pay check still would come in late to us and we have to suffer every month due to this. (We have bills, mortgage to pay for)

As for the instructors, there are made to slop and prep for classes that they are not even qualified to teach. And furthermore, can you believe it if I were to tell you that I have chided them for using pirated software to teach, they just brush me off saying, who the hell care.

What are written here is just an example of things happening in Malaysia, but I am sure that there are many centers in other part of the world who are working very hard trying to give the better training and keeping their customer happy.

New Horizons' Montgomery, Alabama had a sales rep that stole a credit application of a student and used the unsuspecting student's personal information to fraudulently purchase an automobile. The sales rep drove the automobile to work for about a month until leaving for personal problems. The student didn't find out until several months later when they tried to purchase something by using their credit line. The sales rep was making payments on the automobile for the first month or so. And, then stopped paying. So the student could not get the loan. Plus, this debt was in their name so they were responsible for the automobile as far as the loan company was concerned. They reported it to the police and the sales rep was no where to be found. They signed a warrant out for his arrest. This is several felony counts. Not sure if they have found him yet.

The student is suing New Horizons Montgomery and the ex-employee.

So call New Horizons Montgomery, Alabama if you are looking for a student loan! They will give you a good rate.

About 27 years into my IT life in the Seattle area as an author and instructor I was sold on the idea of opening a WA state Vocational Technical school.

In the summer of 1999, TcatU.net was born. Because of my belief in CompTIA, all my work (including volunteer work) was aimed at supporting this org.

TcatU.net grew and rocked, focusing on CompTIA. On February 28th, 2001, the building of TcatU.net rocked to the tune of a 7.0 earthquake. The end result was the corporation was responsible for millions of dollars of damage due to the earthquake (yeah it was a large school).

It was all figured out about a year later and TcatU.net closed in early 2002.

I have taken advantage of my freedom and been traveling with a laptop and writing books.

Last week, I spoke with a broker looking for an A+ instructor. Having passed all three versions over the years, written a couple books on the matter, and personally led many hundreds through a class on the current test, I looked like a good candidate.

Susan Crabtree of New Horizons of San Jose asked via the contact if we could meet to discuss the class that was to be in a location in northern-central CA. I agreed to the meeting, and it got moved to San Jose. This now makes a 400 mile trip for me.

I get there, and mostly she wants to talk about TcatU.net She has no details about the upcoming class. Asks me (I thought) basic (dumb?) questions like, "Am I A+ certified? "Do I want to do this class?" <"Yes."> (I'm going to say "No, I got up at O'Dark:30 to travel 200 miles to smell your breath?") "Do I realize this class is evening and only 24 hrs. of class time for both Core and O/S?" <"Yes. I have a great deal of experience in this arena. You did mention already you knew a great deal about TcatU.net?"> "Oh yes.", is the response. <"OK. Then you know I have done this numerous times with great results.">

Finally we get to, "The guy covering this will call you with details. I'm not A+ certified. He can tell you what we cover and what we skip." I responded, "No problem. I understand. In all my CompTIA committee meetings, I've been the only one with certifications. All the other members are project managers like yourself. When can I expect a call from the tech?" The reply is, "tomorrow. He is in San Francisco all day today." I close with, "Fine. Thank you for your time." And begin the long trip back to my current hang-out. The next day, I mail a thank you card, and get a call from the broker.

"Tell me more about TcatU.net", is the opening. I tell said professional about how we were rocking, until the earth rocked, and made it not cost-effective to continue. Since then I have found warmer/drier weather, and writing CompTIA books. I start to get 'cabin-fever' and would like to teach a couple classes.

"Ok. I don't get it", is the response. "Susan Crabtree is making lots of noises about conflict of interest." My reply is, "that would be a consideration if that corporation still existed. It doesn't, and I have a excellent track record with the students for that client."

The next day, I am called by the broker, telling me the class is on. And it isn't in the city I was first told of. "E-mail the details, and I will sign the paperwork." is my reply.

Hours later, I get an e-mail from the broker telling me they changed their mind again, and sorry for the trouble.

In short, it isn't any skin off of my nose, but it is clear that Susan Crabtree lied about her having any interest in me teaching the class, and had me make a total of a 400 mile trek to meet some need to see the person who apparently caused her friends in New Ho's of Puget Sound a ton of grief.

She also wasted the time of a professional broker, and had no interest in delivering a class with the most experienced instructor that could be found on the West Coast for a large national client with they (currently) have an exclusive contract with.

The fun will really start next week when my letter goes to Martin Bean. I know him from CompTIA meetings over the years, and he recently took over as COO for New Horizons Corporate.

I will enjoy pointing out the bad faith behavior of Susan Crabtree, and they really should have signed me to that class. I would have been morally and legally obligated to New Ho.

Now what I am is legally free to take them head on, and feel morally obligated to do so.

I'll keep you posted on the unfolding of this story.

I worked for New Horizons of Long Island for approaching three years when I received a message one afternoon on my answering machine. The message requested I return the call or send an email letting the caller know what time I could come into the office the next day. I knew something was fishy because...

1. The call came when I was at an onsite (teaching a class at a company away from the actual NH facility) so the caller knew I couldn't be home to answer the call.

2. Instructors are NEVER called in "to the office" unless it's something big.

I emailed, as I was asked to, and mentioned that if I was being called in to be "let go" please not to waste my time or gas money as it would just get me mad.

I received no response to the email so I arrived at New Horizons the next day where I was taken into a room and told it was what I thought. "It's just that sales are down and we can't afford to keep you on as an instructor." I was also told that if I wanted to speak to the GM about the situation I could. That's right, the GM wasn't even the one to fire me.

LONG LONG LONG story short.

Yes, I had signed a 2 year contract. Yes, I had numerous other opportunities but out of loyalty to NH, I turned them down. In return I received NO notice, NO explanation of why the exact moment I was being let go there was a test teach (potential instructor candidate interview) taking place, NO severance package.

All in all, it turned out quite well as I ended up starting work the following week, making equal salary with a LOT less hours.

My name is Nora Puhlman and I used to work at the NH in Dublin, Ohio.

My position there was the front desk administrator. I was hired in June of 2001 and was fired on March 15, 2002.

I was told that the company was going in a different direction (what the hell does that mean). On Wednesday March 13, I was called into the General Managers office for a meeting with him and my supervisor, a 21 year old idiot.

They showed me ONE eval that a client had written down that when he arrived in the morning to check in for class I ignored him, he claims that I was on a personal call (I don't believe that), and then my supervisor (she will remain nameless), said that she should not have to ask me for anything (I guess she thinks that I can read her mind). Then I was told that if I want to keep my job I will need to change my ways (I guess I was to become psychic and not answer the phone). After thinking about what was said needless to say I became very upset.

I started to think about everything that I did there greeting clients, answering the phones, making certificates, administering prometric and vue tests and the list goes on and on, that that was the only thing that they could find was one eval and her having to ask for things. Anyways before I left that day I went back to talk to the General Manager again about this eval and asked him to pull the thousands of evals that rated me nothing but 10's, and all of the nice commits that the clients had written about me. He told me that that had nothing to do with it and neither did my boss (how dumb does he think I am).

It had everything to do with her, we did not get along and she threw enough tantrum fits that she finally got her way. So needless to say Friday the 15th of this month was the happiest day of my life. I was called in the big guys office and was let go (LET THE PARTY BEGIN).

You don't want to get me started on how most of the A.E.'s treat the clients once they receive there money, or how some of the instructors are not even certified to teach some of the tech class that they teach. The sad part of this is that when I started there and even up till my last day I really enjoyed alot of the people I worked with and even a lot of the clients, and that I will miss. If you are thinking of getting a job there please think twice because trust me they won't think twice about putting the screws to you and soon as they can.

I currently am employed with [a local New Horizons competitor - editor], in Columbus Ohio. I am an ex-account executive of New Horizons (NH) - Columbus. I worked there for 10 1/2 months before I switched companies. I lost a lot of business to [the local competitor - editor]. I was raised that if I don't have any thing good to say, then don't. However, a coworker sent this web site to me and I felt inclined to spread the word. As of 12/01, there is a class action law suit against the NH of Columbus, Ohio. This was filed by ex-employees (I did not initiate this law suit.)

I have been in Sales for the past 14 years (I was a Realtor for 9 years). The secret for me, to make money, is to find something you love and have a passion for. Computers are that love for me. In the 10 1/2 months that I work for NH - Columbus, there were 64 account executives that came and went in that time. I don't even know how many instructors they went through. I am now a part of the class action law suit because of what I was a witness to there.

I will say this, NH is the Balley's Fitness center of computer training. They have this product called the "Yearly Club Membership." You can purchase "a club" for technical or applications. That is their bread and butter. They push to sell those but they don't want you to waste your time (as an Account Executive) calling these people to come back in for classes. Rarely did a club member come in and take classes through out the year. They usually took most of their classes in that first month or two.

I will be more than happy to discuss some of their more severe improprieties at another time, if you wish. I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and can tell you that they won't be in this city long, if they continue to do business this way.

[Editor's note: Edited to remove identity of current employer at the request of the Author]

I have found a Computer Training Center that does it the way your supposed to do it. And they have the track record to prove it! Since I work for a competitor of NH now, I am amazed at the number of people that I have talked to, regarding NH, and their horror stories. I am glad NH is no longer a part of my life.

Lorraine Ferret

PS - I wanted to state that I am positive person, who does not dwell on the negative. The only reason I know about your website is first, I heard about you from a coworker and a current client who is a major player in the Columbus, Ohio market. Secondly, I still talk to several "very good" people (employees at NH - Columbus, Ohio), who are trying to make a bad situation good at the New Horizons - Columbus. And I don't want any of you out there misconstruing my intent of my e-mail. I think when NH-Columbus, Ohio gets rid of all three managers and start's over, then, and only then will they make it in the Columbus market.

The majority of postings on this website are from instructors, which is understandable because they are treated the worst and are the most sensitive. The people who become AEs at New Horizons are usually not bright enough to realize what is going on, thus when they get canned, don't think about much else but finding another job.

There are some exceptions. I was hired by the Cleveland office of New Horizons, which is a corporate-run center, and within nearly a year of my employment (quite long, considering) I saw the following changes:

1. (3)Service Center Managers

2. (7) Sales Managers (just my sales managers, a total of about 10 Sales Managers in all were hired/fired in 9 months.)

3. 22 AEs originally, dozens hired in, original AEs from my first day: 4.

4. (2) Operations Managers

5. (2) Training Managers

Surprisingly, there was little turnover among the instructors. I had enormous respect for and excellent rapport with the instructors at that facility, and even managed to help a few find new jobs when I left.

The numbers above tell the whole story. If anyone thinks they will work at New Horizons, "Follow the System and Inherit the Wealth," they are deluding themselves. In Cleveland, where the market is supposed to be in the 2 million PC size, they can't even sell $350K a month in training. With 15, 20 or 25 AEs. There is only one AE in the building making six figures. He has outlasted dozens of AEs, scores of sales managers, and at least 6 Service Center Managers. And he has only been making six figures for the last year or so. Anyone with any sense realizes that the emperor is not wearing any clothes: the system is designed to use the most people to generate business with the cheapest labor possible (you don't get commission until you collect the money, not when you sell the product, like most sales jobs). There will be a few, select individuals who will survive the cuts and therefore "inherit the wealth." The majority will either fail, lose interest or get fired right after they score a big deal with some company. I saw it over and over. It is an insidious, possibly evil culture in that company.

I am a former New Horizons instructor. I was an MCP and MCT when I reported for work there and was shocked to learn, on the day I reported for work, that I was being hired for less than I thought I had agreed to and as an "Applications Instructor" rather than a Technical Instructor. I informed them that there was no way I would accept the job for that rate of pay. Over the course of the next couple of days, we renegotiated my salary and reclassified me as a Technical Instructor with the understanding that for awhile I would be teaching applications classes until there was an opening for a Tech Instructor. My manager told me that they would have a "Two-year Exclusive Contract" ready for me to sign in a couple of days.

Thirteen months later, on my last day of employment there (four managers later), my manager of the moment attempted to get me to sign a promissory note for the training, books, etc. ($8000) that I had received. I told him that I did not feel compelled to sign this document because I had never been "under contract" in the first place. He was stunned, and asked "You mean you never signed a contract?". I said no and departed with no further comments on his part.

Richard MCSE, MCSA, MCT, MCP, A+, Network+

[Editor's note: *Whew*! Looks like their failure to get back to you with a contract helped you dodge a bullet. NH instructors, beware! Signing any contract of any type with NH is done at your own peril.]

I am currently an AE in the Northeast, and have to say, what I can't believe what a bunch of whiny babies are on this site.

TO THE SALES PEOPLE:

First of all, you know the game when you begin, or shortly thereafter. You know you will be cold calling your ass off and working insane hours. During your interview, you learn that you are expected to maintain a minimum sales goal. Hello? - it's a sales organization! It's like buying a car and not knowing what your interest rate or monthly payments are - why the hell did you accept the position in the first place? I'd think because you believed that you could make an extraordinary amount of money. Somewhere along the way you failed, and now you need a tissue. Expectations are clear, and on paper.

Secondly, if you can take cold calling or management that breathes down your neck, GET ANOTHER JOB! It's really that simple folks. You either win or lose, and you know what? That's up to you. My manager's feel the same pressure to make sales happen that I do, but why not make it a motivator? You're there to make money, not because it's a "feel good job". If you want someone to pat you on the ass simply because you have a smile on your face, go work at McDonald's. And, as for the parallel to New Horizons being the "McDonald's of IT training", what the hell is wrong with that? Try to grasp the concept of capitalism. As an AE, it's your job to service your client. If you don't take care of your clients needs and just churn them in and out, your a lousy salesman. That, my friends applies to any sales position, in any field.

My advice: Buck up, focus or get out! There's a novel concept called "FREE WILL". It's not for everyone, and if your on this site bitching about how tough it is, you don't have the balls to make it anyhow. Find a job where you sit on your ass, collect the same lousy paycheck and buddy up at the copy machine.

Dear Mr. Betz -

I'm an instructor at the Xxxxxxx facility of NH and recently they have put a pay and hiring freeze in place for all corporate employees and locations. Additionally, next year there will be no 401K matching contributions. Finally, for those of us (myself included) that DID sign one of those crazy two year agreements, all contractual obligations for NH to pay us as we progress through a certification track (after one or two successful teaches, depending on the track) are no longer being honored. Annual reviews (where raises are determined) were delayed by up to three months for some of my colleagues and now are being told, Sorry -- no raise for you, there's a freeze.

What makes this thoroughly disgusting is that the very month the pay and hiring freeze was enacted, New Horizons announced a 9% revenue growth over the same quarter of last year, when raises and hiring were still continuing. Now, as I look for other jobs on the internet I find that New Horizons is in fact hiring. Further, the freeze will "thaw" when NH sees two consequtive quarters of profit at 17 cents per share, which was the best quarter of 2000. Interestingly, the standard to thaw the raise freeze is higher than the conditions that prompted the freeze in the first place. In other words, Last year NH was paying raises when profit per share was at 9 cents. So... you crunch the numbers.

Some other interesting stuff is that the CEO has a MAJOR financial incentive to sell this company and profitability is being boosted by freezing our already meager pay. I was particularly grateful NH implemented this just before the holidays -- makes for great warmth and cheer (not!). The only reason I'm not pounding the pavement harder is because I have consulting work that comes from students I've had.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

ps -- don't take the site down unless YOU want to. Some of us instructors have visited and just shake our heads -- yep, we know what you're talking about. Happy holidays and I hope everything goes better for you and your wife vis-a-vis the networking stuff.

[Editor's note: Happy Holidays to you as well, and to all our readers.]

I am a former instructor (3 years) with NH NYC. I found the experience rewarding and frustrating.
Yes, there are times when they work you to the bone.
Yes, there are times I had to look at the book during lunch to stay a step ahead.

But the benifits are there too. In three years I learned (or was forced to learn) the MS office suite, Photoshop, Illustrator, HTML, A+, and a whole bunch more. There were some weeks where I worked eight days getting ready for class.

The one thing I always understood about NH is that it is a buisness. It is trying to make money, the instructor is just a cost. You must remember this to keep your sanity. If you are not willing to work the long hours, there is always someone else who is.

NH allowed me, someone with no computer skills, to learn a lot of skills and programs. Since I have left NH I have continued on instructing. In fact, the contacts I made there have helped me get work.

My advice is to put up with the crap days, do your best, and learn what you can. The longer you are there the easier it gets.

Then of course move up to be a high end instructor or seek your fame and fortune elsewhere.

Just thought I would pass some info on to you. It appears the NH in Montgomery has gotten even worse. I was the facilities manager there, not any more as of 12OCT01. I was terminated because "We can no longer afford your salary." Ain't that a kick in the head?

It could be that they could not afford me because they were busted by Macromedia for using non-licensed software. Last I heard Dave Heymann was trying to work a deal with them so he doesn't loose his ass. It could be they could not afford me because the owner, good old Dave Heymann, hired his inept brother-in-law Greg Clark as a tech instructor. The same guy who took and failed the Win2K Server exam 5 (count 'em: 1..2..3..4..5) times! It could have been because they brought in contract instructors from a company in Florida and realized too late that they couldn't afford to pay them. It could have been because sales weren't worth a damn, but they managed to give $100 - $200 dollars worth of cash and or prizes to the sales people every week to "motivate them".

Never mind the fact that instructors, techs, and office workers were going well over 40 hours a week, dealing with upset customers, and basically going nuts without a simple "Thanks." What a waste. I actually offered to stay an additional week to train my replacement, an apps instructor who was not ready for the position (she said this herself, and so did I), only to be told "No. We can't afford that." Of course I did come back the next day, Saturday, with my old boss (he had already quit) to help train my replacement, one of the tech instructors, Dave Heymann, and Greg Clark.

Came back the following Monday to return the final backup tape I had at home. Surprise! Dave had crashed the classroom network. He thought he knew enough to fix a broken internet connection. Turns out it was the faulty switches I had been after him for months to replace, but never would. Instead of dropping off the tape and leaving, I spent 4 hours fixing the problem. And the SOB didn't even say thank you. He did offer me a severance package of 1 month's pay, but I had to sign a document saying that I quit of my own free will and was not fired. I signed it, took the money, and went to work somewhere else. I almost doubled my salary from NH, plus I was getting the severance pay on top of that. Ha! And because I wasn't fired (according to the document) I'm free to say and do whatever I want.

Screw Dave Heymann. The lady that replaced me was recently replaced by the brother-in-law. Seems she was asking too many questions about software licensees for Peachtree and that upset Dave. Now she is just an apps instructor again. Back in September I tried to tell Dave that his brother-in-law could not teach the MCSE classes because he was not a MCT. That would be a direct violation of the CTECH agreement. His repsonse "I paid for it and I'll do as I damn well please with it." This is the same stupid remark he made about the Macromedia Flash software. What a moron. The non-MCT brother-in-law has now taught a MCSE class using the MOC in direct violation of the agreement. Dave actually tried to get another tech instructor to sign the certificates. The instructor refused to do it.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. When Dave bought the center everybody there had real hope for the future. Turns out he was just feeding us a bunch of shit and we ate it. Maybe there's something in the water and the franchise owner training? Who knows. I did point this site out to him before I left. He says he doesn't view it because it's a bunch of shit. The dumb do get dumber don't they?

Oh well, that's my update. Understand, there are some damn good people there, and I hate that I'm not working with those people any more. Any job leads I hear of, I let them know. I hope they can get out before it's too late. Let me know how things are going for you.

-Tony Miller Formerly of New Horizons

[Editor's note: The author of this story wrote again to follow up with more information. That email is reproduced below.]

As an additional note to the previous e-mail.

One might wonder why Macromedia was suspicious of the NH franchise in Montgomery. It's simple. Dave had me call them over and over explaining our company and intentions wanting to find the cheapest solution for buying and teaching with the software. Gee, do you think that might raise a red flag? Finally I was removed by Dave from the situation and he purchased an "Educational Package". I had already explained to him that NH did not qualify as an "Educational Institution" and could not use the package before he ordered it. Macromedia had sent me a copy of the license agreement that explained this. I gave him a copy of this agreement. I was told to build the image and put it to work. When I objected he told me "I paid for it and I will use it any damn way I want. If Macromedia has a problem with it they can take me to court."

I needed my job and income, but I decided I was going to cover my @$$ first. I called Macromedia's anti-piracy department and made them aware of the situation. That's right, I reported him to Macromedia. There was no way I was going to take the fall for him. With every question and concern they had, I co-operated. And from what I understand, this is second hand - I could be wrong, he did tell them "I'll use it any damn way I want." There's just got to be something in that New Horizons water. At first he was going to repack the software and send it back to Macromedia, then for whatever reason he passed it to corporate saying he did nothing wrong, that it was all Macromedia's fault. Last I heard, they were all still trying to get this issue resolved. Oh well.

You have my permission to add any/all of my e-mails to your site. You are in no way responsible for their contents and/or my opinions. They represent my opinions and experiences. Not the opinions or experiences of anybody else.

[Editor's note: Story removed at the request of the Author]