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[E-Prime]

For what it's worth I'd like to share my experiences at Komar University of Science & Technology in Sulaimaniyah, Iraqi-Kurdistan. I taught there only for 2 months, August & September 2014.

I was interviewed for the job of ESL Instructor on Skype in July 2014 by two individuals: 1) the Director of HR, (MOD edit). Her father's a shareholder in the university, and he owns City Center, the largest shopping mall in Sulaimaniyah; and 2) a New Zealander, (MOD edit), the Director of the Center for Intensive English Programme (CIEP). They offered me a job, & after some hesitation I accepted it. Though I was concerned about the deteriorating security with the Islamic State (ISIS) I flew to Sulaimaniayh via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines & arrived on a weekend, 1 August. I started teaching on the Sunday, 3 August 2014.

By the end of August I realized I had made a mistake. When I received my first salary, paid in cash in US dollars, I discovered the university had deducted USD186 for 1 and 2 August because it was a weekend; they deducted a USD250 as a 'deposit' for my accommodation, another USD200 for 'rent, internet and utilities' and USD100 for my residency visa. All these deductions weren't mentioned in the interview or contract. I felt I was lied to and cheated. Only half of my round-trip air ticket was also reimbursed, because I was expected to buy my own round-trip ticket.

The teaching environment also left much to be desired. The Director of the CIEP was trained as lawyer, but his teaching experience was limited to teaching kindergarten in South Korea. He has no clue how to run an Intensive English programme. There were a few textbooks from which we made photocopies for students. The syllabus was threadbare, and assessments were in a shambles. There's constant chopping and changing to the curriculum. First they followed an American programme, then IETLS, & now it's the Common European Framework.

Needless to say, the students were demotivated. The place is too under resourced, and students don't get value for their money. The President of Komar University, Dr. S has high hopes and big ambitions for the place. But I don't see them achieving their stated objectives, given the miserly attitude of the owners.

I decided to leave the end of September after weighing my options.

Had I resigned, while technically still on probation (90 days), I would have been in dire straits. I was informed that a resignation within the first 6 months would be treated as a 'damaged' resignation; i.e. I would have been financially liable for 'damages' caused to Komar University. That meant I would have been liable for the tuition fees my students had paid! They would also have prevented me from leaving the country, until I had settled the 'damages'. So, I used the upcoming Hajj vacation as a pretext to leave. I flew out of Sulaimaniyah at the end of September, having convinced the university that I was taking a break in Turkey. I never returned.

To any teacher who might be offered a job by Komar Unversity of Science and Technology in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq my advice is: give that place a wide berth!

(MOD edit for names)

[plumpy nut]

[scot47]

Education for profit. Avoid it at all costs. Have low expectations of any outfit where a fast buck is the motive of the owner. Go and get a job in a government institution or a corporation. Or even with the military !

[E-Prime]

To give an idea how Komar University lacks proper infrastructure: the entire 'campus' is housed in a derelict, six-storey apartment building on the outskirts of Sulaimaniyah. Faculty are housed in apartments inside the same building where offices, classrooms, labs and an auditorium are located. The entire English department, called the Center for Intensive English Programme (CIEP) is housed in what is basically a two-bedroom apartment.