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SORAN 'UNIVERSITY' - CLAD - Iraq Kurdistan

 
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Dejvice



Joined: 22 May 2013
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Tue May 28, 2013 5:35 pm    Post subject: SORAN 'UNIVERSITY' - CLAD - Iraq Kurdistan Reply with quote

Anybody have any exp with SORAN UNIVERSITY - CLAD? I recently had a skype interview with them. I found it rather strange and could not figure out if they were a bonafide university or a private organisation strategically placed beside the university. Secondly when I asked the interviewer how he came to work for SORAN /CLAD..reply was 'the other guy who was supposed to be director didn't fit so I had to step up'

What type of organisation is it..........profit company? Who is running it? What is the management like?

Just curious to learn more. Following the interview not an employer I would consider.
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Redcar24



Joined: 26 Aug 2011
Posts: 57
Location: Al Hassa Saudi Arabia

PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2013 12:30 am    Post subject: Be careful Reply with quote

As I understand this Uni sent out an email chain letter with a long list of emails saying sorry you were not accepted for the position. FYI! Be careful Rolling Eyes
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Dejvice



Joined: 22 May 2013
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Thu May 30, 2013 8:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not only that during the interview, one guy (the expat) was doing all the talking etc. The other guy was just sitting there, never said a word, never asked a single question, nothing, I assume he was a Kurd. Seemed to me that the "organisation" had found an expat to their bidding for them. One question was about curr. development, but with such questions and issues it always tells me "your use to us will be to develop a curr and teach and once you have developed the curr we will use it to make more money".

Although SORAN maybe was not so bad as it seems, about a month ago I had another skype interview with an Irish guy and a Kurd...based in Erbil. Usually, in skype interviews I turn on the camera and likewise I expect the other party to do so. But they refused to do so, giving some excuse. Anyway as the interview progressed it was obvious they were just desperate to get a "body" to teach in the middle of nowhere on a gas facility. Anyway after about 30 mins.....I asked about their organisation, I got this we are "affiliated" with such and such a school in North America, but when I asked about admin support the Irish guy goes on to say...."we don't need an office, we work etc etc"......at the end the month you will recieve 22 CRISP 100 DOLLAR BILLS on time in your hand".
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citadel



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 68
Location: Over the river and through the woods.....

PostPosted: Fri May 31, 2013 10:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[quote="Dejvice"]Not only that during the interview, one guy (the expat) was doing all the talking etc. The other guy was just sitting there, never said a word, never asked a single question, nothing, I assume he was a Kurd. Seemed to me that the "organisation" had found an expat to their bidding for them. One question was about curr. development, but with such questions and issues it always tells me "your use to us will be to develop a curr and teach and once you have developed the curr we will use it to make more money".

I had the same experience. The local guy did not utter a word. I also found it strange that I had to fill in the five blocks for interview. It seemed quite impersonal to me.
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Dejvice



Joined: 22 May 2013
Posts: 30

PostPosted: Fri May 31, 2013 11:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I had the same fill out five blocks.....about an hour after the interview decided that if offered the position was not going to take it. Anyway was not offered the position.

Looking back on it seems to me that the guy doing the interview is only protecting his own interests and will select teachers who he can control / manage so that he can look good in front of the real managers who are the Kurds - but somehow it looks like the real managers don't speak.

All very strange.
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citadel



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 68
Location: Over the river and through the woods.....

PostPosted: Fri May 31, 2013 1:08 pm    Post subject: Re: SORAN 'UNIVERSITY' - CLAD - Iraq Kurdistan Reply with quote

[quote
Quote:
Secondly when I asked the interviewer how he came to work for SORAN /CLAD..reply was 'the other guy who was supposed to be director didn't fit so I had to step up'


If an interviewer told me that the previous sacked, that is red flag right there.
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El Hobo



Joined: 28 Sep 2012
Posts: 40
Location: Iraqi-Kurdistan

PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 1:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I did get the job and I'm heading out there very soon. I must say, it seems that your negative comments lack substance and are a little farcical. Sending out a letter to people telling them they have not got the job does not seem like an ominous sign to me, nor does stating at which times you will be available to interview.

And yes, a Kurdish Doctor (of Education?) witnessed the interview.

I'll keep you fellows updated as to how the job goes. Good luck with your next interview.
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lapd08



Joined: 12 May 2008
Posts: 82
Location: New York

PostPosted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:55 pm    Post subject: Soran/CLAD Reply with quote

Very glad to see all of these posts-both pro and con. I was one of the ones who got the email saying I hadn't gotten the job after being told I was being considered. At that time, in June I think, there was no info on it in these forums. I found it confusing too, this "private school within a University".

Most off putting though was the original info. saying that teachers would live in a group home, but then they told me that was outdated and we would get our own apartments. Also, VERY worrisome, was that they included all this info about shopping in Erbil, saying taxis were readily available and cheap, but I'm sorry, a trip from Soran (and I know where it is) to Erbil is going to cost you around $100. I worked/lived just outside of Erbil on a compound and that was about a 10-15$ cab ride. And then there was the safety issue of a single woman traveling alone with some of these drivers. I'm not an alarmist and don't draw attention to myself, so this is not exaggerated. The isolation of that was maddening enough, so I knew Soran would drive me nuts in no time.

I'd really love to hear from the poster who accepted the job in the future to see how it goes.
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Eijse74



Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Posts: 46
Location: Oh, man...

PostPosted: Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...

Last edited by Eijse74 on Tue Dec 06, 2016 3:05 pm; edited 1 time in total
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xulagu



Joined: 02 Aug 2006
Posts: 16

PostPosted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:41 am    Post subject: Soran University Reply with quote

I worked in the first year the English Language programme was set up in the university in Soran. There were some glitches at the start and disputes with the university over the apartments and furniture but generally I remember my year in Soran very fondly. The people were lovely for the most part, the scenery was great and the work hours (then) were minimal-about 12 to 14 hours a week from what I remember as the university and outfit I was working for hadn't really sorted the teachers' schedules out, which was great for us of course. Soran itself was hardly a functioning town in the western sense of the word with few amenities for a westerner and little drink to be found aside from the shops in the Christian quarter but overall I had a very memorable and pleasant time there. Of course there are a few caveats-I'm married, I was spending much of my free time reading, preparing for a PhD and riding a motorbike in the countryside plus beverages once or twice a week. It's not the place for a party goer nor for a person who is there purely to earn money and not appreciate the nature around about. I also worked for a different outfit then so I was not under the direct thumb of the university. As with most jobs, it really depends who your manager is. I don't know the current one nor any rules and regulations for staff but I would definitely recommend Soran itself as a place for anybody who wants a quiet year.
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danmbob



Joined: 03 Jun 2009
Posts: 71

PostPosted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

anyone working there now?
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Siobhan 22



Joined: 13 Jul 2016
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 3:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Currently - from a contact in the Soran Engineering Dept. - there is one native teacher there. Whether that is separate from the CLAD section, I'm not sure.

Soran, being a state institution, is probably going to have the same problem with salaries being paid in arrears - 2-3 months.


As for the poster who said a taxi from Soran to Erbil would cost $100 -
I'd suggest shop around!

I taxi (2-hour ride) from Ranya to Korek (near Soran) can be had for $38 (45000 IQD) and from Erbil to Ranya (1hr 50mins) for $33 (40000 IQD).

The hourly-departing bus from Erbil to Ranya is only 6000 IQD ($5) and there must be similar buses from Soran to Erbil.
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