Job Discussion Forums

[shack62]

Hello to all,

I noticed that there is an employment ad for AMIDEAST-Erbil, Iraq and would like some info in regards to the work situation with the institute. I understand AMIDEAST as a whole has a good reputation, but to be on the the safe side, I'd like to check.

In addition, what does the area have to offer in terms of recreation? I don't necessarily need western-style bars/clubs, restaurants, venues, etc. to keep busy. However, a list of interesting places to visit would be fantastic.

Also, what is the salary range I can expect (BA+CELTA+3 years experience)?

PS-I already did a search on the threads, but the info is a bit outdated.

Thanks.

[spanglish]

I've got the same question.

[Urban_Kitten]

AMIDEAST Iraq has been offering English & test prep classes for over a year now. They pay on time and I think the hourly wage is between $16 and 20/hour depending on experience. Full time teachers are housed in a teacher's villa.

... hope this is helpful.

[safarer30]

AmidEast is being run by a Canadian couple. The husband is the new country director and it seems that he promptly named his wife "Acting EL Coordinator". If you've ever been in a situation where there's no objective outlet for issues, then you'll understand why this is problematic. Having taken on a policy of "not hiring locally" - foreigners are all friends here and generally share work experiences, they aspire to dupe innocent educators into coming from abroad to learn that, unlike AMIDEast centers throughout the rest of the region, this one does as little as possible and doesn't care at all about creating understanding between the people of the Middle East and the people of North America. The salary is low, especially given that Americans must pay income tax on their earnings. Currently there are three "full-time" employees. One leaves in a week or so, and the only American currently teaching there cares more about services and the mission more than his Canadian bosses. I really wish headquarters would do exit interviews with employees so that the U.S. could understand that AMIDEast Erbil is under-serving both the educators and the students in Iraq.

[It's Scary!]

Sounds like this post is an exit interview to me! Send Amideast a link!

It's Scary!

[veiledsentiments]

Besides, AMIDEAST has nothing to do with deciding whether Americans have to pay taxes. That is up to the IRS and although AMIDEAST lost a big lawsuit over social security covering their American employees, salary is still income tax-free as long as the expat worker complies with US tax law.

VS

[itchyfoot]

[safarer30]

Ah, finally and not unexpectedly, we have personal attacks. This person knows me, but has been sorely misinformed about my experiences with AMIDEast - Erbil, or, worse, this person doesn't know me at all. Attacks are all well and good, but I hope that this forum is a place to share FACTS ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS. So, I'll stick to those.

The "Hire Abroad" policy is a reactionary policy, newly created, after two "weird" local individuals were offered contracts. One signed, one didn't bother. The one who signed later decided that working at AMIDEast - Erbil wasn't worth the bother. I do not refer to current employees in this case. My reasons for not applying/applying, not signing/signing are irrelevant to the main points. Current and previous employers all pay more

It's not oil money, to be sure, but Erbil is an expensive city. It's expensive to fly in and out of Kurdistan as well. Neighboring countries have more value for your US Dollar. I advise anyone coming here not to settle for less than $25 an hour or a guaranteed minimum monthly salary of not less than $2000 per month, for every month (especially if you are designing and teaching curriculum for young learners while your organization receives nice U.S. government grants for all of your hard work). Any amount of experience teaches most of us that you should be able to earn this salary in most countries. If you're in Erbil, you're generally here because you care about humanitarian issues and/or making and saving money.

Perfection may be one thing, but certainly, professionalism is another. Working in a situation where the husband is the country director and the wife is the Acting ESL Coordinator has inherent problems, the least of which being what has resulted in the above post. One has to wonder about someone who contributes to Dave's just to post a single uninformed personal attack.

[itchyfoot]

[veiledsentiments]

I don't see the husband/wife thing as such a big deal in a place that sounds relatively small. Am I reading this correctly that there are only a handful of teachers? Less than 5? I would be concerned if this were a department of 50+ teachers where a married couple is the whole management team.

VS

[safarer30]

"Every school has it's issues. And AmidEast Iraq is certainly no exception to the rule. But you're not even basing your opinion on your personal experience. After all, you weren't hired."

Hi VS,

Scratchytoes presents several inaccuracies not worth correcting, impressed as I may be by the time and care put into the long response. Some of us are rather busy doing actual work. The couple might do well to review other salaries, particularly the dreaded beast of Britannia - mentioned here on other posts along with current salaries, before deciding that AMIDEast-Erbil is competitive, however. ESL Cafe is a place to share facts about an organization; forewarned is forearmed, after all. Experienced educators also know the difference between "it's" and "its". But Erbil is a strange place in the way that fiefdoms exist.
Seriously: in a place with three full time teachers, not many projects, and micromanagement to keep ego-inflated insecure people convinced that the "work" they do is of utmost importance, one might imagine how wearying a couple management situation can be. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, be it 5 or 50 employees. I leave that to the incoming teacher to judge. But don't say that you weren't warned when you arrive. HQ needs to start doing exit interviews. That's all.

[veiledsentiments]

I'm very familiar with AMIDEAST - over the last 15-20 years and as far as language schools in the Middle East, there is no one that I would trust more than them to know what they are doing. With only three teachers, there is little or no management needed. That said, nowhere is perfect and I assume that you are happy that you aren't working there.

VS

[Urban_Kitten]

[Winston Bear]