Should I go to Iraq?

[yo yo ma]

I have been offered a transfer from my company's operations in PNG to Iraq once a visa can be obtained (may be next week or next year). I don't know much about it apart from being told it is the "safer part" being Kurdistan in the North. It is the same roster - 4 weeks on / 4 off - and trips are on QF/Emirates in business (as flights are >6 hours). My wife said I shouldn't go but will leave the decision up to me. I am leaning towards going at this stage. Thoughts and advice welcomed.

 

[maninblack]

Seriously, possibly the most dangerous place in the world at the moment.

 

[alieninperth]

There is no cough***g way that I would want to make that part of the world my workplace, but part of me thinks you are trolling.

 

[Hvr]

PNG or Iraq? Do you think work may be trying to tell you you're not wanted? :?:

Assuming you're serious you would need to consider personal safety issues and whether the money is really worth the risk. Can't say I can see any reason to ever consider working in such dangerous locations.

 

[amaroo]

There is no cough***g way that I would want to make that part of the world my workplace, but part of me thinks you are trolling.

Having met and shared a few beers with the OP......he is not a troll!

YYM IMHO I would not go. Think of your family not the money.....

 

[ReLoad]

Without all the facts I cannot offer advice, if it were me I would ask the following questions , ( I have a close friend who has done 2x 6 month engineering contacts in Southern Iraq)

Are you compound based? Is the compound the work site?
Do you have permanant armed security?
Is the security provided by foreigners?
What is the security companies name ? ( then do research on them)
Get a action report from the site for the last 12 months showing all incidents.
Is the remuneration significant (my mate earner a lotto win each contract so set him and his young family up for life)
Will you be insured for kidnap -as in full negotiation and ransom payment?
What is the food like on site (that's a quick way to make it a cough assignment)

There is a lot of questions like that you need to answer and do NOT skimp on the finer details in making your decision.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I have been offered a transfer from my company's operations in PNG to Iraq once a visa can be obtained (may be next week or next year). I don't know much about it apart from being told it is the "safer part" being Kurdistan in the North.

It is the same roster - 4 weeks on / 4 off - and trips are on QF/Emirates in business (as flights are >6 hours). My wife said I shouldn't go but will leave the decision up to me. I am leaning towards going at this stage. Thoughts and advice welcomed.

As for "safer part" of Iraq, IMHO there's no such thing. MH17 was flying over what was deemed to be a "safer" part of Europe. Fishmongers will never cry stinking fish.

What are your employment options if you decline the 'offer' ie do you still have the option to stay in PNG in the role you're currently doing or when your company "offered a transfer to Iraq" is it more a case of it's Iraq or best of luck with your future endeavours?

 

[boomy]

To me it depends on the type of work you do. If you are considering going there just for the money then I would say it doesn't worth the risk but if your skills are needed for humanitarian work for example then it's a different story and in this case I would advice checking the security arraignments in that area thoroughly before making a decision.

 

[SeatBackForward]

The safer part of Kurdistan is safer relative to where? ISIS is currently attacking parts of Kurdistan, unsettling that region would be a objective of ISIS to try and force western forces to return to Iraq, so I suspect i may be safer in this context isn't actually very safe at all.

And You would need to travel up to that region from a major port anyhow, not like you would go directly there.

In my opinion, no amount of J flights is worth that at the moment.

 

[kpc]

You only have one life.....so if I were you, I won't be going!

 

[ellen10]

In my opinion, no amount of J flights is worth that at the moment.[/QUOTE]

I agree

 

[Pushka]

Hey Yo Yo Ma. I just wouldn't. I'm even rethinking Bali until Isis is wiped out. (And I was one who marched against the Iraq war.)

When things go bad there, they go horribly bad. And quickly. Westerners at risk just to make a statement. Can you defer the decision for 6 months?

(Most certainly he isn't a troll).

 

[LordGarlic]

i think you should for once listen to your wife... you wont want your wife to be worrying all the time....

 

[eastwest101]

I won't tell you definatively to go, or not go, but I would suggest that in this case you consider your wife's opinion. I strongly suspect we may work in similar industries and I am sure that there are other roles out there in slightly less exciting but just as interesting places.... ReLoad's questions seem like a good place to start.

 

[cove]

Life is not a dress rehearsal so I think kpc has the correct thinking.

 

[amaroo]

I have been offered a transfer from my company's operations in PNG to Iraq once a visa can be obtained (may be next week or next year). I don't know much about it apart from being told it is the "safer part" being Kurdistan in the North. It is the same roster - 4 weeks on / 4 off - and trips are on QF/Emirates in business (as flights are >6 hours). My wife said I shouldn't go but will leave the decision up to me. I am leaning towards going at this stage. Thoughts and advice welcomed.

Hi YYM maybe you should PM PineappleSkip - IIRC he works/worked (FIFO) in Kabul (Afghanistan) so will probably have a better view on working in similar types of hostile zones.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I talk a lot of or too much b@ll poop on here, but no way would I go
PNG maybe stay there, but with ISIS looking for Westerners to hsve their wicked ways, ... No.
PNG you might get mugged, of cut but will probably live through it.
With ISIS can I say it here, no matter how safe you are told, No Way If it was me.
Can you stay in PNG though?

 

[harvyk]

i think you should for once listen to your wife... you wont want your wife to be worrying all the time....

I think that is the comment of the thread, YYM your wife has told you what do to, and pretty much in no uncertain terms (she gave you one of those questions where there is definitely a wrong answer). If you go, she will not get a wink of sleep the entire time you are gone. Keep in mind that she'll no doubt hear about every move that ISIS makes on the news, and every time they mention about someone been killed there she will probably think the worst.

As they say, happy wife = happy life.

 

[thommo50]

Without all the facts I cannot offer advice, if it were me I would ask the following questions , ( I have a close friend who has done 2x 6 month engineering contacts in Southern Iraq)

Are you compound based? Is the compound the work site?
Do you have permanant armed security?
Is the security provided by foreigners?
What is the security companies name ? ( then do research on them)
Get a action report from the site for the last 12 months showing all incidents.
Is the remuneration significant (my mate earner a lotto win each contract so set him and his young family up for life)
Will you be insured for kidnap -as in full negotiation and ransom payment?
What is the food like on site (that's a quick way to make it a cough assignment)

There is a lot of questions like that you need to answer and do NOT skimp on the finer details in making your decision.

Follow this guys advise. Knows what he's talking about.

 

[docjames]

YYM, for what it's worth, my $0.02.

Only you can decide if the reason for going (work, money, other) is worth the risk to you. Without knowing what you're going for / what the payoff is / what your alternatives are (stay in PNG, other), no-one can definitively make the decision for you, and even knowing all factors, your personal drives and risk v reward tolerance is the final decision point.

Having said that, money doesn't help you if you're dead, and neither does (did) a "rewarding" job.

Good luck with the decision. Let us know what you decide and/or how you progress with the decision making.