Offered a job in Afghanistan! Do I go?!
Discussion
Olivera said:
PurpleTurtle said:
Wake up. The agent is pulling your pants down and shafting you here. Whilst you are living in not very salubrious conditions he is drinking champagne acquired from a humungous margin and laughing in your face.
+1RizzoTheRat said:
NCIA, who do most of NATOs IT stuff, are planning on growing a bit over the next year or so. Theres currently quite a few jobs on thier vacancies page so could be worth a look OP. They'll be a 3 year contract and most will be based in Belgium or the Netherlands, sometimes with the opportunity to deploy on operations for a few months.
https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-wide....
This sounds good until you see rental prices for apartments etc around NATO area. You are also paid rubbish when back in Europe until you deploy and then you get more money. But there is a NATO rule that as a NIC you can only deploy for a period of 6 months out of 18.....unless you have a Boss who can buck the system and allow you to rake it in!! lolhttps://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-wide....
petop said:
This sounds good until you see rental prices for apartments etc around NATO area. You are also paid rubbish when back in Europe until you deploy and then you get more money. But there is a NATO rule that as a NIC you can only deploy for a period of 6 months out of 18.....unless you have a Boss who can buck the system and allow you to rake it in!! lol
I'm not in IT so don't know how good they are in that role, but in other areas the Europe salaries are very good, and tax free, but agree about rental prices. I'm paying €1700/month for a 3 bed apartment in The Hague. Edited by RizzoTheRat on Wednesday 10th October 16:31
amoeba said:
I once worked with a colleague who was a network it type guy (i.e. setting up servers, cabling, etc). He claimed he had done a few stints in either Iraq or Afghanistan and the pay had been huge - huge enough to pay off his mortgage.
How come they are only paying s
te money (or are you already on damn good money)?
There is a saying amongst Contractors doing Afghan and Iraq type places that if 2 of them are talking about money and salary, they will both add 10-20k to their actual earning figure. Its definitely Johnny 2 Sheds when money is discussed because everyone wants to think they are on a better Contract than the other. How come they are only paying s
te money (or are you already on damn good money)?If you are NATO employed its all on the internet how much you are on basic but the additionals are told later.
Everyone has a 2 year plan or thereabouts before they deploy then 4-5 years later they are still there. Everyone says they will "pay the mortgage off" but then you end up coming back home and the missus who you left on her own wants a little treat, you also want a little treat which in my case had 4 wheels and then you enjoy the fact when the missus rings up "the boiler has gone tits up, engineer says it will cost £xxxx" you are able to pay it off without blinking. So those mortgage payments tend to stay the same unless you are sensible which lets face it, you decided to go and live in a converted ISO container for 4-5 years with American full starch food to sustain you would hardly be one of your better ideas!!
selym said:
The Selfish Gene said:
shift work could be slightly higher - but yeah agree.
and fk that - would I go to Afghanistan for 50k a year. I know soldiers get paid a lot less, and I have massive respect for what they do for this country.
As an IT bod - fk that. Seriously. It's not even the danger factor, it's the st hole, hot , lack of home comfort , no birds thing.
In your boat OP - I'd be asking for 600 - 800 per day depending on other things (number of flights home, tax situation etc)
Been to Kabul have we? Obviously depending on the time of year you are more likely to complain about the cold. We had a snowball fight with the LECs (Locally Employed Civilians) on Xmas Day a few years back.It was around -20 for a while. No birds? There is a Chinese wand f
k that - would I go to Afghanistan for 50k a year. I know soldiers get paid a lot less, and I have massive respect for what they do for this country.As an IT bod - f
k that. Seriously. It's not even the danger factor, it's the st hole, hot , lack of home comfort , no birds thing.In your boat OP - I'd be asking for 600 - 800 per day depending on other things (number of flights home, tax situation etc)
ehouse down the strip; just don't tell them your name, Pike!!ehouse....all gone now. With more American "good living" military influence now in the main bases there has been a good clear out. There are still women out there both civilian and military but they can afford to be choosy.....just wait until you fly through Dubai and you will see the women who worked in the mythical wehouse have moved there.....allegedly! Saying that though, i shared a office for a bit in Kabul with a ex Hungarian Grand Prix Grid Girl (2016/2015).....my ego ill admit did take a boost when i walked into the packed out dining facility with her!
petop said:
There is a saying amongst Contractors doing Afghan and Iraq type places that if 2 of them are talking about money and salary, they will both add 10-20k to their actual earning figure. Its definitely Johnny 2 Sheds when money is discussed because everyone wants to think they are on a better Contract than the other.
If you are NATO employed its all on the internet how much you are on basic but the additionals are told later.
Everyone has a 2 year plan or thereabouts before they deploy then 4-5 years later they are still there. Everyone says they will "pay the mortgage off" but then you end up coming back home and the missus who you left on her own wants a little treat, you also want a little treat which in my case had 4 wheels and then you enjoy the fact when the missus rings up "the boiler has gone tits up, engineer says it will cost £xxxx" you are able to pay it off without blinking. So those mortgage payments tend to stay the same unless you are sensible which lets face it, you decided to go and live in a converted ISO container for 4-5 years with American full starch food to sustain you would hardly be one of your better ideas!!
Definitely true. When I was there the blokes on the support/IT contracts had been there for years. Keeping the wife flush/happy with the extra money. One bloke lived in Canada and only went back a couple of times a year. I see the appeal through and if I wasn’t married would be looking to go out there for a couple of years.If you are NATO employed its all on the internet how much you are on basic but the additionals are told later.
Everyone has a 2 year plan or thereabouts before they deploy then 4-5 years later they are still there. Everyone says they will "pay the mortgage off" but then you end up coming back home and the missus who you left on her own wants a little treat, you also want a little treat which in my case had 4 wheels and then you enjoy the fact when the missus rings up "the boiler has gone tits up, engineer says it will cost £xxxx" you are able to pay it off without blinking. So those mortgage payments tend to stay the same unless you are sensible which lets face it, you decided to go and live in a converted ISO container for 4-5 years with American full starch food to sustain you would hardly be one of your better ideas!!
OP, I would still go for the experience alone. Beware that it will be cooling down shortly, to the point of snow. In Kabul the locals burn anything they can find to stay warm so there is a horrible smog which can really affect your breathing if you are out in the evenings.
ben_h100 said:
Definitely true. When I was there the blokes on the support/IT contracts had been there for years. Keeping the wife flush/happy with the extra money. One bloke lived in Canada and only went back a couple of times a year.
I've met engineering contractors like that.Some didn't bother going home very often.
Most were on their 2nd or 3rd (often Thai or eastern European) wife, paying for the wives and the their various offspring.
Living in cheap digs, working long hours abroad to pay for their dependents to live in nice houses that they rarely saw.....It seemed a strange life to me.
MC Bodge said:
I've met engineering contractors like that.
Some didn't bother going home very often.
Most were on their 2nd or 3rd (often Thai or eastern European) wife, paying for the wives and the their various offspring.
Living in cheap digs, working long hours abroad to pay for their dependents to live in nice houses that they rarely saw.....It seemed a strange life to me.
Well the OP is already looking after her cats, offered her his house. Some didn't bother going home very often.
Most were on their 2nd or 3rd (often Thai or eastern European) wife, paying for the wives and the their various offspring.
Living in cheap digs, working long hours abroad to pay for their dependents to live in nice houses that they rarely saw.....It seemed a strange life to me.
Now he's got to share a tight space with testerone-fueled men.
Dromedary66 said:
No uplift over Leeds rates.
75 days straight
Permanently stuck in a NATO compound.
Sounds awesome...
Do they have Phalanx in situ?75 days straight
Permanently stuck in a NATO compound.
Sounds awesome...
I believe the security situation is not what you might think from, say, the watching the BBC news...
You really need to screw as much ££££ out of agency as you can, you'll need to spend to get full insurance cover incl medivac crit care etc.
Some more details about accom reqd don't listen to anyone else your going to have to survive in there and hopefully not go (too)nuts.
Kccv23highliftcam said:
Dromedary66 said:
No uplift over Leeds rates.
75 days straight
Permanently stuck in a NATO compound.
Sounds awesome...
Do they have Phalanx in situ?75 days straight
Permanently stuck in a NATO compound.
Sounds awesome...
I believe the security situation is not what you might think from, say, the watching the BBC news...
You really need to screw as much ££££ out of agency as you can, you'll need to spend to get full insurance cover incl medivac crit care etc.
Some more details about accom reqd don't listen to anyone else your going to have to survive in there and hopefully not go (too)nuts.
petop said:
They do have Phalanx in KAF. Accom is what you make of it to be honest. I had 42" TV with fairly rapid Internet to stream easily, ensuite with shower and a floor of Afghan carpets which back in the UK were being sold for stupid amounts of money.
Aye, Phalanx is an incredibly impressive bit of kit....if the OP takes the job he’ll have to get used to these sorts of sights and sounds during incoming. It frightens the st out of you the first time you go through it. But you soon get used to it....https://youtu.be/6Rp-TMYA6n0
https://youtu.be/ILcVt9p7cug
I remember when they first deployed these on land in Iraq at Camp Anaconda, Balad. I was close to one when it went off, shooting something or other out of the sky. Got a hell of a shock!
Just hearing the sound of these things in the vids still sends shivers down my spine....
petop said:
Everyone has a 2 year plan or thereabouts before they deploy then 4-5 years later they are still there. Everyone says they will "pay the mortgage off" but then you end up coming back home and the missus who you left on her own wants a little treat, you also want a little treat which in my case had 4 wheels and then you enjoy the fact when the missus rings up "the boiler has gone tits up, engineer says it will cost £xxxx" you are able to pay it off without blinking. So those mortgage payments tend to stay the same unless you are sensible which lets face it, you decided to go and live in a converted ISO container for 4-5 years with American full starch food to sustain you would hardly be one of your better ideas!!
2 months ago Mrs GT03ROB decided I should come back home. No probs from me. So whilst sat in the Carribean, we discussed it some, against the finances. It dawned on her the only reason in the last year she had done several trips to the Carribean, couple to Italy, Costa Rica, Malta, Oman & the Canaries, not to mention having a huge chunk deposited in her account weekly was because I was overseas. Suddenly her tone changed to "You couldn't really do that commute again could you?".Funnily enough had the warm air unit at home serviced this week, engineer said, "frankly it's too old, too many issues, you really should replace it". It was nice to just be able to shrug my shoulders & think ah well only a few grand.
It can become addictive. But you need to be single or have an understanding partner. There are too many in these sort of places simply to pay for the divorces & kids.
GT03ROB said:
It can become addictive. But you need to be single or have an understanding partner. There are too many in these sort of places simply to pay for the divorces & kids.
Yep, many of them in the game who are living breathing stereotypes.It’s generally either young lads looking for some adventure and fast cash, jaded old boozers who couldn’t work anywhere else, slaves to a divorce, and blokes with unhealthy Asian hooker addictions. That probably covers 90% of the dangerzone contracting community demographic.
dvs_dave said:
Yep, many of them in the game who are living breathing stereotypes.
It’s generally either young lads looking for some adventure and fast cash, jaded old boozers who couldn’t work anywhere else, slaves to a divorce, and blokes with unhealthy Asian hooker addictions. That probably covers 90% of the dangerzone contracting community demographic.
Those are exactly the kind of people I have encountered. It’s generally either young lads looking for some adventure and fast cash, jaded old boozers who couldn’t work anywhere else, slaves to a divorce, and blokes with unhealthy Asian hooker addictions. That probably covers 90% of the dangerzone contracting community demographic.
The young lads presumably become the other types over time.
Heavy boozing, hookers and maintenance payments to (multiple) families.
On holiday in the Philippines I saw a large number of middle aged/old US/European men with hookers and also a few who lived there in villas with local wives. I assumed that they were contractors of the type described above.
MC Bodge said:
ben_h100 said:
Definitely true. When I was there the blokes on the support/IT contracts had been there for years. Keeping the wife flush/happy with the extra money. One bloke lived in Canada and only went back a couple of times a year.
I've met engineering contractors like that.Some didn't bother going home very often.
Most were on their 2nd or 3rd (often Thai or eastern European) wife, paying for the wives and the their various offspring.
Living in cheap digs, working long hours abroad to pay for their dependents to live in nice houses that they rarely saw.....It seemed a strange life to me.
Gassing Station | Jobs & Employment Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff