Jobs in Iraq?
 

What's the deal with the Iraqi Job Fair I keep hearing about? I did a quick search and found countless job offers for people to make 100K plus a year, but what is the real deal? What is the Catch? OK, outside of being in Iraq during a War, and the whole kidnapping thing, what is the catch? Is this crap for real or is it one of those you get hired and see only a small portion of the pay?

I'm having a real problem trying to figure this out. Obviously the parent companies make Multi-Millions, and so what if they pay out a couple million to all the employees, right? Hmm......what is the deal here, what am I missing? OK, let's say they're after the oil....is that it? Is that the worst? Seriously, what is the freakin catch here? What if you get kidnapped?

Help me out here.

i have heard about these job's too man, take my woerd for it, you dont want to go there, it's the a--hole of the world, it's why i'm so far- 30 percent disabled, let alone letting some idiot cut your head off on t v, the place is a total ghetto, it's why they have nothing better to do than just kill other people, is money worth your life?, NOT!!!!!! :eek:

It is a real deal.

If your out of country for more a year, your earnings are tax free.

I looked into going, purhaps if I were still single I might.

The rate (8 months ago) for training iraqi police officers was 120K plus. (Unspecified Corporation) by Gov contract.

Didn't seem that bad of a deal until the details were looked into. Then it got scary.

If your qualified, you can make some cash whatever the job may be. Of course you may lose your head making all that money. Which would suc.

and to think we did it for a helmet, a pos m-16 & the crap mre's & the lil military pay, but, we had them reeling in 91 , hey, kicked thier a-- in one day. :D :D :D :D proud to be a lifetime member of the diabled american vet's. :)

Ok....so the worst thing that could happen to you is you get dead, one way or another. We all have to die sometime. Why not have the entire USofA mourn for you and maybe get another war kicked off in your memory? Ha! Like that would ever happen.

Hell, for the little bit of danger there is, I'd go in a heart beat, and while I'm there maybe I could get in touch with my old unit and make sure that they are doing their job right. And I promiss
that I will never be taken hostage. I might be killed, but I'll never be taken hostage. Given the chance I'd be over there right now kicking someone's ass, and gettting back as many hostages, POW's, or whatever the case may be. A friend of mine told me yesterday, when we were talking about this subject, that I am just talking Sh*t and if it came down to it I'd be in the fetal possition crying like a little girl.

I about beat his arse. I admit I'm a 5'8" 135# little nobody, and have been for the longest time. I was always the guy that got picked on the first few days of school. I always had to fight somebody, or get my teeth kicked down my throat. I will avoid a confrontation quicker than a draft dodger in the late '60's, but when I have to turn it on, sorry pal, somebody's getting hurt. As long as it ain't me.


Hey, who put this soap box in here? A bit off subject, but ok.

Anyway, for me, going to Iraq and helping rebuild for a year and getting paid $100K or more, would solve quite a few problems.


Let the pondering begin...............

Its really dangerous. My economics teacher that I had last semester said he knew a guy that did it. Guy was paid 100k tax free to drive a oil truck.

However apparently he was shot at almost every day and one day he found an unexploded RPG round in the side of his truck.

it's your call bro, i know i'm dying slowly, but surely from the 91 crap, was it worth it??? i guess so, i signed the paper's. would i go again-- H--L no, i have no regret's, i gave my country 12 years of my life, so be it.

What happens if they just knocked you out then took you hostage, you really couldnt help that.......

In that case, as macho as is sounds, when I come to my senses, all Heck would break loose. Yeah, I'll be dead, but they'd get the overall message.

"Don't mess with US."

Not to make light of your situation, but we are all dying slowly everyday. We are all dead men, we just don't know it yet. The only control we have over death is how we die. I, for one, choose to go out with Honor. If there is such a thing. If dying in Iraq at the hands of a terrorist organization is my destinty, the I will embrace it with every ounce of courage that I posses(sp?). YOu only get to die once, why not make it mean something?

There's that damn soapbox again. Who keeps putting it in here? I swear I can't take y'all anywhere!

Later.

Yeah it's the real deal. I know of a few people that have done it. I talked to a EOD civilian contractor and he was making a lot of money. Infact a guy who just got out is over there working for KBR...doing food service making 6 digits. And hell he used to be an apache guy. But anyway getting shot at is just part of the job. You just have to decide whether or not the money is worth it. I know that we all get shot at for a hell of a lot less money than the civilians are making.
-Ryan

Way of Support:
 

I think that more important then the money, is the support that we can give to the people over there. I mean $100k is not bad at all, but I think if I ever made a choice of going over there it will be because I want to be loyal to my country and I want to help rebuild a nation that has a lot of potential.

By the way, I am new in the board, I have a V6 mustang, have not done anything to my baby yet but I will, I wanted to be able to meet people that like mustangs. I also want to learn more about my car.

Hi y'all. I've was around a long time ago and vanished into the GM realm, but now I'm back. As for the job thing. I'm currently 21 and working in Afghanistan as a contractor in communications. I make $100K a year and 80K of it is tax free. It's the real deal, the catch is the danger and the living conditions really aren't very good. You have to be willing to be away from home, family, friends, and loved ones. It's paying for my habits though :)

Molly

'03 Mustang Cobra black
'93 Mustang Cobra black
'04 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited metalic black
'03 Honda S2000 silver

A good freind of mine, Billy Hoke went to Iraq to help build power plants. He was a Paramedic and personnel safety rep for the company he worked for. I worked with him as a medik and knew few people with the upbeat attitude he had. I guess he decided to go for the gold and went to the land of sand and bugs. Bill was in the third SUV that got blown up last year when 13 contractors got killed. Bill probably never knew what hit him but his wife and kids do.

For me, it's just not worth it. I've got a son over there and he has instructions to not come out after dark or when there's things goin on that don't need to be goin on. I asked his commander if he could just teach arts and crafts to blind kids and he told me that would be ok. One of the kids who graduated with the oldest son was in that Bradley that found a roadside bomb two days ago. The one we blew up with a rocket to keep the weapons from reaching bad folks? He's ok. . . .got a free flight to Germany to tend to a sore leg. He'll be back though. . .for a lot less than a hundred grand. Ya gott love these kids.

Hey. . .you guys ever hear of the oil field? Right now the drilling companies are hurting for guys to work the rigs. Most of the companies are working over 80 percent of their rigs and begging for help. Yeah, it's a little riskier than McDonalds but $16 - $19.00 an hour ain't nothing to sneeze at either. And those are Texas wages. And in case you didn't hear. . .there's another oil and gas boom started about a year ago and it's going to last a while this time. Hole completion bonuses of $500+ every two weeks or so.

If I was a younger feller. . . . .

Where can one find out information on these jobs? Ive been looking to quit my job, just might be the incentive I need....

I've applied to several different companies. Look on Monster.com. And if anyone on here can hook me up with a job over there, please do. Later.

what do you do with your house if your gone for a year?

Wanna travel and make some money? Then come to England. work in a factory doing little of nothing at Honda or BMW plants ect. , make around nine pound fifty to start( thats aroung $17.00 US Dolars. Live in a clean flat( apartment), somewhat deacent food( better if you make it yourself),and not get shot at. Return to the states and exchange your Pounds into Dollars.:p

$100K/year is a far cry from $17/hour.

Sorry I took so long to answer. H&P drilling, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma is one company. It is one of the oldest drilling companies in the country and are hiring. Unit Drilling out of Elk City, recently took over Spradlin drilling and have expanded their base of operations recently. If you don't mind working two weeks on and two weeks off, H&P has openings in Colorado. Their having a tough time keeping hands who want to stay away from home for 2 weeks at a time. There are many more drillers who are poking holes in anything that might hold gas right now and most are hiring. You better want to work though. It's hard, wet and in the winter, bitterly cold work but it doea pay well. Hole completion bonuses in the 500 dollar range every two to three weeks. Most have good benefits. You'll earn your money though, it ain't 7/11.
Don't waste time on these oil field employment servioces that populate the internet. All they do is get you sucked into paying them most of your money. Go to the drillers and look for the work. If you don't mind being called the "worm" for a while at first, it'll pay off later.

Havin your head sawed off with a dull knife in front of your parents is a far cry from $100/K a year too.

How much do these drilling companys pay stateside?

My youngest son works one in West Texas. Derrick hand pay is 18.50 daylight pay. Nights get you another dollar an hour. 12 hour shifts, 7 days on and seven off. A two week pay period works out like this. 39 hours straight pay, 41 hours at time and a half. 17 day drill time and if you come in on time it's a $40/day bonus for the 17 days. This is on one of the lower paying areas they have, It goes up the colder the climate or of you go offhore due to the length of time you're out there. Starting out at 40+ a year is pretty much par for the Texas/Oklahoma area.
The nice part is that for a while the oil and gas drilling boo is going to last a while. Most of the rigs are working over old gas wells trying to glean more production or drilling for new wells.
Keep in mind to that some of the companies are drilling 90 day holes 25-30,000 feet deep.and often there arean't any days offbetween rig moves.
Not too good for a married person but if you're single and don't mind living in bunkhouses, it might not be a bad thing.
The down side, at least in our house, is trying to convince a 20 year old he needs to go to college instead of the oilfield.

Interesting. With the time and a half, thats some decent money. Hey, if he enjoys it, maybe college isnt his bag of tea. Although I suppose it is a high risk of being layed off eventually.

Ok, there's something here that really burns me. Yes, I'm making good money over here (probably better than I could in the states), but you're forgetting something to. Without people like me our troops wouldn't have any support. I run all the communications equipment (internet, phones, faxes, secure lines..etc) that go in and out of this base. We need people that are willing to step up to the plate to support our troops. So before you start bagging on me for being over here and risking my life, think if I wasn't here, or if people like me wouldn't come over here because of the risk. I have a sense of pride that I can connect a solider with his family and make life a little bit easier for him and his family. Without contractors I promise you 99% of our missions would fail. Yes, there is a risk of being captured and being killed but it's better than sitting at home and leaving our troops to fend for themselves. At least I have a sense of pride for what I do where other people condem me for it and say how stupid I am. Contractors are highly underappreciated. We get treated like dirt from the military and random people that think because a few people were stupid enought to venture out on their own and get caught that everyone over here are idiots. I was in the showers last night and I turned around to a chick saying "Oh, you're one of THOSE civilians aren't you?". It was really hard to miss the scorn. Military hates us because of the money we make, but you know what...we leave our families, we put our butts on the line, we eat the same disgusting food, we sleep in the same tents and huts, and we make sure they have a direct line to home. Yeah, the military doesn't make nearly as much as I do, but I do this of my own will to come to a war torn country. Where as military does a 90 day or so tour, where as military get special R&R spots and vacation spots...we don't. They made thier choice to join or do what I do. Most of them come back as contractors. We work behind the scenes and most of the time the military doesn't even know who we are or how they have internet access or direct lines to home. I think you can have a little more respect for contractors Medik and not be so scornful because of the money we make.

//rant off

Wow, Molly, Molly Molly. I also provide communications for the Marine Corps, I just got back from over there last August. I agree with you on many things you said but would like to clarify a few points if I may.
You know as well as I do this job is not a one person task, the military has there own highly trained troops to provide communications and to work hand in hand with the civilian contractors. We actually went in and took over for the Army on one site and expanded the communications to over 2k users in 6 months, I'm not trying to get in a pissing contest over who does more, just wanting to make the point that the military is perfectly cabaple of supporting itself without civilian aid in a tactical environment.Are we talking the Army or the Marines? The military spends thousands of dollars training these troops for technical jobs in specialized fields, constant training is performed to ensure mission success. We did turn over to contractors when we left but we had NO FAILED missions with our Marines while our Marines provided communication. Moral was kept high as well as we had Marines able to communicate with the states on a regular basis. I agree with you and feel the same way. You are appreciated.
There are going to be those that are envious of you and what your doing, but please don't judge the Military as a whole from what you hear in the showers or from one base, unit or country. We don't hate you
Again I am unsure of what part of the military your are referring to but I assure you, The Marine Corps is no cake walk, if we are lucky enough to have the USO or MWR sponsor a vacation or R&R spot, we have always welcomed contractors along for the trip. I am truely sorry for this, I know I can't aplogize for the entire Military, but Marines are proffesional and tactful, if you experiance something different you should report it to the Chain of Command and ensure it doesn't happen again.

CupCake , Great attitude to have!

Now that I wrote a novel, that's enough for now.

Molly. . .first off, nobody is bagging on anyone. Get off your high horse for a minute and read what's been said. Steve Berg was doing about the same thing you are doing. I haven't bagged on him and to my knowledge I haven't bagged on you. I simply stated that to me. . the risk isn't worth the money. To me, greed is pretty much a potent driver for folks who go to places like Iraq to work for the contractors. Face it, if you weren't as greedy as you are, and you truly had a penchant for doing your duty to our military, you'd be in the military doing your thing for your country. To me there's absolutely nothing wrong with what you're doing or where you're doing it but face it, if it paid Allsups wages, you'd be somewhere else no matter how many communications challenged Marines are in Iraq.
Another thing, nobody said you're stupid! Thank you for doing what you do but do you really feel the need to stand on a soap box and demand we pay homage to you for your tireless contribution to our military?
Get off the tirade and be thankful your head is still attached. My hat is off to those who have what it takes to go to a place as inhospitable as Iraq is and do what they do for whatever they are paid. To date, I've never seen anyone rant for our thanks like you just did. (except maybe John Kerry) I was taught to let others praise you without asking for it. If it happens, you probably deserve it, if you gotta solicit it, you probably don't.
Before you start thinkng I don't have a stake in Iraq and don't have a right to speak, be aware, my son is a U.S. Marine in Iraq and has been there for about 3 months now with NO DAYS OFF! He works a 14 hour day most days and his commute consists of a 45 minute run through sand fine enough to pour through a coffee strainer. His free time is spent doing not much because he only spends about 30 dollars a pay period and I suspect a lot of that goes for socks and handi-wipes. He's still got until March before he comes back and he has NEVER ONCE complained to anyone I know of about the conditions over there or how mizerably he's treated by anyone. And get this . . he does it all for a heck of a lot less than you are dragging down.
I stand by what I said. a hundred grand pales in comparison to the look on a parent's face when they see their loved one carved up like a turkey for all the world to see and laugh at.
To me. . .it's just not worth it. If it's your cup of tea, fine, I'm proud you are getting to do what you like. Did you ever think it might be your almighty attitude that causes that scorn from the military folks ?
I apologize for coming off as strong as I feel I have. I just saw an old freind who told me the young man I mentioned in my previuos post who was in the Bradley that got car-bombed in Baghdad? He is going to be in San Antonio this week to make a decision. Whether or not to amputate his left foot or spend the next year and a half in surgery trying to save it. I guess your post just kinda struck me wrong. still does for that matter.

Medik - In one breath you say you aren't bagging on me. In the next you say this Well darling, if being over here making money makes me greedy I guess we all are. Every one of us is trying to make more and more money to support our family, our hobbies, our lives. I was raised in a very rural Kansas town where military recruiters didn't come. I never knew it was an option. Nobody ever talked to us. We all just went back to the farms or off to college. I can't join in any case due to medical reasons. They wouldn't let me when I finally got in contact with a recruiter. Same goes for my husband who was rejected due to his asthmatic condition. My Father-In-Law is a CSM in the Air Force. My father was rejected from service due to knee problems. Both my grandfathers served in WWII in the Navy.

USMC - I'm in Afghanistan, not Iraq. I don't know if you were talking about Afghan or Iraq. We don't have many Marines around here. I work with mostly Army folks and contracters like myself run all comms here on base. My husband has been here since the VERY beginning of the war and has built the whole network from the ground up. He's now head of setting up the FOB sites for comms.

I try not to judge everyone from a few people, but so far most of the army guys really look down at us and are pretty mean. I got yelled at for wearing an Army PT T-shirt. I didn't know it was a PT shirt and I had run out of a shirts and just got here so I grabbed one at the PX. It was pretty obvious I was a civlian however from my dress and my badges. I haven't had 1 good experience with Marines, but I try to keep my mind open. I was attacked and raped by a Marine when I was at home and he had gotten out about a year before. All he kept saying was "I'm a Marine, I can do whatever I want". It scarred my perception of the military, but I try to shove it to the back of my mind and remain open b/c I know not ALL Marines are like that.


I didn't mean to cause a huge commotion, but I was really riled by Medik trying to divert people from helping. We need people over here and every person is a blessing.

Peace,

Molly

Molly, dont take it personally when military seem to have an attitude against you. They are mostly young , inmmature kids and see you not having to put up with the crap they do, and it causes some resentment. No biggie. We all play an important part in this mess. And it takes a certain attitrude to remain in the military, one where you start to dislike civilians, you consider them "sloppy", "lazy"....I know its not true, but it happens to GI's. take it with a grain of salt.

The only people I know of that are doing 90 day rotations are spec ops. I have a buddy who just left for iraq on a 90 day tour but he's with the 160 SOAR. As for the rest of the regular army we all do 1 year+. I did 1 year in korea followed by 1 year in Iraq and I'm heading back for another year in January. And as far as mission's failed without civilians...in late march early april of '03 I was sitting in the middle of a sand storm, somewhere in Iraq, without a civilian in sight...with no mission's failed.
-Ryan

Money is not worth my life:
 

I am with you Medik418. I think that the people that should be honored is the people in our armed forces, My brother in law was in Afghanistan and they are the ones that do the JOB. I am not saying that the people that go there are not honorable, but you don't need to be bragging of what you do, and in my opinion I would rather stay here working than going somewhere because of the money. Greed is a terrible thing and unfortunally bad things happen when you let yourself get carried away. So, let's salute our troops and let's be thankful for what they do, for the rest of the people, let's pray for them and hope they don't suffer or make their families suffer for wanting more money.

Molly, first. . .I'm not your darling. Second, I can't help it if you feel dejected or riled or whatever it is you are because I stated my feelings on the matter. Was I really trying to divert anyone from going to Iraq? Not really, just trying to point out that there are other ways to make money without trying to get youself on the front page of every paper in the world. . . .ok parts of you on the front page. Anyone who can't accept the realization that there's a certain percentage of odds that you will meet a violent death over there is in at least partial denial. That or they don't read the news much.
I stand by the statement that if it weren't for your greed, you would not be where you are, PERIOD!
This is not bagging on you. Every human on the planet has a certain level of greed. If it weren't for that greed, we'd all be content to live in a socialist commune somewhere giving all of what we glean from this earth to the commune. Greed is a fact of human nature. It's the level of greed that drives people to do the things they do. In your case greed is stronger than self preservation. You weighed the odds and chose what you did. I will never believe that you are in Afghanistan because of some misguided sense of devotion to the American way of life. Money! That's it.
I fight oil fires. Is it something I do to save lives and make life safer for everyone? Not really, I do it because I like it. It's fun in a macabre sort of way. Would I go to Iraq to do it? NO. . . Fires don't have a brain. They are predictable and I'm comfrortable with them. They do what I want them to do and I win most of the time. The kind of animals with the dull knives in Iraq and other parts of the Arab world are said to have brains. They seem to have them in sidways but like horses, they do have brains. Also like horses, their brains don't always run in the same currents that human brains do. Fires would be one thing. Fighting fires AND those other freaks aren't worth my time.
I am so very proud of my son's decision to join the military. I am ex-Army and don't regret a bit of my time in service. Did I try to talk my son out of it? You bet I did. I tried every excuse from "don't you think your knees aren't up to it?" "Do you realize how big a target you make?" "did you know there's always the Coast Guard?" (Please no letters from the coast guard, I was grasping at straws back then)
Doug, the kid who is arriving in San Antonio this week, I remember standing in front of the local Subway asking him what he was gonna do if they sent him to Iraq. He made his meanest face and said "I'm ready" You know what, I'll bet money that he felt that very same way until about 3 seconds after his life changed forever.
Don't try to tell me I'm wrong for not wanting these young (or old) kids here or anywhere else for that matter to go in harm's way. You have no idea what you are asking.
molly, keep doing what you are doing. Do it well and be proud of what you accomplish. Just don't think poorly of us who don't like to see people die for no real reason.
Money? That's not what matters. It gets you things and things go away.
That old saying "live fast, die young, and leave a good looking corpse"?
It's way over rated. You just look worse when you don't die young.

Ok, let's end this here. We will always have different opinions. I don't deny that some people will die and have really horrible deaths. Last night as a mortar landed not 200 yards from my hut and chunks of metal went flying into huts a lot of things dawned on me. Mostly, that just because I'm in the middle of a big base I'm not always safe. Fighting with people over the internet and trying to defend myself and others I work with is pointless. You all believe what you want to believe. All of a sudden it doesn't matter if the military guys don't like me, because they are right next to me in those bunkers.

The military may harbor resentment for us and the fact we're here making more money than them, but who really cares when we all do the same job and get it done. The #1 reason I came over here was to be with my husband who has been a contractor here for a little over 3 years. I wanted to be with my husband. I went through training and more training and I would have done it for free just to be with him. The money honestly isn't as important to me as being with my husband and doing something together that will make a difference. And when those military people that are harboring resentment for me come to me with a problem, I'm still smiling and still doing everything I can to help them because I know they are just as homesick as I am, but at least I have my husband to help me through it. They don't.

Atta Girl.

Point taken.

I will continue to pray for all of you folks just as I have for many months now. Not knowing any of them doesn't lessen my concern for their safety. You and the people you serve are doing a noble thing and I thank you. Changing my mind on the whole Iraq/Afghanistan issue is like teaching a pig to sing. . . .It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Next topic!

OORAH!

Calm down there Devil Dog! By the way, it's Hoorah. Trust an older Jar Head. Hey, are you a shell back yet?


Seriously, someone get a job over there. I need to get back on my feet money wise. this is a good way to do it, and if I die, it's not that big of a loss. Yeah my family would cry and miss me every now and then, but in the grand scheme of things, no one will really care. Come on get me out there. Hell hire me to find Bin Laden. Or any other sorry MF that needs killing, er I mean capturing. :)

Later guys.