Support Contracting in Afghanistan

F

FryerJim

Private
Minuteman
Sep 3, 2009
27
0
55
Tennessee
#1
I've searched the forum and not come up with anything, so I started this topic.

I'm a maintenance professional with 15 plus years of experience with industrial maintenance, supervision, and maintenance software. There is a position open in Afganistan as a work control supervisor. It is right up my alley. I can everything they are asking for and more with no issues. The pay is roughly the same as what I can get here in the states doing maintenance planning at nuclear power plants. The difference is that you get a WHOLE lot more hours in Afghanistan.

Questions:
-Relative safety of the Army camps/operating bases (sorry, I don't know the correct term) that I would be holed up in.
-Any prohibitions on me being able to defend myself, if needed? I'm an avid CCW here in the states. I would hate to see me loose that ability in a war zone...
-Career progression...are the guys who do this smucks stuck in the middle of no where or are they generally good guys doing what they can to free up more manpower to fight the fight, and making a good buck doing it?

Finally...suggestions on what to bring if I do decide to go.

Thanks,

Jim
(PS They are looking for a crap load of HVAC guys and Plumbers!)
 
#2
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

I do work for several large over seas contractors, for both DDM's and civilian contractors going in country. For a Designated Marksmen the class is 21 days long, and they don't care if you just left USMC sniper school, you still have to go. The one large contractor who sends both civilian and armed, requires civilians going in country to have a weapons familiarization class but they don't carry a weapon. I think this is a State Department mandate, not the contract company. I didn't ask what would happen if they were caught armsed, though I don't see much chance of them having one unless it was issued. Not like you go to the arms fair and buy one after work.
 
#3
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: T.J. PILLING</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The one large contractor who sends both civilian and armed, requires civilians going in country to have a weapons familiarization class but they don't carry a weapon.</div></div> By civilian you are talking about people working in support roles who would only need to arm up if the SHTF. (Like me.)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I think this is a State Department mandate, not the contract company.</div></div> Kind of figured that...
smile.gif


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I didn't ask what would happen if they were caught armsed, though I don't see much chance of them having one unless it was issued. Not like you go to the arms fair and buy one after work. </div></div> Really? I figured that one way or another you could get your hands on a local weapon. Maybe an old Soviet issue Makarov for a pistol and/or a serviceable AK47.

I don't know how true this is:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/28/us-contractor-john-christ_n_337379.html

Seems like there is either more to this story that is not being told or that the guy is full of BS. I guess I'll go search the hide for some info on the story...

-Jim
 
#4
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

They crew chiefs that I did this week were deep inside a compound, and didn't act like there was a whole lot floating around in the way of weapons. Some were headed to areas that the United States doesn't consider War Zones and had no security what so ever. I can tell you that I consider them war zones. Some places did have security from the local military, and sorry to say, I have trained some of these guys and I wouldn't want to place my life in their hands, You are right, you can get a weapon just about any place, but these guys didn't want to violate their contracts and get booted back state side. I strongly suggested that the have and EE bag with them at all times with plenty of cash and what ever the locals values to bribe their way out if things went to shit.
 
#5
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Dude, you will be safe as hell, and get a fat belly eating dfac food four times a day because they got mid rats. Enjoy the Green Beans and haj food! In other words, jump on it if ya want.

What to take:
Cold weather gear, because it gets freakin COLD, like 400 gram weight or more insulated Danner boots COLD

In the non cold season, you get the advantage of basic cargo pants and shirts to keep cooler than joe. From where I saw it, it's a sweet gig man!
 
#6
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Have a good buddy over in Iraq right now doing Electrical work . 7-12's , plenty of food , a closet to sleep in and he said the paperwork to work ratio was about 4 to 1 . He is single and plans to do 2 tours . 1 to pay off his home and 1 to start his own shop .

My better half said I most certainly wasn't allowed to leave the country otherwise I would probably have gone at the same time .
 
#7
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

As a non armed civilian employee/contractor you will be in violation of US law and local law if you are armed without being authorized and carrying a signed copy of your LOA, that will be bad for you in the current political climate and your company will hand you your ass when everyone else is finished with you.

There is a lot of money in the contracts and if you are single, do not, I repeat, do not return to the United States when you get leave on your 90-120 rotations. Stay out of the country for more than 11 months in a row in the same tax year and no taxes are due.

If your company deducts taxes, you get it back.

5-6 years of this type of work will set you up for life, if don't blow your money (OK, all your money)on booze and hookers

Sent you a PM.
 
#8
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Thanks for the info. I'm married with kids, so this is probably completely out of the question anyway. Besides, I can make nearly as much working stateside as a maintenance planner at a nuclear power plant.

The base is $33 an hour, but it climbs fast on incentives to be about $59 an hour. Totals come in at $220,000 a year and go tax free if you play it right.

Now if they will pay the rates I get as a Maximo consultant for me to go over and help out and then up it like they are for the work control supervisor I might jump. That would start in the $60 an hour range, scale it up as above would put it in the $400,000 range. That gets REALLY tempting. Hell, I went to sea for 6+ months at a time in the Navy for less than $30,000/year.

As for the advice, the thought of getting sent home is no big deal. The thought of going to an Afghan jail is an entirely other matter!

-Jim
 
#9
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FryerJim</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The base is $33 an hour, but it climbs fast on incentives to be about $59 an hour. Totals come in at $220,000 a year and go tax free if you play it right.


-Jim </div></div>

How many hours a week? How does it work, is overtime like time and a half?
 
#10
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

From the recruiter:

TOTAL COMPENSATION ESTIMATE

ANNUAL EARNINGS ON 1st 40 HOURS
US BASE = $69,000 – which is $33.17 per hour
&#61607; 1st 40 hours of every week you get an 80% uplift - which is $59.71 per hour
&#61607; We estimate you will work 46 weeks during the year
SO, to calculate annual earnings for 1st 40 hours:
$59.71 x 40 x 46 = $109,866
________________________________________

ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR OT HOURS
All OT hours are paid at US Base of $33.17 per hour
&#61607; We are estimating that you will work 44 hours of OT each week
&#61607; Again, the estimate is based off of 46 work weeks
SO, to calculate annual OT hours
$33.17 x 44 x 46 = $67,136
________________________________________

ANNUAL EARNINGS FOR R&R
You get 52 days of R&R paid at 8 hours per day with uplift rate of $59.71 per hour
SO, to calculate annual earnings for R&R
52 x 8 x $59.71 = $24,839
________________________________________

ANNUAL TRAVEL ALLOWANCE
You get $3,600 per R&R, you get 4 R&R’s
SO, to calculate
$3,600 x 4 = $14,400
________________________________________

ANNUAL BONUSES
Sign on = $2,500 and Completion = $3,000
2,500 + 3,000 = $5,500
________________________________________

TOTAL ESTIMATE
109,866 + 67,136 + 24,839 + 14,400 + $5,500 = $221,741

-Jim
 
#14
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

The clearance is a simple SF-85. Google it. Not much of a clearance. Not terribly hard to pass. Won't help you get a clearance job anywhere else. If you are thinking about it, apply now. If they want to hire you they will start the clearance process. They cannot bring you on board and start paying you until the clearance is done. Currently that is 45 days!

I finished my current contact job here in the states yesterday. I did my first interview for work in Afghanistan yesterday. I think I have one more interview before I get to the job offer point. So I am at least 50 days away from employment at this type of job.

In the mean time I have a couple of other options in the works.

The pay is a funny thing. If you make $90,000 in the US you end up with $60,000 after taxes. Using the numbers above you should have $180,000 after paying for flights and some killer 2 week vacations. That is triple a $90,000 job in the states, because of the tax advantage...

-Jim
 
#15
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Just a note. You'll only be tax exempt for the first $90k or so, then the rest is taxable. You'll still be in the $220k (or whatever your total income is) bracket when Uncle Sam get his, though.

To qualify for that tax exemption you must be out of the States for 330 days out of a twelve month period. On my three contracts, I came home at about the 9 month mark for some vacation time.

Also...7-12's will wear you out real quick. Especially if your work crews are some non-english speaking foreign nationals getting paid $6k a year. lol.

CHRIS
 
#17
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Jim you will be well taken care of.Listen to switchblade and myself. Been over to Afghaistan 7 times in the last 3 years leaving this Sunday for my 8th trip.Been to Bagram to over see the instalation of the new c 130 hanger. Also been a field supervisor in Salerno, Kandahar aka KAF and Jalalabad erecting different hanghers for the Military. I personaly dont think you need a weapon.We do our jobs on base let the men and woman of the armed service do theirs. cocoon-inc.com the company I work for. PM ME IF YOU NEED SOME HELP
JVC
 
#18
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

I'm pretty much over the idea of carrying anything. If the SHTF and it came down to it I can operate a dropped weapon. Other than that, we are all better off letting the pros handle the weapons.

-Jim
 
#19
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Too bad no one here knows to tell it like it is. Or just no one here knows.

You will NOT be allowed to carry a weapon there. Don't even let the thought cross your mind. yes if SHTF and it came down to it, do what you have to. But don't think your going to walk your ass around with a rifle or pistol and it will be all good.

Others are paid to keep people like you safe, don't go getting big in the britches for no reason.

I won't go putting my resume up here like others but I also speak from experience.

P.S. Hit the massage parlor in Bagram if possible. But no happy ending.
 
#20
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: FryerJim</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Tax free only on the first $90,000. Hummm that sucks. I bet you get caught up in the Alternative Minimum Tax. That could screw the whole thing up.

-Jim </div></div>I'm not sure about that AMT thing. We had the option of having some taxes taken out of our paychecks but I just put back about $10k for them. My last bill was close to that amount. I let H&R Block take of the first two contracts and my mother-in-law is handling things for me this year.

Even though the whole amount isn't tax free, I thought it was still worth it going over. I did pretty much the same job I did in the Army but wore jeans and polo's instead of greens...and got paid a little bit more.
laugh.gif


CHRIS
 
#21
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Chris it is anything over 80k that is taxed. Been there done that and paid taxes and i mean really paid taxes!!!

IT is still worth the trip if you will just set a little cash aside to pay at the end of the year.
 
#22
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

What kind of job titles are they hiring for? Bummer about not being armed. Hide a couple of frags in your pocket just in case.
 
#23
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ahorn</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Chris it is anything over 80k that is taxed. Been there done that and paid taxes and i mean really paid taxes!!!

IT is still worth the trip if you will just set a little cash aside to pay at the end of the year. </div></div>

Unless you get the right accountant that knows all the ins and outs. It depends alot on if your an employee of the company or paid as an independent contractor.

"What kind of job titles are they hiring for? Bummer about not being armed. Hide a couple of frags in your pocket just in case.Problemchild"

Truly spoken like someone that has no business going anywhere outside the continental US. And probably the last guy I'd want with frags.

Funny how some people think everyone just runs around with guns and shit over there. You picked your profession, if you wanted to carry a weapon overseas you'd have picked another.

Most likely you'll be on one of the bases getting fat off of green bean coffee and chow hall food. Sure a mortar may land on you, but chances of you being involved in a gunfight, next to nill. If it were me I'd say you've got a better chance of getting blown up moving from Kabul airport (if you don't fly direct into a base). Or maybe your plane crashing into the surrounding mountains, haha.

But then again you wanted the big bucks didn't you? suck it up and know your role, your getting paid that money for a reason.
 
#24
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Mother wye be so hard on the man.Sounds like he's just trying to make a living. I think if you asked any civi to go to a war zone they would want to carry. Most people just dont relize thats not the case. Real nice guy to with mountain comment. Sounds like you worked for KBR FUCKING ASS HATS

JVC
 
#25
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

The man, like most that want to go overseas should have his eyes opened before he makes the decision and not just look at the dollar signs.

And contrary to popular belief there are tons of civvies that don't want to carry in places like that. Maybe they have a false sense of security, not sure.


If I had worked for KBR I'd put a bullet in my own head and save the hadj from doing it.
 
#26
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

Looks like my 3:07 and Mother's 3:29 posts past in the web. Like I said, we are all better off letting the pros handle the weapons.

As for 3 months of 7-12's wearing you out, Been there, done that, 6 months of 7-16's+ for $30,000 a year.

Definately an employee, not an independent contractor.

Mortars and avaition accidents are the biggest threat to me in the role I am looking at. Supposedly will not be traveling by ground anywhere. Either staying put in a big FOB for 3 months or taking hops running a circuit between up to 5 samller FOBs, one per week.

-Jim
 
#27
Re: Support Contracting in Afganistan

When I wad looking at going over the company was gonna require a week and a half of weapons training and basic survival. you would be issued a sidearm when you got on country(beretta) 3 months on 3 months off. It was a flying position though so not an on base position. Good luck, Most of my buds over there are working every other day with a setmonthly pay. Eating good chow and spending a couple months a year vacationing when not in the box. I might end up there still if I get laid off this may.
 
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