[Vacancier Permanent]

Guys,
Last night my brother told me he had received an offer to go to work in Afghanistan as a translator for the Canadian forces for about 200K/year plus all expenses covered, accommodations, flights etc...
Has anyone in here worked in Afghanistan? How's the situation there? Anyone from here been there recently and can report? I'd love to get your thoughts and feedback on that. I'd be interested in it myself as well if the position is in Kabul or in a place not too dangerous in the heart of Taliban infested area.

Thanks guys.

[AntiTrace]

(03-01-2012 07:54 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Guys,
Last night my brother told me he had received an offer to go to work in Afghanistan as a translator for the Canadian forces for about 200K/year plus all expenses covered, accommodations, flights etc...
Has anyone in here worked in Afghanistan? How's the situation there? Anyone from here been there recently and can report? I'd love to get your thoughts and feedback on that. I'd be interested in it myself as well if the position is in Kabul or in a place not too dangerous in the heart of Taliban infested area.

Thanks guys.

I have been deployed to Iraq and am soon off to Afghanistan. I can verify that contractors get paid mint. Mint dipped in gold actually. And the majority of the time these contractors are in no more danger than your typical finance clerk who never leaves the wire (safety of the post).

I used to know a bunch of the contractor agencies. Most of the ones I knew were jobs for mercs. Triple Canopy is the only one i can remember off the top of my head.

As far as jobs for contractors that arent merc related...maybe check out haliburton? Haha its sad that I can only come up with two names, havent been deployed in too long. Ill be able to give you more info later this year when im deployed. But yes, there are extremely high paying low risk jobs available in afghanistan (some still in iraq) working directly for the government or for a company that has a government contract

[Vacancier Permanent]

AntiTrace,
Thanks for chipping in man, very much appreciated and very much looking forward to your report once you go there. Btw, are you Canadian or American?

[AntiTrace]

American

[oldnemesis]

(03-01-2012 07:54 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

I'd be interested in it myself as well if the position is in Kabul or in a place not too dangerous in the heart of Taliban infested area.

I have a buddy there, he's software engineer. If you can handle the prison-like regime - standard issue food/clothes, living several months on the same quarters without ever getting outside once and having no fun besides drugs/alcohol and jerking off (as there are likely no fuckable chicks around in Afganistan) - it may be a job for you. And you may also need the security clearance, which may be difficult or impossible for the top levels for those of us who're foreign-born.

[Kaizen]

With the recently (incredibly stupid) burning of Qurans' by Americans...things have just gotten 10X more dangerous for any foreigners in Afghanistan>

[Aliblahba]

I've been bouncing between Iraq, Afghan, and Kuwait as a contractor for 7 years. Things are winding down over here.

[Vacancier Permanent]

I was able to get more info about this position and it is not with the Canadian forces but to help the US Army in providing them "language and cultural awareness" whatever that is. AliB and AntiTrace, I'd like to talk to you guys over skype to pick your brains on that. PMs on the way.
OM, I know about the conditions, I'm not concerned about fun in Afghanistan, I'd be there just to make as much cash as possible and take frequent trips to nearby LOS and other parts in Asia and FSU to release the stress of the environment.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Bixx,
Yeah that Quran burning was incredibly idiotic and will come back to bite more than one can think of. That's highly regrettable.

[Aliblahba]

Back in '05 $1K per day wasn't unheard of. Congress had a bill on the table to limit contractor pay to $200K recently. In the early days everyone was scared to be over here. Now? Fuck. They'll hire anybody with a pulse to fill a billet. The industry has went to shit, and most don't care about the soldiers. I'm getting ready to bounce out and return to the energy sector. I'll wait until another war kicks off and return. I miss the days in Iraq when it truly was the wild wild west.

[sammybiker]

(03-01-2012 10:24 PM)Aliblahba Wrote:  

Now? Fuck. They'll hire anybody with a pulse to fill a billet.

From an outsider coming in, I feel this may be overstated. All due respect to Aliblahba...however, with 7+ years with a global top 5 EPCM, experience in the region and references within LOGCAP contractors (Afghan support contract), I could not get on after a solid year of applying.

This may change week to week and contractor to contractor, however. Perhaps my lines in were not sufficient, I'm not sure. Maybe I should have had Aliblahba look at my resume and put a word in!

Ha, the good old days of 04 and 05...I just didn't have enough experience at the time. Would have been great.

Fluor was who I was focused on going with (LOGCAP Afghanistan). You can view jobs here:

I cannot post links yet but google "fluor logcap" and you'll see the jobs*

A buddy I worked with in Qatar came off the LOGCAP jobs and while in the middle of trying to get on last year, this is some of the info I received.

Anyway...I'll be ready to jump at the next conflict but for now am reasonably content, overseas, in M&M. Keeping an eye on Iraq for OG&C jobs. Aliblahba, what do you think? Downstream oil projects, hopefully while it's still dangerous enough to render a reasonable uplift?

....Fluor LOGCAP info...

If it is Fluor that call you their process now (at least when they called me) is to find people that are capable of doing jobs far and above what they will offer. In my case in Iraq I was Director of Facilities with 810 people working for me. Fluor offered me a job as a carpenter. They know the job situation everywhere and are taking advantage of it so do not be surprised if you are a civil engineer and they offer you a labor foreman type of position. The other thing about the contracts is they are all designed to encourage you stay the full year to make it pay. There are bonuses but you have to be back in AFG before you are eligable. The truth of it is they are not able to keep people because of the conditions even with the contracts the way they are. Also remember there is no alcohol allowed on any of the bases.

The first thing is the process for hire. They will tell you that you have to go through processing somewhere in the states. What happens is you will be accommodated in a hotel usually five star somewhere for 14-17 days to go through medicals, physicals, and generally what we termed brainwashing. The important point about it is this period is UNPAID and they can send you home at any time, and they will to people who fail the medical or get n trouble in bars etc.They pay for the hotel but you must pay for all your food and incidentals. You may get breakfast with the room depending on the hotel.

This was my problem in AFG. went through all that got to Bagram and was denied access there. If you get through this then you have to spend another 14-21 days in Bagram going through it all again, this time you are being paid. As soon as you get on a plane to leave the states then you are on the clock.

The accommodation in Bagram was horrendous. You will be in a tent with at least 40 other people. I will send you the picture later of where I spent my three days. If it really bad you could be in a cosy 250 man tent or a not so cosy 400 man yes 400 man tent This was the situation at the time it may be better now. I will try and find out for you. Having said all that lot better.The chances are you would not be staying there. They would move you out to another base where things are a lot more friendly.

With the troop draw down in Iraq I am not sure what is happening to contracts in AFG after a year. They were not in a position to be laying people off or anything when I was going through it but I do know when it comes to that they only give people around 2-3 days notice to pack everything and go.

What sort of jobs are you looking at taking? This could be important because of the length of your time there. Try to avoid any of the foreman type and or construction jobs as they are always the first to get laid off. Try and get into the departments where there are only a few people such as Project Controls, QA/QC, Engineering or Finance. Be very careful of taking a Site Supervisors job because it may be a remote site and when it closes there may not be any other obs to switch to.

I know I am making it sound nasty but I had some really good times with the Army but it was in Bosnia and Iraq. I did not get the chance to spend too much time in AFG but I do know a lot of the people I was with in Bosnia and Iraq have left it and gone home. As for LOGCAP and Fluor I had a problem with them. I only spent three days in Afghanistan. My base access was denied when I arrived because there was a black mark against me from an incident in Iraq dating back to 2005 where I was accused of stealing. It never happened so they could not prove it but the mark stayed against my name. So I spent 17 days processing (unpaid) and was then turned back when I arrived n Afghanistan.

and...

The two jobs are good solid ones that tend to last the longest. The operations specialist is probably the best one. It has higher exposure to Project Management so they tend to be looked after better but are under more pressure. It is usually all about producing spreadsheets in all kinds of different ways in a short time because the Army

The salaries start around $80000 per year but as I said with Fluor it is set up so you have to stay the year for it to be worthwhile. But it is twelve hours a day and seven days per week.

I know I made it sound harsh and it is to be honest but I also had some wonderful times with the Army but it is not for everybody. You need to be prepared to put up with a lot of BS as well. The recruiter will not make it sound any more appealing than I have. They want to be sure you will stick it but they are lucky if 50% of people stay a full year.

Cheers.

[vinman]

If you're a Fobbit ( a creature that never leaves the FOB- Forward Operating Base ) it's easy money. If you're out patrolling, then you're taking as much risk as anyone else. Since you're a westerner you shouldn't be another mope on a patrol. The good western raised linguists were either used by the intel personnel, or as a linguist for high ranking officers. You're statistically safer over there than on the south side of Chicago in the summer, so make your money and stay safe.

[Hencredible Casanova]

I actually thought about doing this when I was traveling in the Middle East last year. I realized how much safer many countries are than the media (at least that in the US) makes it seem. Some of the most pleasant countries I've ever visited are considered very dangerous for westerners (Colombia, Syria, Egypt, etc). I absolutely ignore State Department travel warnings. They are entirely useless.

Anyway, I've met a couple of people who've worked as contractors in the Middle East and Afghanistan. I think if you're inside a US military base, you are good to go, especially in Kabul. They've had a few scares in the past year with random suicide attacks in Kabul, but the causalities were Afghans, not American. Americans are secluded from what I've heard. The same goes for Iraq. There's a huge collection of international contractors in post-conflict nations. Many from the US, UK, France, China, Turkey, Germany, etc.

I would totally do it for the cash, but having clearance is a necessary prerequisite (something I don't have). Without it, it's an uphill battle getting an "in." You'll have to dedicate a lot of time, energy and focus to make the contacts and that still might not be enough. Now, companies are reluctant to invest in sponsoring new hires for clearance because it's an expensive process. You have to have some kind of military background more often than not.

[Aliblahba]

Flour doesn't hire highly skilled personnel. Your credentials may be too much. The reason is they pay SHIT, and if someone with a solid background gets hired, they'll soon jump to another company paying double.

Flour
ITT (international thugs and thieves)
KBR
AECOM
ACFIRST

These are good companies to get your feet wet, but move out quick to make more money. For the record, I've applied to these for shits and giggles, and they won't touch me. My skills and experience are above and beyond their management chain. I'm just too qualified.

Companies like Lockheed Martin, GD, ect. look for highly qualified individuals, and do extensive background checks to weed out the shitbag resume rangers. They pay well, expect excellence, and are a pleasure to work for, if you appreciate professionalism. With that being said everything is a clusterfuck over here. Nothing works anything like back in the states. It'll drive you mad.

Another thing. These jobs appeal to the dregs of society. Dumb fucks that can't cope with hard work, authority, never amounted to anything, suddenly get over here and find a niche. They suck. But there's an army of them and they never leave. The sorts that never made $30K stateside, but suddenly make $100K, think their shit don't stink. I call it the Lord of the Flies effect. Some real surreal shit.

Yeah I'm hating. It's get old working around fucktards. Most of these brainiacs have never served, but love to give the big warfighter speech. They have no fucking clue what's it's like outside the wire, and as much shit as they talk, would piss their pants if you handed them a rifle and kicked them out the gate.

I'm keeping my eye on Iraq. Their starting to get the oil pumping. Big money if you have the balls. But remember, the military ain't there to watch your ass anymore either. Something to think about.

[TudoBem]

200 K isn't anyhwere near enough.

You have a very real risk of getting maimed or killed even if you are a stay in the base type. You just might win the mortar lottery. Or one of your Afghan translators blows himself up in the mess hall.
And if you are really unlucky, while traveling to or from the base your convoy gets attacked, you get kidnapped, and then the last couple hours of your life are spent being brutally tortured by some medieval tribsmen.

[Belize King]

Money is to be made out here. I had a buddy of my from my last deployment in '09 get one with L-3 Communcations. 25hr plus OT. You work 84 hours a week or thats what you write down. 300 a day in per diem. He's making 9k a month entry level. I got an interview with Mantech as a Hazmat guy. Starting 125K. I was deployed and they needed somebody soon. I have my clearance but is pretty tough getting on with logistics background. Afghan isnt that bad. We lose more to suicides than anything (fucking Jody). If you need a list of contractors PM me. Aliblahba list is a start and most jobs are entry level. Best thing is if you do 330+ days its tax free haha.

[sammybiker]

Good info guys. Ali, thanks for the additional insight.

[sammybiker]

Ali, what's your feeling on the US expat jobs like these 10, 20 & 30 years from now?

I can't help but to feel pessimistic...I continue to see Indian engineers come through, making 10% of what I do, willing to do the job. Not quite sure how much longer this niche will last? Your thoughts?

[Aliblahba]

(03-07-2012 10:13 AM)sammybiker Wrote:  

Ali, what's your feeling on the US expat jobs like these 10, 20 & 30 years from now?

I can't help but to feel pessimistic...I continue to see Indian engineers come through, making 10% of what I do, willing to do the job. Not quite sure how much longer this niche will last? Your thoughts?

There will always be expat jobs. Brits, Germans, Aussies, Japanese, and Americans are in high demand. There's no substitute for our skilled labor. Some companies hire OFW's out of India, and the Phils, but it takes several of them to count for 1 of us, and years for them to get spun up. for These jobs have been around since Ghengis Khan. KBR was in Vietnam. Guys are still working in Okinawa, Germany, Japan, and Kosovo. The longer a place has been set up, and shit calms down, the less it pays. Jobs in K*wait are paying around $9K, and Germany $6K.

[November]

Yeah, there is tons of cash to be made in Afghanistan.

A few months ago, I crossed paths with this totally repulsive, fat American dude who was on a 2-month trip around Europe. He was telling me about how he worked as a contractor in Afghanistan and was making bank.

His job couldn't have been very demanding either. This guy had zero social skills, was way overweight and wasn't very sharp.

[Cattle Rustler]

So I'll take that for now the prospects of getting a job there are close to nil since the gubbmint is pulling out of a-stan.

Sad day

[Virtus]

Seems there will be jobs in Syria soon enough

[RussianSoul]

^There is always a war going on somewhere in the world. Damascus seems like it would be a pretty nice place to live too.

[Aliblahba]

I don't know anyone left in Afghan. Everyone has been sent home, or said fuck it when companies dropped the pay to $80K for the same bullshit. Most of us with the background can make that here and get laid at the end of the day.

I doubt Syria will produce jobs. The U.S. already has bases setup and I doubt it'll be an occupation. If so the jobs will be few and very competitive. Plus the guv I don't think will need to pay those big salaries across the board anymore.

[Belize King]

Look up Mantech.com ... I saw six supply tech jobs for Kuwait. Kuwait will always be there. One of the better companies to work for overseas.