Home› Main Category› Clubhouse
I need some advice about civilian contractor work in Kuwait.
So, it looks like I might have the opportunity to work in Kuwait for a year as a gunsmith/armorer at Camp Doha. The pay looks pretty good, around $100k+, but I have some questions.
First, is it typical for this type of job to be offered without even so much as an interview? I got a call from a recruiter for ITT Exelis Mission Systems in Colorado Springs to confirm some information on my resume which I submitted through Monster.com, he seemed pleased with my resume and stated that he was putting me through to the next level of recruitment. I was expecting maybe an interview at some point but to my great surprise, this afternoon I received an offer letter from them.
Second, what's the deal with income tax for this sort of job? I know there are some exemptions for around $90k if you live there for a full year but what if I still have a residence here in the US? I would be going by myself, my wife would be staying here for her job. This would have to make good financial sense for me to go spend a year working my tail off in the desert.
Third, what sort of work environment would I be in? I'm sure it would be a lot of work and they stated in the offer letter that the typical work week is around 72 hours so it would seem that they intend to get their moneys worth out of me. I intend to call them tomorrow to get these and other questions answered but any input you all could provide would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to Big Chief for the advice he has already provided.
First, is it typical for this type of job to be offered without even so much as an interview? I got a call from a recruiter for ITT Exelis Mission Systems in Colorado Springs to confirm some information on my resume which I submitted through Monster.com, he seemed pleased with my resume and stated that he was putting me through to the next level of recruitment. I was expecting maybe an interview at some point but to my great surprise, this afternoon I received an offer letter from them.
Second, what's the deal with income tax for this sort of job? I know there are some exemptions for around $90k if you live there for a full year but what if I still have a residence here in the US? I would be going by myself, my wife would be staying here for her job. This would have to make good financial sense for me to go spend a year working my tail off in the desert.
Third, what sort of work environment would I be in? I'm sure it would be a lot of work and they stated in the offer letter that the typical work week is around 72 hours so it would seem that they intend to get their moneys worth out of me. I intend to call them tomorrow to get these and other questions answered but any input you all could provide would be greatly appreciated. And thanks to Big Chief for the advice he has already provided.
Replies
Got it.
Oh joy.
Next I'm not sure about now of but there use to be a per diem for living expenses while over there so see what the case is now ...
Camp Doha is DRY (no beer!) and strict on the respect of Middle Eastern culture so you work, you sleep and that's about it.
See if you can negotiate 2 or 3 "paided vacations" back to the US to see the family, like every 3 or 4 months on there dime for the plane ticket.
Doing it while married sucks but you can pay a lot of bills off. Good luck and if you just think about it you really can do anything for 1 year if you want to for a good reason ...
- George Orwell
I should have added housing is paid for as is transportation to and from (not sure about leave flights), they also offer two $1000 leave bonuses.
Talking with a reservist who went to Iraq via Kuwait, he said to do this to simulate Kuwait:
1. Turn your oven on as high as it can go.
2. Open the oven door and place a box fan blowing out in front of it.
3. Stand there for 3 hours, and imagine that all day long.
4. If you want to simulate the humidity, put a large tub of water in front of the fan so it picks up that moisture.
He actually said he preferred the weather in Iraq.
I can't tell you jack about the tax situation, but as an armorer, I can say that you'll pick up A LOT of credibility when you can correctly diagnose and fix stuff - especially when you do it in five minutes while the end-user is standing right there and even more so if you pull it off in the field. You will get VERY good at figuring out which parts you need a lot of in your inventory, which parts you don't, and you may get in some teaching time showing people how NOT to break what you give them.
What it looks like to me is that you've got an opportunity to essentially get a master's degree in keeping guns running under less than ideal conditions, sock away a good chunk of change doing it, and be pretty darned employable in the gun-wrenching trade when you get back. You'll probably get an opportunity to learn the workings of fairly exotic stuff (in civilian eyes), which will give you a wider understanding from which to approach the more mundane stuff like 1911's and Mauser '98's
$100K for an 80 hour work week is $50K for a more sedate pace, so really you're just packing two years into one and not really making all that much per hour (not that I'd likely want to go out and do much other than stay inside and work on guns in Kuwait anyway). Yeah, it'll be good money to throw at the house and assorted bills, but what you should be looking at is if you are really getting the long-term career bennies I'm guessing at.
"Nothing is safe from stupid." - Zee
Get a durable power of attorney for the wife...then she can handle the house buying on her own...
For instance, buddy of mine..A SFC got out and took a commo job with ITT, served the bare minimum of his contract and jumped ship to man tech, from man tech he went with Lockheed Martin...I don't know who he is with now, but I know that he manages all the satcom links for every embassy in the centcom AOR...3,000 sq ft home in Utah paid for in a 6 yr span....if you want to go the contracting route, ITT will be a good stepping stone to start from. but remember it is stepping stone, you dont stay on one for longer than you have too...
Words of wisdom from Big Chief: Flush twice, it's a long way to the Mess Hall
I'd rather have my sister work in a whorehouse than own another Taurus!
Camp Doha is not a bad local as far as Kuwait goes.
If you come home, you are taxed for that quarter....Come home in Jan, you are taxed for Jan-Feb-Mar, etc., That is why most meet family in Europe for vacations and such. Also you are taxed for everything over 90 grand after deducting expenses, so keep goo records.
Most contractor types, the guys who do this all the time say to figure your actual in-pocket pay at about 60-75% of the quoted amount. In other words a 100K gig is gonna net you about 60-75K.
Also, the entire country is dry.
$100K ain't bad money, but after doing 6 little fun trips in the Air Force it would take more than that to entice me back to the Middle East.
Harry
"I never learned from a man who agreed with me." - Robert Heinlein