Vagabond 47,
If Vic's staying is keeping oil prices up, I hope he doesn't leave soon!! Vic is actually a second generation Aramcon (he grew up here while his folks worked for Aramco) and like the other "Aramco Brats" he's probably sticking around because he really likes the place. As Nevrekar accurately said, you put ten years in here and you're set. At the interview we're told "Stay with Aramco ten years and you can build any house want, stay 20 and you can put it on top of any mountain you want." Vic falls into the latter category so I'm pretty certain financial security is no longer his main motivation for sticking around.
PLtskiracer, here's the info on contractors:
Terms and Endearment:Pay is around $7,500 per month (as B 737-700 F/O), plus a free ticket to your domicile (point of origin) once a year. The schedule is 10 weeks on, three weeks off. You are NOT paid during the off time, so net result is ~$70,000 tax free per year. Contractors do not recieve Iqamas (residence papers) so you cannot own a car and other silly stuff like that, Having said that many guys have found workarounds for all that. We're short F/O wise, so the work is a little bit busy(4-6 days a week) but as I mentioned earlier we have short duty periods (4-7 hours on the job, plus the commute is 40 minutes each way, but you're chauffered in a Suburban, so we read, chat, sleep or iPod) and you work early in the morning (4:15 pickup for 6:00 departure, usually done well before noon) or pickup early afternoon and work until 6-10 pm), basically were picking people up before work and dropping them off at work in the field or taking people home. Most think this is the easiest flying job they've had, work wise. You'll have more downtime than you know what do do with, most of us play sports, have a hobby, video games, or hang out, since we all live in the same compound it reminds me of University life.There is no bid list, work is pretty much shared equally, and everyone flys all the routes. I forgot to mention earlier that the Boeing goes to only 11 regular destinations, so combined with clear skies, no traffic, no terrain (except one place, and it's gnarly), great equipment, safety first mentality (i.e. no pressure to rush or cut corners) and pretty cool crewmates the flying is actually quite (dare I say it?) fun. It's the only place I know where we're encouraged to hand fly 3 mile visual approaches and we're cleared VFR and off ATC at FL240.The accomodations are very nice. Contractors are provided a 700 sq foot bachelor pad with a living room and kitchen downstairs and the bedroom and bathroom upstairs. It's clean, well maintained, and the nurses and secretaries live in the same neighborhood. You also have a tiny front yard and laundry room. I'm not certain but I think medical is NOT covered, except for emergency medicine (break a leg in a car wreck and we'll fix you). As long as it's not serious you can get cheap and adequate medical attention in Bahrain or even Saudi. You're driven to work, uniforms are provided and cleaned for you, and the food is good enough that most of us bring it home. It is very easy to save the majority of your money and guys have left here after three years with quite a chunk of change.
Lifestyle: More than any place Aramco is what you make of it. It's easy to hang out and have a hobby, there are facilities galore. As the work schedule is light, you'll have time to indulge in anything that tickles your fancy, as I said earlier, most guys are into some sort of sport(s). Socially there are lots of private parties and get togethers, and it's fairly easy to make friends. The weather is really nice from October to April (10-30c) and mostly sunny. The summer is hot, and in August to end of September, pretty humid. Bahrain is only an hour away and much more liberal than Saudi Arabia, clubs, girls, movies, etc.
The bad stuff: The big thing I see that makes most contractors leave is actually two things. First, you never have a good idea if, when, or ever, you'll be offered a job in Aramco. Hiring seems to happen in spurts every two years, and if you miss the boat it can be very frustrating. This coupled with the fact that you can't bring any significant others to Saudi (wife, kids, girlfriend, boyfriend, dog, whatever) can lead to a lot of stress from home. We lose lots of great guys because we do not hire them in a timely manner and they want to get back together with their loved ones. Guys with no ties can and do stay here for several years.
Second, chaos. For a company to have a 99.96% (or something like that) on time dispatch rate for aircraft it's amazing that there is so much chaos regarding promotions, training, vacations, visas, iqamas, housing, internet access, etc. As mentioned earlier in the thread there seems to be a problem at a management level with handling some issues that are near and dear to all employees hearts. It can be very trying, frustrating, inconvienient, and stressful trying to get the company to attend to your needs. I sometimes wonder if Dilbert wasn't an Aramco employee. Having said that, however, it almost always seems like in the end (like at the very last, absolute second) everything gets done, more or less. Also, kudos to our management for almost always pulling out the stops when it really, really counts. Death in the family? The company will have you on a plane and on your way home within 24 hours, you can come back when you've sorted it out. Once you're an employee it's even better; Lose your medical? As long as you're not dead the company will keep you on full salary if it looks like there's a chance you'll recover your medical, and I'm not talking a week,but I've seen over a year in at least one case.
In short, It's really a pretty unique place. Even though the equipment is immaculate and Aviation really runs like clockwork it's very casual, no one in the company wears a tie and we all know each other (there's about 70 fixed wing guys). You can fly a B737 or Dash 8 to the cities, a Twin Otter out to the desert, A crop duster at 30 feet, a single pilot photo reconnaisisance jet (well, a citation with a hole in its floor), or VIP's in G-IV's and Hawker 800's, so if you like to fly there's plenty of different things you can do. Hisotrically it takes around 9-12 years for someone to enter the company and work his way to the top positions in the Boeing and G-IV fleet, which isn't so bad, considering the number of aircraft types and seats you'll be filling. For now, the price of oil is hurting everyone in our industry except us, and it looks like the price is here to stay for a good long while.
Again, I've really rambled, but I know when I was looking at other jobs I was dying to get inside info, so, I hope this helps. Happy hunting.