I am told by a recent escapee that you WILL hate it this much, and in a very short time. Anyone who does any research must surely know that, going in. It is a 'money grab', and that's it. On the topic of which...
- are you including your travel allowance and gratuity in your annual figure, and hence, other figures?
- are you neglecting to mention how much you will spend (be relieved of) to get in and out for those precious days out of country?
- is there any will to change the 6 on, 1 off 'cycle'? (anyone who has a job already should work out how much they will make working 6 on 1 off ad infinitum in their current job and see how much it works out to- and should probably think about employer pension/superannuation contribution as well).
Prospectives should probably compare other mid east gigs and determine if the Iraq 'premium' is acceptable (especially in a few months time without any US troops).
193600USD is the total package tax free (at the moment)
No one really talks these days about the US troops not being here..and that being a stay/go issue. When I arrived at the beginning of the year it was all the talk and a concern particularly amongst the american controllers here. I haven't heard that concern for months ... its all been about working conditions.
you say a recent escapee tells you YOU WILL HATE IT...there in lies the issue with opinions that I was talking about earlier. There are issues but I don't hate the place and keep coming back after my leave.
The cost of flying in and out is part of that 193600USD. Depends on how you choose to fly out of here or what you do on your holiday as to how much you spend.
What else is there...yes the shifts, its been brought up time and time again...hopefully we are getting an answer this week from Serco management that addresses the issue of our work schedule..they have recognised that it is different over here and are addressing it. Whether or not something happens remains to be seen.....we are waiting.