Job ad on AFAP

[PCFlyer]

Hey guys,

Does anybody know more about this "opportunity" that was advertised on the AFAP?

21 December 2007
PILOTS
Overseas Employment Opportunities
A large, well established Australian aviation organisation is seeking applications from Pilots and, in particular, Check & Training Pilots experienced in maritime surveillance or in a similar role. You will be part of a highly professional team conducting civil border surveillance operations in a safe Middle Eastern country, flying a twin turbo prop aircraft modified for the surveillance role.

What aircraft type is involved?
The pay and conditions?
Which "safe middle eastern country"?

Thanks for any info, and feel free to pm if need be.

[FRQ Charlie Bravo]

Yes, very interesting. I wonder how flexible on the MECIR renewal (the ink is still drying on mine). If anybody has any info please do tell.

[tail wheel]

Just guessing .... Surveillance/Cobham/FR operating the ex SA Rheims 406 and possibly DHC8 out of Dubai???

[Towering Q]

conducting civil border surveillance operations in a safe Middle Eastern country

Only trouble is you're never far from a 'not safe Middle Eastern country' in that part of the world.:uhoh:

There are some interesting jobs appearing on the AFAP site, the C208 job in Indonesia is a good example.

[Moniker]

Right company-ish (read another subsid being created I believe) : the lighter of the two : a bit further south but in that neck of the woods

[LaTus]

It's BS that someone can advertise a job and not even tell you where it is. Yet have have the balls to give hints like it's some kind of fckuing game. Screw 'em. I wouldn't even give them the satisfaction by showing interest, even if I met the requirements.

[spider331]

Yep. Cobham F406 (Not DHC8) contract in Abu Dhabi. Cobham now recruiting via a contracted company obviously.

[MAXX]

Gday all

Does anyone have any information about the latest job advertised on the AFAP web site regarding border patrol of a safe middle east country.

cheers

MAXX

[troppo]

Further down the page

[gas-chamber]

"The revised package had a salary component of AUD 100K - to my mind about half what it should be - and the usual silly conditions that seem to be common in GA now."

Hey, 100K Oz to drive a single-pilot light airplane is good money in anyone's language. If it is based in the sandpit, it will be tax free and they will be obliged to provide accommodation.

Then, if they offer the usual FIFO arrangement that has the pilot effectively only working 6 months a year. it starts to look even better. Such an hourly rate beats any airline job I ever had. Count me in, 'cept I am too old to be legal for single-pilot. But if they are going to run it with two pilots, where do I sign ?

[sga05]

Can any one confirm that the 100K would be tax free if FIFO from Aus.

[Whiskey Oscar Golf]

G'day Maxx, the border you may or may not possibly be patrolling is a very heavy piece of water with some interesting traffic, both friendly and not so. This may or may not be done in an interesting aircraft/setup, with some interesting staff.

As for FIFO tax free status I think you'd need to do some research as to Oz dollars, Oz company, ABN, and then your personal stuff. May need an exemption or seperate ruling.

Either way people would be better off looking at what this possible, maybe, could be likely, company are offering dash 8 drivers in OZ now, pretty good wicket from what I'm hearing. Better than appearing apologetic on Al Jazeera, as well as being the poorest bloke on the block when you get back to base.

Good luck !!

[gas-chamber]

A couple years ago the ATO tightened up on how long you could be in Oz without paying tax. Originally, if you earned all your dough overseas and did not spend more than half the year here (182 days I think it was) AND you established non-resident status, AND, AND etc you got off tax-free.
Now I believe the max time you can be here is 90 days, AND, AND, AND etc. Plenty people work on oil rigs etc don't pay any tax, so with a good accountant and some planning it can still be done - and quite legally too. If you did one-on-one off FIFO it just may mean you have to spend the other 90 days in the south of France or somewhere. Tough. Just do your homework first.

[404 Titan]

gas-chamber

No. It’s still 183 days. There was talk of reducing it but too many ex-pollies use it to avoid Aus tax.

Generally, you are an Australian resident for tax purposes if you have:

• always lived in Australia
• moved to Australia and live here permanently
• been in Australia continuously for six months or more and for most of the time you have been
o in the one job and
o living in the same place, or
• been in Australia for more than half of the financial year, unless
o your usual home is overseas, and
o you do not intend to live in Australia.

[gas-chamber]

404 Titan. Thanks for the correction. Now the question is, if you have been resident here for 20 years or so, living, working, owning property, paying tax like a model citizen etc how then can you become non-resident for taxation purposes without actually emigrating to another country? I know there are reciprocal agreements (so-called double tax agreements) with other countries where tax is levied on foreign workers, but what in the case of the sandpit where there is no income tax? That is where I seem to recall something about the 90 day ruling being the upper limit before you attracted the ATO's attention. But I am certainly no expert in these matters and defer to anyone with better knowledge.

[chainsaw]

404 Titan,

I think you're right!

I worked overseas tax-free in the 90's and it was all above board as far as the ATO was concerned, as I had residency in the place I was working, and spent more than 183 days each year away from Oz. I discussed everyttrhing with the ATO before I took up the job, and as far as they were concerned, if it was all above board and done properly then you were OK (depending on the legitimacy of the tax exempt status if the foreign employment income).

The ATO also advised that if you didn't get it set-up properly and got caught then you would get well-and-truly screwed! :{

See:

http://www.ato.gov.au/taxprofessionals/content.asp?doc=/Content/64144.htm

Your foreign employment income is exempt from tax if:

you are a resident of Australia
you are engaged in continuous foreign service as an employee for 91 days or more, and
your foreign earnings are not excluded from exemption by the following non-exemption conditions


So you need to now have a look at Residency Rules, and to do that you need to goto:

http://www.ato.gov.au/taxprofessionals/content.asp?doc=/content/64131.htm

You now need to work out if you're a resident or not......to do that you need to goto:

http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/content.asp?doc=/content/36263.htm

And you also need to look at Income Tax Ruling IT 2650: Income tax: Residency – permanent place of abode outside Australia outlines..........so to do that you've got to to goto:

http://law.ato.gov.au/atolaw/view.htm?docid=ITR/IT2650/NAT/ATO/00001

I'd be interested to see how it would work for anyone as an >60 year old with an SMSF, and who set up his/her overseas employment income as a salary sacrifice arrangement into the SMSF, then took it out as a tax-free pension. I don't know if it's possible to salsac foreign income into an SMSF, but if it is then good luck to any 'seniors' who try it and get away with it!

Having worked in the area, I've got a good idea what Whikey Oscar Golf's 'alluding to' with this little 'opportunity'. But hey, for anyone who wants to try it, I say go for it until the bucket of sh1t starts to outweigh the bucket of $$$'s (which it will after a little bit of time)...........and you've ALREADY got your next 'gig' all all set-up!

Good luck! :ok: