Al Yamamah - Any experiences of job?

[Mike Roeburst]

A friend of mine is due to arrive at NRD soon and has been approached by BAE Systems for a job in Dhahran flying JS31s (training RSAF WSOs etc). Has anyone out there got any experience of the job or any USEFUL information. Salary is obviously appealing, its the working conditions that concern me....

[Echo 5]

Mike Roeburst

Check out the thread " More fun and games in the Magic Kingdom"
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[Min Drag]

Have worked out there and salary was good, however it was only just worth it and that was before they started blowing people up! I would not go back because I believe the risk is now too high. Tell your "friend" to be very careful who he trusts, the people in the know are not the ones selling the job, they're the ones voting with their feet right now! :cool:

[Double Hush]

M.R. - Get your friend to get some assurances over the long term future of a job with the J31. There are rumours floating around that the RSAF are planning to bin it and transfer WSO training to the Hawk and make more use of sims/BAPT/NAST etc. Then again, the RSAF is undergoing a major shuffle at the moment and there are dozens of rumours floating around so sorting the wheat from the chaff is a tad difficult.

Also, very carefully check the contract that is being offered. BAE are trying to cut costs as part of a plan to reduce the cost of the contract and one of the first areas to suffer was the pay and allowances packages. As of 1st Jan this year, all new arrivals in Kingdom were on a new, lower salary with fewer allowances and paid tickets home. Not unsurprisingly, they couldn't recruit anyone and so that plan went out the window. Having said that, BAE still have great difficulty recruiting, even with the reversion to the original pay scales! Remember, there has been no pay rise for some 3 years and so there has been an erosion of the pay differential compared to the U.K.

[soddim]

The first advice is don't do it.

If you ignore the first advice be sure to do it on your terms - remember that after you sign up it is too late to negotiate. Make sure that your employment contract specifies in detail your job description and salary and benefits - do not accept phrases like "in the opinion of the Company" or "at the Company"s discretion" - they are not trustworthy.

Make sure that your accommodation, leave and travel arrangements are clearly specified and get it all in writing.

Remember that you need to be out of UK from April to April (apart from 90 days) to get any tax free pay at all so if you went to work now you would have to last in the job until April 2005 to get the salary you find attractive.

Finally, remember the job is working for a**holes - if you don't mind that be careful not to grow into one!

[Mike Roeburst]

Thanks for all the info so far. Most of the advice has been along the same lines and the "Fun in the Magic Kingdom" thread has certainly opened my eyes a little!
I will have to advise my colleague to think long and hard about the offer, it seems there is quite a lot "hidden" or in need of tying down in the contract.

[saudipc-9]

MR,
There is alot of hidden rubbish that comes with working out here that they do not tell you when you are at the seminars or looking at the shiny brochures. Having said that, I would never tell anyone not to come out here. The benefits ( mostly financial ) can be huge. I can save in one month what I could have saved in the air force. I guess it could be summed up with "long term gain for short term pain".
Are a lot of guys leaving? Yes they are, but at the same time others have decided to stay for a while longer.
BWoS management can be an absolute pain in the @rse but I don't give a toss about them as long as they keep paying me every month. It is just another reason why you get paid alot of money to be here. I believe that you have to have a certain personality to come out here. Mainly one who can put up with alot of sh1t. If your friend wants to make some good money and good friends then come on out. At the end of the day he must make up his own mind and weigh up the pro's and con's just like we all did.
PM me if you have some specific questions.