anyone have any experience on working overseas? contract work?

I've talked to recruiters in Ireland and the UK. They say there are a shortage of engineers and technical personnel over there.

How about a 1 yr contract in Iraq? A friend of mine went from Aug 2007-08 for $90k, tax free.
He has some college but doesn't have a degree.

Let me know what's up.

8/6/2009 12:25:59 AM

going to Iraq seems like a good way to get killed

8/6/2009 12:47:01 AM

going to Iraq seems like a good way to get killed

I've been working in Japan for three years now. It's a good experience but I'm ready to go back to the States.

8/6/2009 2:03:03 AM

^not really, although there are some better locations than Iraq with similar pay that do not require living in a camp IMO

I'm working oversears right now, I have worked with a lot of expats from different countries in the past, and most everyone agrees it is great. If you are not tied down in US with family and adapt to other evironments well, I would highly recommend it.

You WILL most likely be working more than you would be in a similar job in US, so prepare for long workdays. On the other hand, you will be making a bank and have opportunities to live in a foreign country and even visit a few others during you R&R/vacation. If you work for US company and stay long enough, you won't have to pay US income tax up for the first $85k, that's like a 25-30% cash money pay increase. May be different if you work for UK or Irish company.


[Edited on August 6, 2009 at 2:06 AM. Reason : will try to post more detailed writeup later in the day]

8/6/2009 2:03:23 AM

It doesn't have to be a US company to get that tax benefit. I work for the Japanese government and am exempt from taxes.

8/6/2009 2:13:42 AM

i talked to blackwater when i was getting out of the military way back when...then the contractors got strung up from the bridge...I decided to pass

8/6/2009 3:32:12 AM

Quote :

"How about a 1 yr contract in Iraq? A friend of mine went from Aug 2007-08 for $90k, tax free. "

He got screwed. I've had lots of contract offers, none of them less than $130K for a year.

Contracting in Iraq isn't all that bad, there's the obvious danger but then again your treated a bit better than those in the military. And as bad as you think you might have it, just remember there's some soldier/Marine out there in full kit doing patrols.

Its definitely an interesting experience. One I don't regret doing. Then again, I was over there in military as well, so I knew what I was getting myself into.

8/6/2009 7:34:27 AM

yah, i figured as much, he was just a construction foreman, rebuilding



how would you go about getting any of these contract offers?

PM me if you'd like

8/6/2009 11:09:02 AM

^^ haha, was going to say the same thing depending on what that guys normal salary is. Many places are offering 2.5-3X equivalent salary to go over to Iraq or Afghanistan. Meaning even if he was only making ~$50,000 here or something (just pulled a random number out for Construction), he should be pulling well over $100,000 over there. I have known some Engineers to pull close to $300,000 on contracts for a year over there.

[Edited on August 6, 2009 at 11:48 AM. Reason : ]

8/6/2009 11:39:17 AM

^exactly.

8/6/2009 12:04:16 PM

anybody have leads on contract jobs for recent engineering grads?

8/6/2009 12:24:19 PM

My fiancee worked in Australia for six months at a University. My other friend worked there for about 3 years doing contract programming work. It was an awesome experience and i'd highly recommend it. We'll move somewhere overseas again at some point, i'm sure.

8/6/2009 12:24:32 PM

going to Iraq seems like a good way to get killed

8/6/2009 1:44:06 PM

noooooooooooooooooooo

8/6/2009 3:06:15 PM

i tried for a job in denmark once, they weren't having it though--maybe i should've waited until obama was elected

[Edited on August 6, 2009 at 3:09 PM. Reason : sp]

8/6/2009 3:09:32 PM

I did know a ccie-voice that got offered $300K tax free for a year of work over there. combat zone though so not sure if it was worth it.

[Edited on August 6, 2009 at 3:16 PM. Reason : there=iraq]

8/6/2009 3:15:53 PM

You'll find that different places have their own advantages. Combat zone like Iraq or Afganistan may be highest-paid, but then security concerns and camp job setting may be a big putdown. Emirates is a big high-paying destination, but culture adjustment may be a bit difficult. Asia is known for well-paid jobs for expats and super cheap living. Australia and some European countries will pay less and cost more, but you will find a living conforts and somewhat familiar setting, and of course language barrier will be less of an issue. Russia and CIS are well-paying places right now, and standard of life is improving steadily, living costs are still reasonable, especially outside of main metro areas. Wimminz are good looking too. Don't know much about working in Africa. South America will have technical and engineering jobs, although some of the natural resource-related jobs slowed down recently due to lack of investments. Depends on how your Spanish is, may be less of a work barrier then elsewhere. Google around a little bit, there is a lot of good living conditions info and salary data on teh internetz.

8/6/2009 4:05:53 PM

^ Had a friend who taught ESL for a big oil company in Ethiopia I think she said it was. The money was amazing but she wasn't allowed to leave the premises of the company without an armed guard

8/8/2009 4:16:27 AM