Saw an add in todays Denver post by a company looking for construction workers to go to Iraq. Any takers out there?
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I don't think so! No way, no how!!!
Dunno. Doing electrical work in a full bomb suit sounds like a PITA. The chafing would be brutal.
Besides I would hate to be taking jobs away from all those unemployed Iraqis. Crossing a picket line is a bear even when they don't have RPGs and automatic weapons. Of course this makes car bombs just a bit over the top.
$500US per hour door to door all transport paid; all payments in cash to be paid out-of-country to a numbered account; they supply all tools, and a very very big very very paranoid personal bodyguard; I sleep in a bombproof bunker guarded by US Marines at all times, and I DON'T have to eat MRE's.
On those conditions, I might go for a month...as soon as the ski season's over....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
I'll be your helper at those rates!"One measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions"
Contractor's gotta pay you separately; you dicker for your own back-watcher too, but we could buddy-up in the bunker if you don't mind that I smoke in bed. Best you take the lower bunk...smoke rises.
You don't snore, do ya? Can't stand that, reminds me of my about-to-be-X-wife....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
"$500US per hour door to door all transport paid..."
Guess you'll be working for Haliburton ???......................(-:Ask me about microwaving cats for fun and profit.
At that hourly rate, I'm tempted to say I don't care who I'd be working for. But there are exceptions.
I'm trying to think of one right now....Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
"At that hourly rate, I'm tempted to say I don't care who I'd be working for. But there are exceptions."
Heck, at that pay rate I'd work for Hillary Clinton....................(-:Q: What is the difference between a flashing red traffic light and a flashing yellow traffic light?A: The color.
Hah! You just made me think of an exception--her husband....
Dinosaur
'Y-a-tu de la justice dans ce maudit monde?
Well, ya go me on that one.
I think I'd draw the line there too.Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
sure for the right amount of money.
not sure I'm quite worth that much though..
and I want a fully armored humvee, none of that cloth sided crap...
and I get to take it home with me....
I've worked in the Middle East before; Iraq will probably settle down; it's probably safer than most major US cites about now already.
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
Unionville, Ontario
Phill,
I know what you mean. I work a good amount in downtown Baltimore, MD. Believe me I wouldn't mind a few Marines around to guard me and my tools. Especially at night.
Jon Blakemore
ouch!
Did the ad give rates?
Or a contact number?
I'd give it a shot ...
I'm pretty hard to kill ... so far!
Great hourly ... a good insurance ploicy ... I'd give it some serious thought.
Actually interviewed once to remodel embassy's ... job/company fell thru after a coupla interviews and FBI background checks ...
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
No specifics on pay however if you are game, I will send along the fax#
Jeff, sorry no fax# but I have a website with a contact: http://www.nwindenv.com. resumes to tgartrell@ the same
Cool ..
I'll check things out ... see what I can dig up.
About 6 or so yrs ago I answered an ad for overseas contracting. Had about 5 or 6 interviews ... even had drinks with the 2 guys doing the interviews after the last coupla interview rounds ...
Forget the name of the company ... they working outta a DC subburb somewhere in VA . ... no website .... no yellow page listings ... white page numbers came up under a different company name ... all very odd. Did have the full FBI background check ...
Talk about thorough .. had to account for every bit of time since HS ... even wanted some HS contacts ... and I got word back thry did indeed contact most on the list ... and asked those from my list for more to contact.
I was very psyched it went so far ... too about a year from the first interview ...
Last interview they both told me to expect some good news in the short future ... clearing final channels ... heard nothing ... called them direct .. they was like two different people ... said they wanted someone with a military background ... said I never had a shot?
Very odd ... always wondered what I was trying to get myself into.
Read an artical about military contractors a coupla years later ... said there were "go between" companies that would hire people not a not specific job .. then ... if those positions needed filling ... they'd provide them.
Thought mighta been their deal? Was gonna be good money at the time ... basically $40 to $50/hr ... lotsa straight thru overtime ... with all expenses paid plus per diems.
rough numbers ... about $3500 per week (RT and OT)
4 months ... 16 weeks ... $56,000.oo
Work 8 months a year and make over $100K ... plus expenses ...
I'd think about giving it a try again for similar numbers ...
That was during a peaceful(?) world .. wonder if the rates have gone up?
Or ... if the first numbers thrown at me were BS ......
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
real question is...
just what did they dig up in your background that put you out of the race???
That's what I thought too!
Couldn't have been much from this red blooded flag waivers background!
I checked that web site mentioned ... took a bit of digging around to find some Iraq related stuff ... sounds like they're looking for Project Managers and such ... sounds like big time construction related stuff .... I'd be far from qualified.
You don't think that first go 'round was cut short just 'cause I killed a guy?
You'd think that'd be like extra credit or something?
Jeff
actually ... a coupla years later I got a job selling high end residential security systems .. had to go thru a very similar background search .. told the guy I had recently done so ... he said it helped speed things up ... guess they keep that info on file? Really .. ya think so!
Plus .. that sales job .. had to undergo a psych/personality test ...
Very disappointing ... came back ... "normal" ....
went home and told the wife ... 2 things ... one .. I got the job .. and two ... I'm certifiably the normal one in the house!Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Are you sure they were really hiring for a construction job? Which DC suburb in VA, McLean? :)
In the end I had no idea what they were hiring for!
and why does McLean sound familiar?
It was soemthing like ... MJ Engineering ... or maybe MK?
Can't remember ...
Bet I have it written down somewhere ...
The whole thing never jived .... started innocently enough ...... ad in the local want ads ... felt weird at the end ... Oh well .. no one ever came to take me away ...
so no harm ..... no foul.
Jeff
Buck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
Hi,
I am a lurker most of time. Say a couple things here and there but mostly a lurker.
To comment on your background investigation (BI). It sounds like you were going through the paces of obtaining a Top Secret level type clearance. For this level of clearance, they send investigators to interview your contacts, friends, neighboors and other possible leads. It is a very expensive process, I have heard somewhere along $15 to $20k.
There are all kind of 'construction' type work in the Washignton DC area. Some basically supporting and maintaining the building where different agencies might be located at. Some for US govt. facilities overseas, etc. Some to create and fabricate special thingies...
Having a clearance is a very, very good thing to have in the Wash DC area. You could get a job basically overnight and the pay is normally pretty decent. The basic requirements to obtain a clearance are 1- clean record, no crimes or felonies, 2- honest about past drug usage, 3- honesty and accuracy when completing your application, 4- healthy financial status, no bankrupcies, etc.
Sometimes a polygraph or polygraphs are involved and that could be a very unpleasant experience where nothing is plain black and grey.
You could always file a Freedom of Information Act with the different agencies (FBI, CIA, etc) and see what you could dig up. Since a file was open on you before, something might come up.
That's it. I just wanted to unlurk for a while and add something that I know a little about.
Well jeez; Ive worked in West Virginia for 25 years.so why would Iraq be so hard?
Guns;religious fanatics.bombed out vehicles whats new?
Id miss all the trees tho' and Taylor Pork Roll.
and why does McLean sound familiar?
Spook Central™ :)
Isn't that work mostly union? Somebody said that any earnings in Iraq are tax free for U.S. workers. Has anybody heard anything like this? Sounds far fetched.
Don't know if it is union or not, when I was working abroad the first 70k was tax free.
I'd pop for it. Got family there that I have finally met (over the phone / through e-mail) over the last 3 weeks. DW is refugee from Iran/Iraq. She has been in U.S. about 5 years, I've known her / been together about 4 years. Married, finally, almost 1 year. She does social work for Catholic Family Services - case mgr for other refugees from Middle East, Africa, Asia, Bosnia,Croatia ..... Speaks seven languages - Farsi (Iran/some Afghanistan dialects), Arabic (most of the dialects - REALLY varies across the region), three dialects of Kurdish, Turkish, and Texan. Arabic is her only native tongue, learned Farsi & Kurdish both in less then three months when her mother "arranged' for her to marry a family associate (15 years older than her - never met before & she was 17!) - bad, mean dude(killer) - He brought her to US with him then her college prof. helped her leave him right before I met her. He was in a violent commie anti-gov group in Iran, so that's why they had to leave. Learned Turkish in less than 6 months living there, working for U.N. while waiting for asylum in U.S.
She grew up with grand-parents & aunts/uncles on her Dad's side after Dad "disappeared" when she was a baby. Mostly Baghdad, some time in Bejji, also Kurdistan & Iran. According to her, Mom is a real witch - only thinks about herself, power, money - she has a marble/granite operation in several locations in Iraq/Iran. She traveled with her Mom occasionally as a youngster - lived in Paris a while, Germany, Russia, Cyprus, Greece, Australia..... Mom always off to somewhere she remembers. Her Dad's family hated her Mom - they thought she had something to do with his "disappearance". She was in Baghdad during Desert Storm(she was 12 y.o) and their house / neighborhood was bombed several times - scars to prove it and PTSD too. Funny thing, I was a Sgt. in the Marines then - it was my buddies bombing her house. (yeah, I robbed the cradle - DW 25, me 36)
She has been really scared to tell her family about us (What? an American?, Christian!!!?) so no contact for last 5 years. They were accusing her ex of having killed her and last month sicked the US Embassy in London on him (he is still in US) so she finally contacted them to prove she was still alive - they were very happy and gave her no bones about being with me - they love me! Turns out her brother has been in London area for ~ 5 years - we talk almost every day. Turns out he is converting to Christianity and has a pretty tough view about Islam. Funny, though, hearing his Arabic accent mixed with a Brit accent!! DW made me promise not to tell that she was baptized last year - still afraid of their reaction - and wisely so. She saw people killed for it back home.
Anyway, sorry for typing on, but thought ya'll might find it interesting. She's a hoot, the whole city knows her. And you thought Italian or Latin women were feisty? Try an Arabic/Persian/Kurdish belly-dancing former Muslim turned Mormon world traveller who shunned the family (Mom) wealth for God and love!! How'd I get so lucky?
Doc
A shortcut is the longest distance between two points.