So you want to be an OEF/OIF contractor? (part 3)

Part 3 in our series on the in depth information you need to think about if you are considering being a OEF/OIF contractor.

Yesterday I talked about the money issues and what we know about the various countries involved. In case you missed it, I know almost nothing about conditions in Djibouti other than they live in tents.

Non-IT (Information Technology) jobs.

I don't have a big depth of information regarding non-IT jobs, but this should be enough to get you started.

KBR

KBR is pretty much the bottom of the barrel. Working for KBR is job, any job, when any job will do. KBR employees are generally treated by KBR management with an attitude somewhere between indentured servants and outright slavery. KBR employees are generally forbidden from speaking to or interacting with non-KBR people outside of work. KBR has switched to using TCN's (Third Country Nationals, mostly Nepalese, Philipinos, Malaysian, Krygizstani, etc.) where they can because they work for much cheaper. According to all of the ex-KBR people I've spoken with the biggest inside joke is the pay. When you get hired they heavily stress that you are never to discuss your salary and they try and imply that you are special and being paid extra. Every KBR employee (non-management) they have spoken to is paid exactly the same.

What most people do is try and use KBR to get over here, start networking, and jump to another company. This can be difficult to do when you can be fired for talking to non-KBR people off the job. As far as jobs go, KBR does pretty much anything and everything from preparing food to delivering fuel to supervising LN's (Local Nationals) cleaning the restrooms to driving busses. KBR's general qualifications appear to be the ability to pass a urinalysis, a criminal background check, and demonstrate having a pulse. KBR management knows that their people are stuck by the tax-trap and they get about as much as they expect.

This is not to say that working for KBR is a bad thing. I've interacted with quite a few KBR people who are very happy with their job, where they are and what they are doing. It's the standard crapshoot of getting a good manager makes all the difference in the world. The standard pay works out to $45-70k depending on the country.

Gate Security

Most of the gate security people are CSA, AGS, or AECON. They are generally paid $50-75K and probably have the worst jobs in the theater. Most of the companies have the moronic idea that they should put their people in black uniforms, to "look professional", in direct sunlight, when it's 120+ degrees, for 12 hour shifts. These people are the most likely to get blown up in a gate attack and spend most of their time dealing with unappreciative people who are upset about the amount of crap they have to go through to get in and out of the gates. The only thing scarier than a security guard in SWAT-Ninja gear is a security guard who thinks that the gear makes him a genuine SWAT-Ninja.

Police/Military training.

There are a lot of ex-cops that are over here doing training of the Afghan and Iraq Military and Police forces. Most of the ones I talked to are working for DynCorp and are pretty happy despite DynCorp's nasty reputation for getting their people blown up and shot. The rule of thumb I've been told is that if you are authorized to carry a weapon and paid to get shot at (other than gate security) you are paid over $200k.

Aircraft and Vehicle maintenance.

I think ITT systems has the lion's share of the contracts in theater for vehicle maintenance along with GD (General Dynamics), while Lockheed-Martin and Northrup Grumman have most of the aircraft maintenace contracts. I've only talked with a couple of these people and they were pretty happy. I think they are paid roughly $100k.

Supply and Supervision.

Most of the rest of the jobs I'm aware of are essentially supervisory, dealing with contracts and making sure that goods get delivered when and where they are supposed to be delivered.

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Next, part 4 will dive into the various IT jobs and companies.