Anyone ever deal with overseas jobs with the company Vectrus?

They've just sent me the attached job description for a "Systems Administrator 1" position in Kuwait. I'm curious as to how much a government contract with them would pay, as I've heard good things about the monetary potential of taking such jobs.

Systems Administrator I.pdf

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LittleBIT

Daniel J wrote: »

That is way better than I expected for internet. both in quality and price. Are people permitted to carry a personal cell phone over there? I would not need one for making calls, but I have a bunch of emulators(PSX, N64, SNES etc.) and games that I play on my cellphone at the moment and would love to be able to game on the flight over and when I have downtime on base.

Also, given that the living quarters are super tiny and dorm style, do people ever bring personal desktops over there? My laptop crapped out so all I have is a desktop at the moment. I'm assuming it will be a pain to bring it over and I'll just have to suck it up and buy another laptop for programming and schoolwork, but I'm curious if some people have made it work for them.

Yes, u can carry your own phone, and buy them From shops here. As for having one at work, depends on your work area.

I just have a tablet, its been enough for me personally. Dont bring a desktop. Just my 2¢, you never know when you will have to move at the drop of a dime.

Fulcrum45

LittleBIT wrote: »

I just have a tablet, its been enough for me personally. Dont bring a desktop. Just my 2¢, you never know when you will have to move at the drop of a dime.

Agreed. I took my laptop with me because it was rather slim. The riggers of travel (duffel bags, body armor etc) beat the hell out of it though. It was usable so I got by but be choosy about what electronics you take and what you can acquire when you're in country.

advanex1

Thought I'd help you guys out to give you an idea. I went through the technical interview process for vectrus to put my feelers out there. For a LAN Administrator in Kuwait - it's $29.33 an hour for 56 hours a week. $1,500 completion bonus at the end of the year and $3000 pay for leave/vacation paid out at certain times.

Basically about an $83,000 total package. The technical interview would be easy for anyone who has CCNA level knowledge and even those who haven't touched it in a while (like me). Might not be a bad spot for newer IT guys.

Not really worth my time, but wanted to make you guys aware of it.

josephandre

Think the only thing you're missing is the 1.25 % for hours over 40. Not noteworthy by any stretch, but inflated the numbers a decent bit

advanex1

You're right, it states it will pay overtime according to company policy but doesn't specify. With 1.25% That would make the total package around $88,000-89,000.

Daniel J

The salary I was offered for Kuwait was significantly lower than than in Afghan. If you're willing to live in Afghan or Iraq, it wouldn't hurt to ask the recruiter if there are any openings for that position in those locations. Pay jump was enough for me to accept the offer. Plus it seems like there are zero living expenses in those places (outside of internet), so that is like getting a pay bonus as well.

Daniel J

Random question, how does laundry work at FOBs in Afghanistan? Do you have to pay for laundry detergent and stuff or is all of it provided in laundry mats?

xxxkaliboyxxx

Laundry machines free if you]re lucky enough to have access to one. If your at a big camp, you'll buy your detergent or get it from your unit/company. Small camp, you'll get it from the supply guy and wash your undies in a bucket.

EDIT: Tip, buy about 2 or 3 bags of the disposable balls from Tide (or whoever) to do laundry. You might not have access to detergent for a few months or old school zip lock bags with a pound of traditional laundry soap. Also bring baby wipes. Actually google, deployment list and copy veteran soldiers and what they bring.

Extras: You could never bring enough underwares, whatever you stuff in your duffle bag and think your done, stuff 10 more. Extra toothpaste, qtips for ears and weapon (if you can carry, doubt it), extra socks, terminals (yes, it gets cold as **** in Iraq and Afghanistan), Sunglasses, gloves (cold weather and grip), scarf, zip lock bags, mini flash light (the good ones), 550 cord (parachute cord), duct tape, caffeine pills, beanie, balaclava, ear pro, more than 1 pair of sunglasses, small travel pillow, small tactical blanket, portable toothbrush, Gerber multitool, tact knife, aftermarket tactical backpack, headphones, few ball caps, tactical coveralls, tactical hiking boots (cold and summer), sleeping bag, shaving cream if your going to shave, zip ties (big and small), ***HEAD LAMP**** make sure you have a red and blue light on it, waterproof bag if not issued and a waterproof notebook. Your going to get rained on.

All I could think right now. Think of it as camping and not having access to civilization

dialectical

advanex1 wrote: »

Thought I'd help you guys out to give you an idea. I went through the technical interview process for vectrus to put my feelers out there. For a LAN Administrator in Kuwait - it's $29.33 an hour for 56 hours a week. $1,500 completion bonus at the end of the year and $3000 pay for leave/vacation paid out at certain times.

Basically about an $83,000 total package.

These wages are simply not enough to lure in senior level applicants. I originally imagined about 200k/year to get people out of their cozy lofts and into Landmine Gardens. I very much appreciate everyone sharing their wage offerings so that we knew better not to follow the white rabbit until we finally found out what the pay was after several interviews later and already starting to move over there.

My biggest flag with this whole thing is that they refused to even acknowledge that I asked them a question after asking them point blank what the pay range is. Just different people responding back each time like they are copy/pasting in a Christmas card.

xxxkaliboyxxx

dialectical wrote: »

These wages are simply not enough to lure in senior level applicants. I originally imagined about 200k/year to get people out of their cozy lofts and into Landmine Gardens. I very much appreciate everyone sharing their wage offerings so that we knew better not to follow the white rabbit until we finally found out what the pay was after several interviews later and already starting to move over there.

My biggest flag with this whole thing is that they refused to even acknowledge that I asked them a question after asking them point blank what the pay range is. Just different people responding back each time like they are copy/pasting in a Christmas card.

Hey did his math wrong, with overtime and upswing he will make about 120-130k

josephandre

Money used to be WAAAAAY different. Wasn't unheard of to find folks making 250k, or in Kuwait up to 180. Things have changed, enough people have gone and are willing to go back that they can lowball

anhtran35

Daniel J wrote: »

Random question, how does laundry work at FOBs in Afghanistan? Do you have to pay for laundry detergent and stuff or is all of it provided in laundry mats?

My advice? Bring the bare minimum. No desktop. You will prob. be required to carry a 70lb gear that includes a helmet; vest and chemical suit. CRC will provide it for you in an army duffle bag. What you need if you are going to BAF or KAF is some comfortable clothes( cargo pants; t-shirts; socks terrain boots or shoes; boxers; towels ) and a thin laptop. You can get the clothes via old navy or tacticalgear.com( cheapest brand ). You will prob. be in either a b hut OR building that has 7 other guys. There are prob. not any rooms. You will have to set up dividers using bed sheets and a rope or cord tied to lockers. Food is free. 4 meals a day. Gym is free. They have a morale network for you to watch tv shows/movies/read books on your work desktop. Plenty of time to study. PLENTY. Laundry is FREE. You will need a white mesh laundry bag. You can get that at a dollar store. GET those knock off CROCS from WALMART. Use that to walk around in the showers etc...ALSO get a yellow reflective jogging belt or strap. They prob. have those at Walmart too. You are required to walk around with that on at night.

xxxkaliboyxxx

Shower shoes!!!!!!!

advanex1

xxxkaliboyxxx wrote: »

Hey did his math wrong, with overtime and upswing he will make about 120-130k

No, didn't do my math wrong. That was for Kuwait. The only thing I left out was the 1.25% which still only makes the package $88-89,000 for Kuwait. I don't count housing as a perk of the package. Its expected.

xxxkaliboyxxx

Same hourly rate in Afghan is 130k with upswing and bonuses. I don't know anything about kuwait, but makes sense. Kuwait, you don't worry about the dangers you would in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Edit: honestly, the more I think about it, it's not a bad move for single guys or girls coming fresh out of college or the military. Sure, many of us make more in the states than 88-89k, but it also requires for the most part, a grind of crappy jobs. This could be one way to bypass that.

dialectical

josephandre wrote: »

Money used to be WAAAAAY different. Wasn't unheard of to find folks making 250k, or in Kuwait up to 180. Things have changed, enough people have gone and are willing to go back that they can lowball

Right, I mentioned to someone in the industry about maybe going overseas and they said it's not uncommon to pull in 200k from a 6 month venture. But as you said, this seems to have been based on facts in the past.

I remember it being a common understanding back when the price of oil shot up (Bush years) that contractors in warzones made insane money. From the sounds of it, however, this overseas thing is a new form of internship where they hook you in on the premise of getting high-value experience rather than a high-value paycheck. In support of this is their stubborn resolve to avoid discussing money but rather focus on the experience of it (as all internships do).

Your explanation makes sense though that after enough people went and their shock value of moving to work overseas was gone, that it's what they knew and so they reapplied in high volume.

xxxkaliboyxxx wrote: »

Edit: honestly, the more I think about it, it's not a bad move for single guys or girls coming fresh out of college or the military. Sure, many of us make more in the states than 88-89k, but it also requires for the most part, a grind of crappy jobs. This could be one way to bypass that.

Yes indeed you must grind through the lower ranks. If you have not done this already, then going down there would likely accelerate your timetables since the experience requirements might be less prohibitive if you're actually willing to go. Then you could return and get a higher paying job close to home. However, if you've already or mostly paid your dues with service desk type jobs and have been able to claw out of that on your own, then going here would only seem to be a dangerous and uncomfortable lateral move.

kalimuscle

dialectical wrote: »

Right, I mentioned to someone in the industry about maybe going overseas and they said it's not uncommon to pull in 200k from a 6 month venture. But as you said, this seems to have been based on facts in the past.

I remember it being a common understanding back when the price of oil shot up (Bush years) that contractors in warzones made insane money. From the sounds of it, however, this overseas thing is a new form of internship where they hook you in on the premise of getting high-value experience rather than a high-value paycheck. In support of this is their stubborn resolve to avoid discussing money but rather focus on the experience of it (as all internships do).

Your explanation makes sense though that after enough people went and their shock value of moving to work overseas was gone, that it's what they knew and so they reapplied in high volume.

Yes indeed you must grind through the lower ranks. If you have not done this already, then going down there would likely accelerate your timetables since the experience requirements might be less prohibitive if you're actually willing to go. Then you could return and get a higher paying job close to home. However, if you've already or mostly paid your dues with service desk type jobs and have been able to claw out of that on your own, then going here would only seem to be a dangerous and uncomfortable lateral move.

Hello guys,

Kuwait is not a dangerous country

It is a first world country and is very safe and from what i know it is much safer than america ( no offense brothers)

My question is why in the world would someone pay someone 200k to work in IT in kuwait ?

Afghanistan, i can understand due to the danger but cant these companies get someone to perform the work remotely and get someone cheap to plug in the devices and physically maintain them ?

xxxkaliboyxxx

kalimuscle wrote: »

Hello guys,

Kuwait is not a dangerous country

It is a first world country and is very safe and from what i know it is much safer than america ( no offense brothers)

My question is why in the world would someone pay someone 200k to work in IT in kuwait ?

Afghanistan, i can understand due to the danger but cant these companies get someone to perform the work remotely and get someone cheap to plug in the devices and physically maintain them ?

they don't, they pay 88-89k for kuwait due to being safe. I mean, contractors live off base.

By not getting to detailed, "certain" networks does not have the infrastructure or allow being remoted in.

xxxkaliboyxxx

kalimuscle wrote: »

Hello guys,

Kuwait is not a dangerous country

It is a first world country and is very safe and from what i know it is much safer than america ( no offense brothers)

My question is why in the world would someone pay someone 200k to work in IT in kuwait ?

Afghanistan, i can understand due to the danger but cant these companies get someone to perform the work remotely and get someone cheap to plug in the devices and physically maintain them ?

They don't, they pay 88-89k for kuwait due to being a safe place, I mean, contractors live off base.

By not getting too detailed "certain" networks do not have the infrastructure or even allow being remoted in.

Daniel J

Awesome thanks for the advice! Do you directly work for Vectrus by chance? I'm trying to find out if there are any IA Vectrus employees that work at any base other than KAF and BAF. The recruiter could not say directly, but he hinted that for the most part the IA employees work at "the two large bases over there." I'm just curious what my odds are of ending up at as what kaliboy described as a "****hole" camp a few weeks back.

anhtran35

Daniel J wrote: »

Awesome thanks for the advice! Do you directly work for Vectrus by chance? I'm trying to find out if there are any IA Vectrus employees that work at any base other than KAF and BAF. The recruiter could not say directly, but he hinted that for the most part the IA employees work at "the two large bases over there." I'm just curious what my odds are of ending up at as what kaliboy described as a "****hole" camp a few weeks back.

I highly DOUBT that an IA is needed at the smaller FOBs. What they need there are cable dogs or help desk/desktop support people. The 2 main bases KAF and BAF is where the SA and NA work are done to support the smaller FOBs. Having worked at both the danger is a JOKE. I currently commute and live in VA/DC/MD area and been nearly killed by trucks/cars/deers etc...running on the road than a rocket attack on base. The common theme out there is BOREDOM.

xxxkaliboyxxx

IA is too valuable to end up on a small cop/fob. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but they have endless drones of helpdesk, system admins, network admins that will go into those places first. You my friend, will probably wishing to go down there just to get away from the boredom.

dialectical

xxxkaliboyxxx wrote: »

IA is too valuable to end up on a small cop/fob. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but they have endless drones of helpdesk, system admins, network admins that will go into those places first.

Don't want to threadjack a 773 post thread but... IA more valuable than system admins or network admins? *headexplode*

IA finds problems and the admins fix them. The admins also find problems. So the emphasis of value here is peculiar, unless you're stating that there is scarcity of IA personnel within this particular region. In that case ok.

It's way harder to be an admin/engineer rather than use an app to run a few automated scans or reports. For this reason the admins strike me as having more intrinsic value ESPECIALLY if they are specialized in something like Azure/AWS/VMware/Citrix etc.

@kalimuscle, Here is an article explaining the 11-figure contract for Halliburton and the big money involved: Contractors reap $138B from Iraq war - CNN.com

xxxkaliboyxxx

dialectical wrote: »

Don't want to threadjack a 773 post thread but... IA more valuable than system admins or network admins? *headexplode*

IA finds problems and the admins fix them. The admins also find problems. So the emphasis of value here is peculiar, unless you're stating that there is scarcity of IA personnel within this particular region. In that case ok.

It's way harder to be an admin/engineer rather than use an app to run a few automated scans or reports. For this reason the admins strike me as having more intrinsic value ESPECIALLY if they are specialized in something like Azure/AWS/VMware/Citrix etc.

@kalimuscle, Here is an article explaining the 11-figure contract for Halliburton and the big money involved: Contractors reap $138B from Iraq war - CNN.com

^^^^ Agree 100 percent, more of the challenge of filling the role.

Daniel J

I currently work in IA, and the net/sys admins work significantly harder that I do. They are constantly fixing a wide array of issues, while I pretty much just sit at my desk and use software to do probably 90% of my work. So i'd have to agree with dialectical as far as the intrinsic value goes. However, I enjoy sitting at a desk all day doing the same thing over and over again so it doesn't really both me.

Update. I finished all of my paperwork and I will be deploying to Afghanistan at the beginning of June. I'm genuinely excited to have the opportunity to work overseas before the wife and I start a family. Time to buy a gaming laptop and go on a steam raid. I figure that, along with working on my masters and certs, should keep me pretty occupied over there.

For those wondering about the process and timeline, this is how it went.

1. technical interview on a Friday. I passed and they said I would get an offer the next week
2. received a formal offer the next Wednesday.
3. I did not accept it until the following Friday
4. Submitted all initial paperwork by the following Wednesday.
5. The following week I submitted the second round of information, (hireright etc.)
6. The next week I completed my medical and dental exam
7. The next week I was allowed to select a CRC date.

Total time from initial interview, to being able to select CRC date: Approx 7 weeks
It could have been shorter if I did not have to renew my passport, and if I did not sit on the offer for a week.

tunerX

Iraq, Afghan, pretty much all of SWA has gone to junk pay.

GoFindID10Tcable

Daniel J wrote: »

I'm genuinely excited to have the opportunity to work overseas before the wife and I start a family.

No kids, and a year away from your wife in Afghanistan? Reminds me of a few of my old troops when I was in the Military. I’d offer some advice, but they never listened. I’d recommend you chat with an army friend or two and ask them to tell you some stories of folks in similar situations. Sorry, I know I sound like a jerk, but I am genuinely trying to be helpful.

anhtran35

GoFindID10Tcable wrote: »

No kids, and a year away from your wife in Afghanistan? Reminds me of a few of my old troops when I was in the Military. I’d offer some advice, but they never listened. I’d recommend you chat with an army friend or two and ask them to tell you some stories of folks in similar situations. Sorry, I know I sound like a jerk, but I am genuinely trying to be helpful.

Wall of Shame?

GoFindID10Tcable

Yeah. I had the unfortunate duty/obligation to deliver the bad news to two of my deployed troops over the years. The first one was only on a 4-month deployment. 4 years married, 2 kids, saw his wife downtown exactly 15 days after he left with another guy. The other guy was a newlywed. Didn’t know him too well. His wife just cleaned him out and just took off. The idiot volunteered to deploy only a few months after he was married. I did my best to talk him out of both, but hey, what did I know? Just some dumb NCO. Delivering that news was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do. There was really nothing I could do for them... Damn, I just bumbed myself out.

Daniel J

I appreciate the input, and by no means are you guys the first ones to bring that up. However, my wife and I are devout Catholics so it is highly unlikely that she would ****. Additionally, the way our marriage is established, if there is any infidelity from either party, the violating party forfeits 100% of the marital assets. Which means all of the cars, the house, and all belongings. I always hear the whole story "I know you think you know your wife, but when your gone that long things change." Yes, it is scary to think it could happen, but the odds are extremely low given my situation.

Some people also say that marriage is a bad contract in general. And I would agree with that, if you don't get a prenup, or have other conditions in writing.