[OT-Way off] Rebuild Iraq for $2,000/week

[EarthsShadow]

I hope its okay to post this in here, I'm just looking to see if any of you would do this.

Okay, in the newspaper add a friend of mine showed me for the summer there is a company looking to get groups of laborers together to help rebuild the pipeline over in Iraq and minimum pay is $2,000 a week. If you have experience with actual machinery, like driving a CAT or heavy contruction machinery, the pay could go up to $4,000/week.

With all the stuff happening in the world, would this be something that any of you would do? This is the same company that did this 12 years ago after Desert Storm with Bush Sr. in office, and is legitimate.

 

[Piratecat]

One political post, and KLUNK - closed she goes!

 

[tarchon]

These Middle East construction jobs have been around ever since I can remember. It's kind of in the Alaskan cannery ship category - the jobs do really exist but there are reasons why they pay a huge wad.

 

[Angcuru]

These Middle East construction jobs have been around ever since I can remember. It's kind of in the Alaskan cannery ship category - the jobs do really exist but there are reasons why they pay a huge wad.

(In an american's case) such as....being in the middle of an extremely anti-american area(because they think we bomb the bejeezuz out of them just to get oil) working on an OIL PIPELINE. Danger, Will Robinson! DANGER!

 

[Kevin O'Reilly]

This is a SCAM

A recent report on NPR talked about job offers such as these. They where a scam.

Be careful

 

[Angcuru]

Re: This is a SCAM

A recent report on NPR talked about job offers such as these. They where a scam.

Be careful

*Dons cloak of ill omen and puts on mask of twisted-faced doom-prophet*

BEWARE THE JOB OFFERS! Ye shall end up shelling peanuts in Beijing if ye be not cautious! *Hisssss!*
*stumps away to scare children at the orphanage*

Beware children...beware the cheerioes!

 

[El Diablo Grande]

My dad contracts for Halliburton and leaves next week to go over. He won't be doing pipeline patch work, but safety checkouts on instrumentation once it's back in order. Then once it all works, they are going to start upgrading the technology in all the pump stations and refineries. I think he mentioned that most of their tech was from the mid 60's and woefully out of date. Anywho, the job won't be a cakewalk because the desert is quite unforgiving and harsh. And there is still a danger from militants taking potshots at workers. But they are making it well worth his while...more than the previously posted figures.

As for whether or not I'd do it? Yeah, I would. The money is good and the risk, while still there, isn't too great.

 

[Teflon Billy]

Forgive me if I'm outside the bounds here, but does the USA now get to draw profit from Iraqi oilfields?

I thought that it was going to be turned back over to the Iraqis?

 

[DM_Matt]

The US is not going to be directly drawing the profit...it will go to rebuilding the counrty and eventually to the new government.

HOWEVER, a lot of work needs to be done that is beyond the abilities of local companies and workers. The US is thus contracting with American companies to do the work. Seems a bit scetchy at first, but really, if you think about it, the US government, all other things being equal, might as well give the contracts to American companies if they have to go to someone. Besides, almost all the other companies that do big petroleum infrastructure and similar work are from countries that led the charge against the war (France, Russia, Germany to a lesser extent), were undermining the US, Britain, etc by selling arms and intel to the Iraqis, and had huge oil contracts with Saddam set to go into effect if the sanctions ended with him still in power, so the US gov understandably doesnt want them profiting from it.

 

[tarchon]

Re: This is a SCAM

A recent report on NPR talked about job offers such as these. They where a scam.

Be careful

There are some that are actual scams, but a common deal is some fool sees the big $$$, doesn't stop to think "why are they paying unskilled laborers big $$$?" signs a barely-glanced-at contract, gets over there, finds out how bad it sucks, tries to bail out, and discovers that the oil company put some huge penalty in the contract to make sure they didn't waste their time and money bringing over some fool who was going to leave on the first 110 degree day.
On the other hand, one would be well advised to beware such phenomena as the old "company store" system, and various hidden costs. Do they expect you to buy your own tools? Is there insurance? Who pays your way there? And back? Who pays for food and housing? Who's going to tax you and how much? Will you be paid in left-over Iraqi dinars? It's still going to beat McDonalds (if it is real), but there are many things to keep an eye on.
Read closely, investigate, ask questions, be sure you're willing to stick out the terms of the contract.