About Me
Thanks for checking out Middle East Contracting Jobs. My name is Alan and I've been a defense contractor for many years. I've worked in various positions with US Central Command and have traveled throughout the Middle East. Most of these trips were of short duration with the exception of one contract where I spent a year working at an Army compound (Camp Victory) in Baghdad. I have many friends that continue to work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait and other locations.
Before I deployed to Iraq, I was very fortunate as I was already working on the same contract and simply transferred to another position in country. Because I knew most of the people already there (on this contract), I had a general idea of what kind of salary to expect, how much overtime was available, what the termination bonus would be, the hazard duty pay, overseas allowances, living condition, etc.
Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai
However, throughout the year I met a lot of people who were making significantly less money, only because they didn't know what questions to ask or what benefits to negotiate for before accepting a position. I also saw many arrive only to be very disappointed at the environment or living conditions. By then it was too late - they were already on post; had said their goodbyes to family and friends and there was no turning back. Whatever they agreed to with their new employer they were stuck with, lest they turned back and went home with their tails between their legs.
This is why I created Middle-East-Contracting-Jobs.com. I know that there are a lot of people looking for opportunities, particularly in today's economy. Unfortunately as long as there are issues in the Middle East, the US and its coalition partners will continue to serve a role to maintain stability. What that means is, there will continue to be jobs available to support these activities. One of the main factors which drive people to the region, are the potentially lucrative salaries that can be earned.
I hope that this site will serve as a good resource for you and explain the things you need to know before even considering traveling to the Middle East. As I'm always updating this site, please contact me with suggestions on how I can improve or things I should add.
Thanks,
Alan Nelson
