The BBC has a report on its website today about people taking up civilian jobs in Iraq. It mentions, for example, a British university student who is putting her studies on hold for a year to earn 200 pounds (NT$12,000) a day as a translator, and says that private security guards are paid an average daily wage of 300 pounds (NT$18,000).
Would you be interested in going to work there for such money?
US$12,000 a day maybe. . . but probably not.
[quote=“Omniloquacious”]
Would you be interested in going to work there for such money?[/quote]
I’d have to feel that the work I was doing was important, going just for the money would not be worth it to me.
One of the American hostages, a fuel truck driver, gets paid a salary of USD80,000 a year, tax free, plus an expected overtime pay of USD40,000: cnn.com/2004/US/South/04/13/ … index.html
I probably wouldn’t go myself, no matter how high the offer.
I was offered a job two weeks ago in the US working as an oil and gas landman for US$300/day, hotel covered as well as food and mileage allowances. (I did this work in a former life.)
So, the money is simply not worth the risk factor, and the only thing you risk working in the Williston Basin is boredom.
I would have to say that considering how dangerous it is for civilians right now in Iraq, the money mentioned in the posts is not worth it.
However, I would go to Afghanistan, if given the chance. A while back I was looking for jobs in Canada, and found an ad for the Canadian military in Kabul as a clerk in a shop. They didn’t even require high school graduation. The pay was outlandishly high, ie. about the same as the average Canadian doctor or lawyer.
yes, but you are putting an hourly rate on your life. Its stupid. Just plain stupid. The monies high= you’re gonna die.
at least it would be easier to buy some firearms there then in taiwan to protect yourself
Read an article in Time or Newsweek about this and other entrepreneurial activity regarding the rebuilding of Iraq. There are some people making money hand over fist. They interviewed a contractor from Texas who was there doing something with telephone networks. Even had a picture of him; six-shooter on his hip. The article was pretty enthusiastic about the prospects. That was before they started taking hostages, though.
CK
The company I work for got a big project from Iraq about 1 month ago worth around 400 million US$. We need around 100 engineers to Iraq end of this year.
I’m so happy I’m not in charge for that project. Maybe we can find 10-15 crazy guys willing to go there but how about the rest.
2 weeks ago two of my countrymen were killed over there. I’m not going there for any money in the world.
I have food for the day and can even afford a couple of beers now and then. I have a wonderful family, so NO!
If I had no family? Maybe for 250 000 US$ a year? Hard to say!
What is the amount you would risk your life for?
It would probably depend on the risk itself (the place and conditions) and the way you are likely to die. Which puts Iraq at the upper end of the scale. Guess you should ask for advance payment in any case.
This topic has nothing to do with international politics!
What is the legal position of all these private security experts? They seem to me to be mercinaries. I thought that was an illegal practise.
$400,000US a year and I’d go.