How much should you get paid installing satellite dishes in Iraq

June 24, 2007 6:50 PM

Someone I know is working in Iraq (Camp Anaconda, AKA Mortar City) installing satellite dishes, and I think he's being ripped off on his pay. How much should he be getting paid?
posted by Jairus to Work & Money (8 answers total)

Is he working for a private contractor or for the military itself?
posted by mdonley at 6:52 PM on June 24, 2007

Response by poster: Private contractor. He's Canadian.
posted by Jairus at 7:08 PM on June 24, 2007

Many of the contractor job listings I've seen (although not for satellite installation) have offered salaries for a few months equivalent to the annual salary in the US.
posted by blaneyphoto at 7:16 PM on June 24, 2007

From the scores of random news articles I've read over the last year about people working as contractors in Iraq (they're not hard to find) I'd say anything under $80,000 US (annual equivalent) would be a major rip.
posted by wackybrit at 7:32 PM on June 24, 2007

80,000 tax free US for a year is also what I have heard from two different friends, one who worked in Iraq (small engine mechanic) and one in Afghanistan (Hvac)--but they are both Americans working for American companies. A cook I know also went to Afghanistan for 40,000 tax free for one year (cooks work so hard and never get the good pay imho).
posted by culberjo at 7:43 PM on June 24, 2007

Response by poster: Those are the kind of numbers I was thinking. Thanks for confirming it.
posted by Jairus at 8:34 PM on June 24, 2007

Jarius, your email doesn't work.

Mine is in my profile and I can answer your questions but I would prefer to take it offline.
posted by Dagobert at 10:37 PM on June 24, 2007

Someone I know is getting paid $60K (before tax) plus paid vacation, med and dental benefits, working as a mail clerk in Kuwait.
posted by dy at 3:19 PM on June 25, 2007