Would You? Could You?

I think there is a reason that the job is paying so much. There is just too much on the line to take a job like this.
I would never do it.

I know someone who did this. He is young and single, which changes the whole question, in my opinion.

This is a wonky one for me to answer... because I have that option (100k+ per every 6mo to go work in Iraq) and I don't take it. BUT I also see nothing wrong with it. I've just made the decision not to do mercenary or NGO work while my son is young, period.

So... would *I*? No.

But is it a terrible idea? Also no. ((I've done it, I just made the decision when I had my son not to do that kind of work anymore / for a long time))

Something I would insist upon, however, is my ticket home. State Dept is the absolute best at guaranteeing a ticket home and following through with it, but pretty crappy with pay/benefits (still about 10x what the military gets paid) certain other NGOs are also quite good about it. The reason I would insist is that I have too many friends who, when their contract is up, get driven out to the zone and told to get out. It's either renew the contract or get left to die. Life expectancy for those "dropped off" is pretty short. Ditto, getting really specific about early termination clauses (aka if you end up owing money if you have to leave early). This is a big deal for people with kids. If your kid ends up in the hospital or dying, you want to be able to go home.

ALSO I would absolutely 100% ***insist*** on hostage negotiation / recovery insurance. With at least a 5-10mil payout plus percentage (so you don't get left with a multimillion dollar 'copay'). That's usually part of the insurance. The hostage negotiators usually guarantee they get paid, because most people can't afford the cost of the negotiator, much less the helicopter fuel. I would also insist on reading the entire HN contract before signing. Companies that work in warzones and high risk kidnap/ransom areas usually carry HN insurance as a matter of course, but one can also usually get specifics added to your individual contact. Then you leave it with your spouse, or next of kin, so that the HN or Recovery company doesn't go off of company standards if your individual contract is different.

Both the pay, and the hostage negotiation insurance (aka soooo willing to 'negotiate with terrorists') are 2 reason why I would never go to work for our gov again, but would very much be willing to work private.

ALSO... (but wait, there's more)... if he's medical, he probably won't be given armor (I'd still suggest agumenting with your own armor if he was issued armor)... but the following link, imho, is a "must have" for militarized zones or cartel zones. Even if it's just 'long underwear' worn under your uniform. It's iffy with shrapnel, however. Most forms of "soft" armor (those without plates) don't protect against sharp edges. So it depends on what the devices are filled with. LOVE areas where the money has been devalued. Coins make really effective shrapnel, but coins are also typically stopped by soft armor. Also, it's 50/50... but there are GPS implants, and swallowables. Sometimes those are an instant shot to the head if you get found with them (scanners), sometimes they're invaluable for recovery. It all depends on the local protocols. I don't know what the standard is for Iraq these days, because it's too tempting to go, so I avoid paying attention.

http://www.miguelcaballerousa.com/

That is not a good job for a person with a young family. Much as we could use more money to make ends meet...it isn't worth it. I have to preschool age kids and would really struggle on a daily basis without my husband to help. Obviously others may feel differently.

NO way. Simply not worth it for me - money is not everything, and time away from your family can never be regained. I agree with you - if this was the only opportunity a family had to get by or something that would be different, but to simply opt for it - I would not do it.

No way. Family is more important than money. My husband has a job where he travels. He's been in China for one straight year and has travelled all around the world to every ****hole imaginable. He is in the process of interviewing for a local job with little travel--making a lot less money. I want him to take this new job even though it's less money. We have downscaled our lifestyle and we will continue to downscale if we have too. I would rather have my husband home with me and the kids then traveling with his current job even though he gets paid more.

If we were in this situation, we would go for it in a heartbeat. Even if it is only for a couple of years, to get us up on our feet. I'm sure it would be hard, but it wouldn't be nearly as hard as military families have it. At least we would know that he wasn't being sent into combat zones or anything like that. Plus, it's fairly easy to stay in touch any more. We could at least Skype, or something like that, so it's not like we wouldn't be able to keep in contact.

Of course, we are in a horrible financial situation right now... living with the in-laws, and hubby is working at walmart... so for us this would just be too good of an opportunity to pass up.

If we weren't in our financial situation, then it would be something to talk about. Maybe we would be able to save for a better/earlier retirement, build a better nest egg, move into a better house (or pay off the one you have), whatever we would need at the time. Comfortable doesn't always equal secure. We would have to weigh the priorities of our current situation before making a decision. People can say that money doesn't buy happiness... but having bills paid, savings in the bank, not having to worry about how you are going to feed the kids this week or agonizing over whether you can afford a doctor's visit sure takes a lot of the stress off.

Right now, it would definitely be different if the mother was leaving for us! Baby girl needs Mommy's magic milk-makin boobies! lol.

**I think my answer probably stems from having been in the military, and having various family members in different branches...so it's not uncommon to have someone deployed and pretty much in this situation but for much longer stretches than only 3 months... My family has such a strong support system for the times when people are deployed that while I'm sure it would be difficult without hubby, and we would definitely miss him (and him us), it wouldn't be nearly as hard as it would be for most families.

Number one thing, Baghdad is NOT safe. Nowhere. Maybe there are parts "safer" then others (not saying much), but it is not safe. Second, you have kids to raise them. You don't have them to leave them almost an entire year chasing money.

Most people would be shocked by how little my family makes...and we would NEVER do this. I can't even imagine what it would be like to make half of $100,00, let alone more! However, it's not worth it. Nothing for me could make it worth it. I have learned time and time again, money makes so few people happy. The most miserable people I've ever met were also the wealthiest.

I would have a hard time getting past #1. I would really doubt that Baghdad could be "safe" right now.

So, no, I wouldn't and I doubt my husband would want to either.

My Dh is currently deployed for a year in Afghanistan. HOW I WISH they were paying him that much! LOL Seriously though, we have 2 young children and yes, it is tough having him away.
That said, if this opportunity came up, and they would send him home every 3 months for a month, and the "mission" only lasted a year and he'd make over 1 Million? Just might take 'em up on it! We're getting thru this year, only seeing each other once (for 2 weeks for a midtour R&R) and doing surprisingly well. You didn't say if thsis position would be ongoing or just for 1 year. More than a year? No way. 1 year...away 3 months, home 1 month, away 3 months, home 1 month away 3 months then home...doesn't sound too bad to me! (But I'm coming from a whole different place here!)
I'd go for it...especially if we were hurting for money (we're not)...but yes, that would certainly make it more appealing.
Long story...yep, we'd probably go for it.

My husband is in Baghdad right now. He is active duty Army. For him, it wasn't an option. I know he works with a lot of civilians. It's a personal choice. His deployments are hard, but the military has afforded us many great things (West Point education, free graduate school, pension at age 41, health insurance for life, enough money for me to stay home, better than average salary, job security, etc.). Perhaps he feels a calling to serve others in this capacity.

We were in a similar position not to long ago. After my husband lost his job he couldn't find anything on FL, somebody offer him a job in India, same thing, high salary and less working hours, it was so tempted and to be honest we did considered it at one point but it was so hard, specially because
a) I was afraid for him
b) our baby was just 1 year old and they grow so fast at that age, well at any age but is so many 1st things at that age
Lucky he found another job with a lot less money and a lot more hours but it was here...well, not really because he travels every week so I still don't see him every day but at least I know he is safe and I can always come with him if I could.
It is a though decision when you are really struggling, on the other side, many women (and man) have to see their partners leave to go on the military, I feel enormous gratitude and admiration for those families, it must be very, very though.

No waaaaaaaaaaay!! Good luck to you friend!

I'm with Jackie below. We have a few debts, but live relatively comfortably. There is NO WAY I would agree to that. Or for my husband to do that.
Also, like Jackie, if our situation were such that we couldn't provide for our family properly... then that would affect our choices. But that isn't the case for us. And it doesn't sound like the case for your friend/family that has this dubious opportunity. If it is 6x their base pay... they at least are employed somewhere, and evidently employed with opportunity to earn more than their "base" pay. I'd work h*** o* the opportunities to utilize that 'extra' above the 'base pay' they have right now.
There are no guarantees in this life. Kids grow up quickly.
I do not envy the military families that are subjected to long separations and what they put on the line. But at least they can stand on the moral ground that they are serving our country...not just in it for the $$.

No. No amount of money is worth my life or my husband's life in my opinion, and going to Baghdad as an American contractor is not safe. I know many do it, but the safety issues combined with the overwhelming amount of time away from home would make it a definite "no" for me.

I am struggleing and I am NOT going to Bagdad or anywhere near that area any time soon period dot. Location is a deal breaker for me.

My husband was offered 300k a year tax free to work in Iraq, and the answer was no. I dont understand the "no other means thing" because he is currently laid off from the profession he went to school for and its doing complete career change to keep us afloat. We are making it, and we are doing it together, as a family. His job has been rocky for awhile now, as well as mine, hence the career change, we have always made it and have never borrowed a dime from anyone. I would never give up my family for money.

I'd rather he go back to Baghdad than Kabul. But I did say no to this type of offer and my hubby is here in the states. My argument was that he had already done his time. No amount of money was worth his life now that it was a choice. Whereas when you are ordered to go, you go.

I do know several families who are making this work. It's hard, but better than 13 monther stretches. The dads, in my case it's all dads, are home every 4 months and then go back after 1. Deployments last 7-18 months and only if they are gone for over 12 do they get 2 weeks R&R.

The question is $ over family. If one was out of work, or struggling to make ends meet it would be very tempting. Many people live like this, but its no LIFE for the long term. Its similar to being in the military, so obviously many people do make it work, but its not easy.

If money is an issue for them they should probably reevaluate their "needs". 1/6 of $1 million is a large chunk of change, and they could pare things down to have a more comfortable life with the current salary he's getting. If there is a lot of debt it would be tempting to do this job for 1 year and use extra cash to pay off debt, then return to previous job (if possible). But ultimately its up to them how important extra money is. My husband was presented with an opportunity to make an extra 2x his salary with a moonlighting position. (he's a resident physician right now and gets paid very minimal). But family time was more important, especially as we know in 15 months his salary with probably go way up. We're willing to live with less, and even do so after he gets a normal salary, so we can reduce med school debt quickly and efficiently. Most people don't want to do that, and that's okay, its their life. But we all have to look at the big picture and not just the $ attached to a job.

Hope that your friends can figure it out. Best wishes!

If it were me, and I were the one to go overseas, I would do it, if I could convince my DH to be okay with it. I have an adventure streak and "wander lust" and I think that working overseas can really give a person a perspective that living one's whole life in one place could never do. Plus the fact that the money would mean that, for us, we'd be pretty much set for the rest of our lives, with no more financial worries (assuming we wisely invested the great majority of it; we live pretty frugally and that would continue regardless).

If it were my DH, I would encourage him to take it if he wanted to. In this scenario, where he could be home several times, and it would only be for 1 year, he might.... but most of the scenarios Ive heard about, it's 2 years minimum and little to no visits home--in that case I'm virtually certain he wouldn't, unless we were so down on our luck it was a financial life-or-death situation. He's a homebody, and not particularly adventuresome; his home is his castle....

I wish your BIL luck in making the best decision for him and his family.