Job Discussion Forums

genericusername · Joined: 04 Dec 2012 Posts: 29 Location: Dubai

Any thoughts? The pay and hours are excellent. All sounds wonderful. Can I get some independent confirmation on the quality of this assignment?

PeterParvo · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 103

I've never been to Qassim, but I've heard it's tough-ultraconservative. Maybe I'm wrong. Anybody been there?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I wonder if DYNCORP is a reincarnation of DYNARABIA.

"Stay away" is my advice.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

When I was in Saudi about this time last year, one teacher at my school was struggling to get his iqama changed so he could go work for dyncorp in qassim. The pay sounded pretty good.

I spent one academic year in Qassim at Qassim University. It ranks as one of the worst year's of my life. Main reason for this is that Qassim is an absolute hole: dusty, desolate, unfriendly, and just plain weirdly conservative. Edex left us in a good hotel on the outskirts of Buraidah. So that may have also contributed to the desolation. If Dyncorp has a compound for you that is well equipped, it could be OK. My guess, though, is that you will be pretty far out of town, near one of military outposts.

So, I guess the final question is whether the good pay is worth it? I found that for slightly better pay Afghanistan was better. That should tell you something.

genericusername · Joined: 04 Dec 2012 Posts: 29 Location: Dubai

I know nothing of Dynarbia, but DynCorp is a very large U.S. based contractor that mostly does contracts with Defense and State.

I've been told the compound is on an AF base co-located with the airport.

Family is allowed, and sponsored with visas and insurance but no airfare is provided for them.

The pay is double what another place has offered me, and I've seen bad thing written about the other company.

One thing I'm always concerned with is getting paid on time. I worked for a school in Turkey that was sometimes 3 weeks late and they got offended if you complained about it. I know a large American contractor has a set payday.

I know people who worked on other DynCorp projects who said it was a good company overall, but that does not always promise that a given location will be good.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Qassim is difficult unless you are a Salafist.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

PeterParvo · Joined: 18 Dec 2011 Posts: 103

"just go into town for a little adventure from time to time."

God I hope you're not suggesting that he take his wife and kids into a town like that. Al-Khobar was bad enough. I can't imagine a place like Qassim for the family.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

jaffa · Joined: 25 Oct 2012 Posts: 403

Yep, Buraidah is one WEE-ERD outpost of serious desolation.

fledex · Joined: 05 Jun 2011 Posts: 342

If you take the job, keep us informed of how you like the job and the place. I'm curious to find out if the compound and job are good.

genericusername · Joined: 04 Dec 2012 Posts: 29 Location: Dubai

The compound is just a small trailer park on the base. I've seen it on Google maps. It looks very nice with pool, basketball and tennis courts. I assume it also has a gym.

I get a good vibe from my experience so far. It's taking time to get the offer and visa process done, but it is the holiday season, and large corporations combined with GCC governments mean delays in getting any decision made.

rollingk · Joined: 23 Jul 2006 Posts: 212

I was hired back in January by Dyncorp, but haven't made it to Saudi yet. Amazing, crazy uncoordinated crap with the recruitment and visa good folk. Has anyone actually made it there . . . say .. . within the last 6 months?

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

I would say if you hadn't gotten there by now you won't be going. The Saudi visa process is a pain but won't be more than 4 months at the most, what I went through and mostly due to laziness on the Saudi Cultural Mission. Ramadan is coming up so nothing will get done during Ramadan for the Saudis, so I would say better to look somewhere else.