Civilian contracting...

[lil_liegh]

Does anyone have any information on this? Ive been researching it some but Id rather hear some real-life stories. From what I know, its working for the military (Im looking at the Army) overseas as a civilian. From what little I know, its really something Im interested in. Ive talked to DH and he said hes behind me if its what I want.

Does anyone know anything about this?

[Solstice]

What exactly do you want to know?

[Navgirl]

PM'd you.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by lil_liegh Does anyone have any information on this? Ive been researching it some but Id rather hear some real-life stories. From what I know, its working for the military (Im looking at the Army) overseas as a civilian. From what little I know, its really something Im interested in. Ive talked to DH and he said hes behind me if its what I want. Does anyone know anything about this?

What do you mean by overseas, because some contractors consider Hawaii to be overseas.

I'm not sure how easy it'll be since your husband is AD and you have a baby.

[Navgirl]

Originally Posted by Victoria What do you mean by overseas, because some contractors consider Hawaii to be overseas. I'm not sure how easy it'll be since your husband is AD and you have a baby.

My husband is AD and I am a civilian contractor. I don't have babies, though my boys are 10 and 12. And yes Hawaii can be considered OCONUS. I work in Korea.

[lil_liegh]

I guess I was asking what all it takes to be able to do it, what sort of jobs there are, things like that...?

[Solstice]

There are TONS of companies that do DOD contracting all over the world including the continental US. I worked as a contractor for a company called Stanley Associates when I retired then switched over to Indus Technology. I'm a DOD Civi now which I prefer. You can look at companies like CACI, Booz Allen Hamilton, L-3, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Computer Sciences Corporation, Raytheon, General Dynamics, MITRE, and BAE Systems, just to name a few.

There are pro's and cons. Cons: The life of a contractor is very unpredictable. You are at the mercy of fiscal year cuts, etc. Depending on where you work you can be treated like a second or third class citizen. I was at SPAWAR as a contractor in San Diego and contractors are not very high on the food chain. You also get paid a lot less than your civilian counterparts and tend to catch a lot of the chit work that the civi's don't want to do. Where I am now, the contractors are treated way better. Contractor companies get paid x amount of $$ to fill the contract position. The less they pay you the more they make. They will try to hire at the lowest possible $. End of fiscal year can be very stressful if your company doesn't perform well on the tasking.

Earning time off....takes forever and more than likely you won't earn any sick leave. Your hours are monitored closely (whether you know it or not).

Hmmm the good part? Contract companies are everywhere. They also open doors for you to get civilian positions which pay better and have better security. Most have great retirement and benefit programs with 401K matching, etc.

I can answer any more specific questions for you. I also have access to a few DOD contractors in Hawaii thanks to my work so feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

[eelo]

Originally Posted by Solstice There are TONS of companies that do DOD contracting all over the world including the continental US. I worked as a contractor for a company called Stanley Associates when I retired then switched over to Indus Technology. I'm a DOD Civi now which I prefer. You can look at companies like CACI, Booz Allen Hamilton, L-3, Boeing, Northrup Grumman, Computer Sciences Corporation, Raytheon, General Dynamics, MITRE, and BAE Systems, just to name a few. There are pro's and cons. Cons: The life of a contractor is very unpredictable. You are at the mercy of fiscal year cuts, etc. Depending on where you work you can be treated like a second or third class citizen. I was at SPAWAR as a contractor in San Diego and contractors are not very high on the food chain. You also get paid a lot less than your civilian counterparts and tend to catch a lot of the chit work that the civi's don't want to do. Where I am now, the contractors are treated way better. Contractor companies get paid x amount of $$ to fill the contract position. The less they pay you the more they make. They will try to hire at the lowest possible $. End of fiscal year can be very stressful if your company doesn't perform well on the tasking. Earning time off....takes forever and more than likely you won't earn any sick leave. Your hours are monitored closely (whether you know it or not). Hmmm the good part? Contract companies are everywhere. They also open doors for you to get civilian positions which pay better and have better security. Most have great retirement and benefit programs with 401K matching, etc. I can answer any more specific questions for you. I also have access to a few DOD contractors in Hawaii thanks to my work so feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

This is an excellent response and probably should be stickied.

I've been AD, Civil Service, and Contractor. Can't add much to what Solstice has said here.

[Navgirl]

I agree Solstice said it all. I work for Booz Allen and it's true about the pay on my end, it's not as much and my hours are watched closely, if I am close to my limit and have a few days before the end of the pay period, I am forced to take days off since I am a part time employee but that's fine, I love that I am part time for now because I had been a SAHM for nearly 12 years so this was a good stepping stone job and I hope to move up when I get my aviation maintenance degree. I already have a degree in computer networking, though.