Working for AMMROC F-16 MX

Hi everyone, I know that there have been several posts in regards to working with AMMROC, however, the most recent post was from 2013...

I've received a call from an Orion who acts as the recruiter for AMMROC in the UAE in regards to a crew chief position. According to him, the pay for a 7-level starts at $96K tax-free. Sounds great, but I need to take into account living expenses in Abu-Dhabi which in performing initial searches is pretty high. Is anyone currently working there or have any recent experience over there that can provide any insight? I'm also interested in the company itself- I'm seeing mixed reviews online about the company with comments such as "stay away, the company is a mess" to "great working environment with great pay."

I still have plenty of time (at least 90 days for the clearance and visa process alone) so I'm trying to research as much as I can and gain any insight and thought this website is a great resource. Any information I can get is appreciated. Thanks guys!

Here's the link to Orion if anyone's interested...http://www.orioninternational.com/ammroc/ Listed on the site are interview dates and locations for current recruiting events for AMMROC. Cheers!

Good luck

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/abu-dh ... 8318975021

ORION is only as good as the UAE allows. AMMROC has a facility in Al Ain.
Thing is, Oil has dropped big, $130-40.
no bad thing unless there is Billions.

The MRO facility is awesome....Unless you like extreme heat, no test capability, and logistics?

Live in Al Ain. Nice town, less expensive. Pretty mountains.

That's a fun drive. At night. Falling asleep. After hanging CFTs in 120 degree heat.

Then stop at that ****hole gas station halfway there. Buy some potato chips and a grape soda.


Lazy Phase Bum


Hmm... Come to think of it... I could use a few more bucks for the mortgage. Who's Super on nights, these days?

Dont let the recruiter lie to you, thats their main job. You will start out making 89846usd. You will need about 36000 just for rent, unless you want to live like a bum or illegally. There is a 5% expat tax that you will have to pay as well. Utilities are at least 3x more expensive for expats than locals. THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF ANY CHANCE THEY GET. It is seriously worse than anything you would ever see anywhere in the states. It's also not as cheap as Google search would show you. If you have kids expect at least one month pay check for tuition. If you want a good school( which you might be on a two year waiting list) 3 months pay. Ignorance is not an excuse to break the law even, if a local is in the wrong you are at fault. Back to the company, pretty much all the locals(extremely lazy) have secured positions in al Ain. Don't expect it to be open anytime soon. The last estimate was summer 2014, now we are being told sometime with in a year. This company does not pay over time( they can hardly even pay your contact, still waiting on 10 months back pay). The company will lie directly to your face. However that said, it improving on the way we ex us air force operate within ourselves. The local military are starting to carry their own ( like the good little 3levels should). If you have any other opportunities out there please think hard about pursuing that route. Boy I wish I had then I wouldn't be in debt here. Oh yeah expect to take out two or four loans 20 x your monthly salary if you stay here legally and build up revenue for your retirement.

Recently AMMROC has fired several people (Americans) from the F16 platform with absolutely no justification. These individuals are contacted and only told to report to the main HR office and that a settlement check and plane ticket is waiting. One individual had been here roughly a year and had just moved his family here and enrolled his child in school. Which by the way is upwards of 30,000 dirham (10K). Additionally he had just paid rental fees for a year which was around 80K dirhams. My biggest issue is management had to of known about this week's or months in advance for them to have his settlement and ticket ready the next day. The reason I say this is that AMMROC cannot do anything that requires that type of coordination that quickly. Believe me HR and most of management is totally disfunctional.
I believe they are doing for 2 reasons. 1 of course is financial and the other is that the company is owned by a UAE company and they are pushing to employ their own national workforce, which is also part of reason 1. The emerati nationals are not on the same pay scale as Americans.
In the past couple of months they have been very adamant about training and involving the locals in all areas of maintenance and supporting operations.
If you are considering employment with this company be advised and consider all of your options first. Pay is not equal across the board, and is not based on skill level. Some 5 levels make more than others and so on. There is no housing, medical has just changed as you now have to co_pay and several benefits have gone away. They do not pay fairly when you have finished your contract and expecting your Final settlement. Getting them to pay for overtime worked is like pulling teeth, and believe me u will be asked to work overtime.
Housing is ridiculously high here so don't plan on banking alot of cash. If u have ever worked in the middle east this is one of their tricks. They pay you decent but they try to get u to put all the money back into the local economy.
Shall I go on.......?????

Hate to say it. This is old news. If you're going to work overseas. Work for a DOD contractor.

Toro,

We appreciate the update, and on behalf of the Al Dhafra community, thanks for the information. It takes courage to stand up to the politics of the base, and many current, former, and future alumni are grateful for the insight. However, obviously without being indiscreet or personal, can you give us some more details as to the situations you describe, for a warning to everyone else? We've all heard the "towbar" story of the good guy who said the one wrong expletive. Was this a similar case, or some type of grudge, local losing face, position downsized, etc? Backshop, hangar, specialists, engines, phase, supervision? The UAE program does pay well, if you understand how to be careful with payroll and family. But you are absolutely correct, it is not a place to settle in, settle down, and believe you've retired for a homestead.

Good job, brother.

Lazy Phase Bum

AMMROC has gone into full EMERITIZATION mode, meaning they are replacing and even firing highly qualified expats with 20+ years experience only to put a local into the position. I remember reading an article on AMMROC back in 2012 / 2103 timeframe and their published goal was to have a local workforce of 70% within the first 5 years. It's happening. If you are considering a job with AMMROC, I would highly suggest that you weigh all your options carefully. And if you a already employed by them, don't leave yourself without options...