I've been asked a lot lately what it's like to be a civilian contractor's wife, after doing the Army thing for so long. I think it's a valid thing to ask, and really, I'm so glad to have the opportunity to explain the similarities and differences to people before they have to figure this stuff out the hard way like I did. It's smart to ask questions about this stuff. Anyway, here's what I think you need to know if your husband is considering leaving the military and becoming a contractor.
The Bad:
1) The pay is nowhere near as good as everyone thinks it is. Watch the reaction next time I say in mixed company that my husband is a civilian contractor. Within two minutes, someone will imply that I have a lot of money. They are incorrect. This is a really easy mistake to make, though. For one, it looks good on paper. Thak's pay is more than his Army base pay was. The thing is, though, he doesn't get housing or food allowance now, and we have to pay for our health insurance and other benefits that we got for free from the Army. What all that adds up to is a monthly take-home pay of about $2k LESS (per month) than it was when he was a Staff Sergeant. This is why we live in a 2 BR apartment and share a relatively cheap car. That's when he's stateside. I'll tell you about deployment pay in a minute.
2) There's not as much stability as there was in the Army. If the firm loses the contract, his job is gone. This really needs no elaboration.
3) The unit has no obligation to keep him, or you, informed, or include you in anything. Sometimes they will, but sometimes they won't. There is no rule on this, so they can do whatever they want. I remember when Thak was Active Duty, he worked with this contractor named Jim. That entire unit absolutely loved Jim. He was part of the family, and so was his wife even though none of us liked her very much. We dealt with her because her husband was just so important to the unit. We treated them exactly the same as if they had been another Army family. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience with the unit Thak is contracted to. That's nothing against them. Like I said, it's their choice to handle these things how they see fit, but the fact that they don't see fit to include us was surprising after what I'd seen from the old unit. You just never know what you're going to get.
4) It can be lonely. You're not quite military, and you're not quite civilian. You probably don't have decals to get through the gates of post. You probably don't have an ID card. If you make friends with wives in the unit, which is a good idea, it can be hard to see them if they live on post. Civilian friends are great to have, but sometimes it gets tiresome if they don't understand what it's like to have your husband leave for months at a time. Sometimes there are other contractors' wives, but not always. Your husband will be on the same deployment rotation as maybe one other contractor from your site. If you're lucky, he's married. If you're really lucky, you get along with his wife. The guy Thak deploys with is single. This is very common. Most contractors are single or divorced. It's not the easiest line of work for someone with a family.
The Good:
1) There is so much less drama than there was in the Army. Maybe it's because there are fewer wives (since so many of the guys are single or divorced), or because the ones there are tend to be a little older on average (all of us at this site are 30+), or because we are freed from the rank structure, or because our household income isn't of public record, but for some reason, there is infinitely less drama with contractor families than there was with military families. Like, you can actually go to a party, with your kids and your husband, drink margaritas to your heart's content (or until you're really freaking tipsy), wear a swimsuit, be yourself, and actually not have rumors spread about you. It's amazing.
2) On that subject, contractor parties totally rock.
3) The deployment pay is AMAZING. This is how they make up for all the ramen noodles you had to eat while he was stateside. See, on the civilian side, they really do consider it to be asking a lot of someone to go to a war zone for 9 months and leave his family behind in the states. Consequently, they pay extremely well for that. Contractors make easily twice what a mid-career NCO makes while deployed.
4) The benefits are good. You have to pay for them, sure, but honestly, the benefits are way better than what most other places are offering.
5) Bonuses galore! He gets sent away to NTC? Bonus. He has to train at the main compound for a month? Bonus. He has to work 12 hour days to do a massive software upgrade? Bonus. (If they can get it approved in time.)
6) You don't have to move unless you want to. We know contractors who have moved around a good bit, but it was all their choice. Most pick a place and stay there. That's what we're doing. The firm doesn't force people to move unless the unit complains about one of their people. Then they move them. Since Thak can work with pretty much anybody just fine, that's not a concern of ours. It is nice to know that this is our home, and we don't have to worry about orders coming down tomorrow that would take us away from it.
7) Communications are better while they're gone. You can actually call them while they're deployed. There's an actual phone number. I mean, you can't call it all the time or something, but if you have an actual need to talk to your husband RIGHT THEN, you can do that. They also have their own internet, and it's way better than the Army's. Anyone who's ever been through a deployment or several with the Army knows how much all of this would improve life. It's hard to go through a year without being able to contact your husband no matter how badly you need to talk to him. When he's a contractor, you don't have to do that.
8) It's easier for him to get time off than it was when he was in the Army. I had an appointment the other day to see about getting my wisdom teeth removed, finally. Why am I 30 and still have my wisdom teeth? Well, because when Thak was in the Army, I never had any help with the kids so I could take care of my needs like that. The Army does not consider it a justified reason for a husband to take off work, if he has any level of responsibility within the unit at all, which Thak always did. The firm is different. If you think it's a justified reason to be off work, it's a justified reason. Get one of your buddies to cover for you, and go. There is more freedom.
9) It is truly voluntary. If you want to leave the firm, you can. You're not locked in for a billion more years just because you signed that many, like you would be in the Army. If you just can't take any more deployments, you can go. It's not like the Army where you'll just keep deploying and deploying nonstop until either your contract ends or you die. In the firm, the choice is yours whether to stay or go.
The Ugly:
1) Let's face it, girls. Tactical khakis look like shit. You may love a man in uniform, but not this uniform.
2) He will develop "Contractor Brain". They all do. They hang out with a bunch of single guys all day. There exists the opportunity to earn a lot of money, but it will require leaving you for an extended period of time. They will actually consider doing things like leaving a month early for a deployment and not taking any leave to come home and visit you, because if they do that, they won't have to pay taxes that year. They'll probably also go through a time where they think it sounds like a really good idea to volunteer for an immediate posting at Kandahar Air Field. Tell him he has lost his damned mind, and go about your business. Contractor Brain is short lived, and easily cured with home cooking and other things he loves that he can't get in Afghanistan, but it recurs at random.
3) The public hates contractors. They really do. You're going to hear a lot of crap you'll wish you never heard.
That's pretty much the lowdown on this thing. It's not bad. By today's standards, it's a pretty sweet deal. Although, there are some ways in which the Army is better. Just be really honest about what you want before making any drastic decisions like leaving the Army for good. Contracting gets both an overly good, and an overly bad, rap. In reality, it's neither of these extremes. It's best to see it for what it is, and figure out what you think of it from there.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment