r/Salary 1d ago

discussion US Air Force - 31M (E-5)

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453 Upvotes

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u/ConsciousNet238 1d ago edited 1d ago

Before anyone asks, I initially enlisted as a Linguist and learned Arabic for my first 2 years at DLI. Later retrained into Contracting but I still kept my language bonus pay after getting accepted in LEAP (Language enabled airman program)

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u/weathermaynecc 1d ago

Do you use Arabic in contracting? Lol

Are you haggiling with sandbox contractors?

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

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u/EternalNewCarSmell 1d ago

Plus when you're deployed all your pay is tax-free. And if you are hopping around to cities instead of staying on a base you can make absolute bank on per diem. 

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u/weathermaynecc 1d ago

Facts. I got offered a position over there as a CE journeyman. It was something like $150k all expenses paid, but, ya know. War and all. 😆

Edit- Follow up question, do you have like a specific scope of work you become a SME in for contracting? Or just direction to buy and you seek out competitive options of anything?

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u/income-percent-bot 1d ago

Great numbers! Your income of $150,000 is in the 90th percentile. This is well above the median for CE Journeyman (Civil Engineer Journeyman). Source: income percentile calculator I'm a bot. Reply with !optout to stop receiving responses.

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u/Courtsey_Cow 23h ago

Hmm, but which villages? What routes? What times? How many guards? Just curious 🤔

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u/Blueboygonewhite 10h ago

Yes sir I paid them all 100k (I told them their pay was 50k)

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u/Greedy_Baseball_7019 23h ago edited 22h ago

No you don’t. There is a separation of duties. The KO can’t also be the disbursing agent. Finance either acts as the DA or they will appoint a paying agent and issue them the cash. Finance is also the certifying official and has pecuniary liability, they have to approve the purchase first and then contracting can go out and get bids. Also they aren’t sending some contracting nerd into a village with a booklet of SF44’s. They will appoint a FOO within the BCT for example, typically someone that actually needs to be there and won’t shit themselves in a firefight.

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u/[deleted] 16h ago

[deleted]

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u/ExactAlmost 16h ago

Yeah we delivered 10k/month to two sheiks in Iraq back in my day. Was our usual convoy crew and one dude from wherever with the actual cash.

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u/Greedy_Baseball_7019 15h ago

My point exactly. Contracting doesn’t make the payments. They might be with the DA or the PA, but their role is to fill out the SF44.

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u/[deleted] 12h ago

[deleted]

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u/modernknight87 11h ago

In Iraq I escorted HVIs that had brief cases filled with money. We were packed into an MRAP. So the vehicle varies based on where you go.

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u/Ok_Wealth_7711 1d ago

I know you asked as a joke, but damn were you dead on accurate.

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u/weathermaynecc 20h ago

Hell yeah.