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How much do you get paid for going overseas

  • 06-04-2020 9:46am
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 2


    Just wondering. I heard you get a big lump sum for going overseas


Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 449 ✭✭earlytobed


    No, you get an overseas allowance as well as your normal salary.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,678 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    Snooker12 wrote: »
    Just wondering. I heard you get a big lump sum for going overseas

    It's like winning the lotto.

    €50,000


  • Registered Users Posts: 17,575 ✭✭✭✭Mantis Toboggan


    Definitely pays to go overseas, the 50k plus the overseas allowance is not to be sniffed at.

    Free Palestine 🇵🇸



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,678 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    Definitely pays to go overseas, the 50k plus the overseas allowance is not to be sniffed at.

    Plus getting your mortgage/rent paid by tbe State when you are away.


  • Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭SSr0


    Plus getting your mortgage/rent paid by tbe State when you are away.

    Yeah that was handy for myself when I was away, my mortgage was close to €2k a month. In fairness, the beer allowance could have covered that though.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 21,971 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    Was this with the Legion lads? I knew the conditions and benefits were good, but didn't think they were that good.

    Not your ornery onager



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,716 ✭✭✭knucklehead6


    If it was in the IDF then there needs to be an enquiry! Its disgraceful all these allowances they get from the taxpayer. They signed up for it, there shouldn't be any benefits.

    Next thing you'll have one of them on here giving out that there was no sunscreen allowance and they had to buy their own!


  • Registered Users Posts: 299 ✭✭SSr0


    Next thing you'll have one of them on here giving out that there was no sunscreen allowance and they had to buy their own!

    Ah no it wasn't that bad, we had suncreen issued to us on my trip.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,716 ✭✭✭knucklehead6


    SSr0 wrote: »
    Ah no it wasn't that bad, we had suncreen issued to us on my trip.

    All at the taxpayers expense no doubt!

    Did we fund your banana hammocks too??


  • Registered Users Posts: 21,971 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    If it was in the IDF then there needs to be an enquiry! Its disgraceful all these allowances they get from the taxpayer. They signed up for it, there shouldn't be any benefits.

    Next thing you'll have one of them on here giving out that there was no sunscreen allowance and they had to buy their own!
    I didn't realise we were talking about the Israeli Defence Forces. Do they do much overseas service?

    Not your ornery onager



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  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭Negative_G


    Snooker12 wrote: »
    Just wondering. I heard you get a big lump sum for going overseas

    I'll take the bait.

    There is no catch all answer to this as some missions are armed, others are unarmed. Others are based in areas whereby accommodation must be secured outside of military facilities and other allowances cover that.

    As historically, as well as currently, the majority of irish personnel posted overseas service in UNIFIL (Lebanon) and UNDOF (Syria), I will provide figures for those.

    Austerity measures which cut all allowances by 10% were removed in July 2019 so these figures are effective from them on. UNIFIL and UNDOF are both armed missions. The figures below inxlude Overseas Peace Support Allowance & Overseas Armed Peace Support Allowance.

    €84.85 daily for Ptes.
    €87.02 daily for Cpls.
    €89.21 daily for Sgts and above.
    €105 daily for Capts and lower.
    €113 daily for Comdts and above.

    In summary, a 6 month deployment is worth between €15,000-€20,000 extra.

    There is no "lump sum". These allowances are paid daily and are paid to soldiers either weekly or monthly depending on rank. They are paid in addition to a soldiers salary.

    It might seem like a lot on the face of it but it is small compensation for being away from family for a prolonged period of time.

    Also, bear in mind that "Ireland Inc" receives financial renumeration from the UN to pay for the troops it contributes. So it isn't at any additional cost to the taxpayer. For most of the DF, overseas service is a requirement to meet contractual obligations and for career progression.

    In fact, there are a number of countries who contribute troops to various UN missions who withhold the majority of the UN payment and treat it as a source of income instead of paying it to the soldiers who are deployed.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 18,268 ✭✭✭✭uck51js9zml2yt


    Negative_G wrote: »
    I'll take the bait.

    There is no catch all answer to this as some missions are armed, others are unarmed. Others are based in areas whereby accommodation must be secured outside of military facilities and other allowances cover that.

    As historically, as well as currently, the majority of irish personnel posted overseas service in UNIFIL (Lebanon) and UNDOF (Syria), I will provide figures for those.

    Austerity measures which cut all allowances by 10% were removed in July 2019 so these figures are effective from them on. UNIFIL and UNDOF are both armed missions. The figures below inxlude Overseas Peace Support Allowance & Overseas Armed Peace Support Allowance.

    €84.85 daily for Ptes.
    €87.02 daily for Cpls.
    €89.21 daily for Sgts and above.
    €105 daily for Capts and lower.
    €113 daily for Comdts and above.

    In summary, a 6 month deployment is worth between €15,000-€20,000 extra.

    No wonder my brother was able to buy a new car when he came home. ;)

    A small price for having rockets fired at him on a regular basis.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭Negative_G


    No wonder my brother was able to buy a new car when he came home. ;)

    A small price for having rockets fired at him on a regular basis.

    Unfortunately, for a lot of personnel, serving overseas every 2/3 years, is the only way to make their careers financially viable.

    The cynic in me believes that it's being maintained this way to keep base salaries low.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 12,653 ✭✭✭✭Plumbthedepths


    No wonder my brother was able to buy a new car when he came home. ;)

    A small price for having rockets fired at him on a regular basis.

    Two of my extended family came home in wooden boxes. Money can't be spent in the grave.


  • Registered Users Posts: 966 ✭✭✭Notmything


    Pretty sure SFF was taking the proverbial out of the op.


  • Registered Users Posts: 11,248 ✭✭✭✭salmocab


    Jesus some bunch of lying Walter mittys on here that are neither in the defence forces nor have ever been overseas and pure and utter lies.

    Go back to the video games and playing airsoft ye muppets and let the adults do some soldiering...

    I think you may have missed a joke or two


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,678 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    Some civilians see overseas money as a huge fortune that you just get handed.

    Most people are contractually obliged to travel overseas, however some cant because of their family circumstances.

    I have more than 5 but less than 10 overseas tours completed. Its not only the 6 month stint, theres also a 3 month or so form up training period. So, in any calender year, you could be away from the family a fair bit.

    Its handy to have a few extra thousand in the bank alright but it comes at a price.


  • Registered Users Posts: 1,338 ✭✭✭Negative_G


    Some civilians see overseas money as a huge fortune that you just get handed.

    Most people are contractually obliged to travel overseas, however some cant because of their family circumstances.

    I have more than 5 but less than 10 overseas tours completed. Its not only the 6 month stint, theres also a 3 month or so form up training period. So, in any calender year, you could be away from the family a fair bit.

    Its handy to have a few extra thousand in the bank alright but it comes at a price.

    Also worth bearing in mind that for officers in particular, there is no guarantee that they will return to their home unit.

    So an officer may be from Dublin, bought a house locally, sent their kids to school locally only to be sent overseas and be told 4-6 weeks before coming home "You're being posted to Athlone/Finner/Dundalk".

    There is plenty of other considerations to balance the books.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    Plus getting your mortgage/rent paid by tbe State when you are away.

    I got a free holiday to Thailand, could have brought the family free of charge too but feck that!.

    And instead of coming home at the end of the trip I was flown to Cyrus to chill but had to buy my own sunscreen, so its not all a junket payed for by the tax payer.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    Two of my extended family came home in wooden boxes. Money can't be spent in the grave.

    Most of us who were on the earlier UNIFIL missions would have lost comrades and friends on their trips, my first we'd four KIA.

    There's a tendency to downplay the role our defence forces play at both home and oversea's.

    Today's burial of a Garda is a reminder to those of us who serve that sometimes there can be the ultimate price for our service.

    Remembering Detective Garda Colm Horkan and all those who gave their life in the service of their country and world peace.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,979 ✭✭✭Stovepipe


    Some of the trips were dangerous (Lebanon ranged from boringly quiet to lots of sudden death---I was never there; that quote was from colleagues of mine who did tours there)) and others are highly prized cushy spots, such as year-long accompanied trips to places like the UN HQ in NY. Others are just to dumps like Mali and Liberia and are for shorter terms like 3 months, as they are so grinding on the individual. The Army had quite a few people who had multiple trips under their belt, including one guy that I knew had 15 "Lebs" done and loved going away. Because of the way the current Army contract for service is now, even though all UN trips are volunteer only, you essentially are forced to go, if you want to have any hope of being kept on longer than a 5 year contract, unless you are in a role that needs you to stay at home in Ireland such as a Navy or Air Corps specialist.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,678 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    Some of the trips were dangerous (Lebanon ranged from boringly quiet to lots of sudden death---I was never there; that quote was from colleagues of mine who did tours there)) and others are highly prized cushy spots, such as year-long accompanied trips to places like the UN HQ in NY. Others are just to dumps like Mali and Liberia and are for shorter terms like 3 months, as they are so grinding on the individual. The Army had quite a few people who had multiple trips under their belt, including one guy that I knew had 15 "Lebs" done and loved going away. Because of the way the current Army contract for service is now, even though all UN trips are volunteer only, you essentially are forced to go, if you want to have any hope of being kept on longer than a 5 year contract, unless you are in a role that needs you to stay at home in Ireland such as a Navy or Air Corps specialist.

    Just a bit of tidying up.

    There's one senior officer seconded to UNNY for a 2 year stint at a time. Theres also a few in Europe (Brussels etc) in NATO and SHAPE for up to 3 years.

    Mali is an EU not UN trip and is for 6 months. Liberia was also 6 months but we stopped serving there about 13 years ago. Chad was a 4 month trip when we deployed there.

    Yep, we are contractually obliged to volunteer for overseas service and renewing a contract (army) is contingent on having served overseas.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,306 ✭✭✭bobbyy gee




  • Registered Users Posts: 3,355 ✭✭✭davetherave


    bobbyy gee wrote: »

    What the fcuk has that got to do with the price of turnips? Do you do anything on Boards other than Google the thread title and post the first thing you see?


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,979 ✭✭✭Stovepipe


    There's one senior officer seconded to UNNY for a 2 year stint at a time. Theres also a few in Europe (Brussels etc) in NATO and SHAPE for up to 3 years.

    Mali is an EU not UN trip and is for 6 months. Liberia was also 6 months but we stopped serving there about 13 years ago. Chad was a 4 month trip when we deployed there.

    Yep, we are contractually obliged to volunteer for overseas service and renewing a contract (army) is contingent on having served overseas.[/QUOTE]
    I love that phrase "contractually obliged to volunteer". How would that even stand up in court?! .....Don't forget Western Sahara and the Golan! I have friends who were/are serving there. As for the pay, the State actually docks part of the allowances for each person. The UN transfers a certain amount per person to the Govt but the amount recieved by the soldier is less, even before it reaches the taxman......by and large, most people want to go and do overseas tours because it's different, exciting and beats dull barrack routine and you make a few quid, but the element of being effectively forced to go, if you want to get service of longer than five years, takes the fun out of it, especially when there's no guarantee of getting a second 5 year term.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,678 ✭✭✭Signore Fancy Pants


    Stovepipe wrote: »
    I love that phrase "contractually obliged to volunteer". How would that even stand up in court?! .....Don't forget Western Sahara and the Golan! I have friends who were/are serving there. As for the pay, the State actually docks part of the allowances for each person. The UN transfers a certain amount per person to the Govt but the amount recieved by the soldier is less, even before it reaches the taxman......by and large, most people want to go and do overseas tours because it's different, exciting and beats dull barrack routine and you make a few quid, but the element of being effectively forced to go, if you want to get service of longer than five years, takes the fun out of it, especially when there's no guarantee of getting a second 5 year term.

    Well its part of the requirements to be offered a new contract. If you dont want to sign a new contract its not an issue. TBH, its part and parcel of the job, its quite as simple as that. People volunteer to go because its their job. It doesnt take the "fun" away from it.

    Its not fixed 5 year terms either. In my case it was 5, 4, 3 and 9 year contracts....then every 2 years for 10 years.

    Not forgetting MINURSO or UNDOF, wasnt giving a full breakdown of missions, just clearing up the small inaccuracies in the ones you mentioned....nothing personal either, just fixing it.

    The state taking a 10% cut of overseas allowances paid by the UN has ceased since 2019....we get the full allotment now.

    In essence the UN "rents" every peacekeeper and every piece of equipment from contributing nations. They pay a set amount for each and it goes to the govt. What that figure is, I have no idea.


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,979 ✭✭✭Stovepipe


    Nice one. Happy to be corrected and updated.


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