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Offline guppy

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Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« on: Dec 01, 2008, 01:30 »
There is a job posting for Koeberg Nuclear Power Station that was put up last week.  Anyone out there have any experience here?  Are there personal safety issues that need to be considered?  Thanks.
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Offline HydroDave63

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #1 on: Dec 01, 2008, 01:48 »
What link to it?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #3 on: Dec 01, 2008, 02:52 »
Got a carpenter that was here for our last outage (VY) - loves it down there, works there all he can, considers it his second home....

under different personal conditions, I'd sure consider it... ;)
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catch-n-release

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #4 on: Dec 03, 2008, 10:43 »
Has anyone called to ask what the pay/per diem is?

wlrun3@aol.com

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #5 on: Dec 04, 2008, 11:05 »
Has anyone called to ask what the pay/per diem is?

   ..."Dear Bill,

Thank you for the interest that you have shown in this job posting.

Your resume has been forwarded to Eskom. 

We had more interest than the 10 positions we are looking for, so Eskom will make a first selection and tell us with who we can proceed further and have a telephonic interview. These will take place beginning of the week of 15 December.

By that time I will have sent to you a mail with most of the answers to the questions you have in mind ( hourly rate, per diem, overtime, travel ticket, start date etc… ).

I shall be abroad next week, but will be able to answer my mails.

With kind regards.

Bernard Jongen

Managing Partner

Deros International

Unit A3, Westlake Square, Westlake Drive

Cape Town 7945

Tel.: (+27) 086 118 58 72

Mob.: (+27) 072 263 20 54

Fax: (+27) 021 701 06 03



alphadude

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #6 on: Dec 04, 2008, 12:46 »
steve gary can give you some inside info on this since he did it before. its not a wild and weird as when i applied back in the 80s.

scottt66

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #7 on: Dec 04, 2008, 03:17 »
i got an email back from the guy just like yours. one difference is that he wanted to know my rate? i emailed him back about ten questions he needed to answer before i gave him my " rate " such as peir diem. etc?

has anyone heard of a rate or peir diem yet ????

thanks
scott

scottttt66@yahoo.com

alphadude

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #8 on: Dec 04, 2008, 05:24 »
i dont think this is a perdiam job. its a real job, not a temp job. there was a stipend and travel money, but its not a temp job.

RADBASTARD

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #9 on: Dec 04, 2008, 07:13 »
It's sounds like an interesting job.
I would love to try it as a contractor.
The one big problem with south africa is when you go in the ocean half the time you get eaten by a white shark.
I wonder if that is what happened to the 10 tech postions???????
Loss of techs by attrition

wlrun3@aol.com

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #10 on: Dec 04, 2008, 08:12 »
It's sounds like an interesting job.
I would love to try it as a contractor.
The one big problem with south africa is when you go in the ocean half the time you get eaten by a white shark.
I wonder if that is what happened to the 10 tech postions???????
Loss of techs by attrition

  ...i spoke with bernard jongen, the recruiter for this job and a permanent employee of deros international, at length...

  ...the client, askom - owner of koeberg, has requested 10 technicians to commit to one year starting in early january...

  ... 6 months are outage (one spring, one fall, each 3 months long)...

   ...he is aware that the average american technician earns $25 per hour and receives $100 per day per diem...

   ...he is aware of overtime...

   ...his intention is to arrange the most favorable pay structure based on those numbers...

   ...that may include the creation of a company that would allow u.s. tax free and payment in american currency...

   ...he is currently investigating his options as well as clarifying client information (hours, travel, etc.)...

   ...he will be making offers in mid december if all goes well...

« Last Edit: Dec 04, 2008, 08:14 by wlrun3 »

Offline Butthead

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #11 on: Dec 17, 2008, 09:01 »
Has anyone heard anything from these guys lately? 

Offline nuke_girl

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #12 on: Dec 19, 2008, 12:05 »
i would go..i think it would be a grand adventure :)
It is better to light one small candle..than to curse the darkness

wlrun3@aol.com

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #13 on: Dec 19, 2008, 10:16 »

...Bernard Jongen
Managing Partner
Deros International
Unit A3, Westlake Square, Westlake Drive
Cape Town 7945
Tel.: (+27) 086 118 58 72
Mob.: (+27) 072 263 20 54
Fax: (+27) 021 701 06 03
bernard@derosinternational.com...





Offline let-it-ride

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #14 on: Dec 19, 2008, 02:55 »
If you are in his short list, he will set up a phone interview next Mon. to Wed. and on Fri. 26th.    He has said he has his sort list and will be making selections for a Jan. 19th start.

Good luck to any one else who is on the list.

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #15 on: Dec 23, 2008, 08:46 »
Any one hear from Dero since after they got their short list e-mail ?
« Last Edit: Dec 23, 2008, 09:39 by techtoolong »

jhv

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #16 on: Dec 24, 2008, 11:08 »
I read that S. Africa is on hold due to not knowing if they can receive the backing they need, also, they are waiting on the election which should be after the frst of the year.

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #17 on: Dec 24, 2008, 11:25 »
Can you tell me where you read that information ?  Happy Holidays

jhv

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #18 on: Dec 24, 2008, 01:18 »
Yea, Go to:
   http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP_Nuclear_decisions_delayed_in_South_Africa_2210083.html

Merry Christmas and Happy & Productive Nuclear New Year

Offline let-it-ride

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #19 on: Dec 25, 2008, 10:33 »
The post you refered to says that building new plants is on hold. It says nothing about the outages.
I have not heard from Bernard. However I had asked him to call Friday.
I'll see what happens.

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #20 on: Dec 25, 2008, 01:23 »
I have not heard from either.  I did not specify a day.  I will let you know.  Merry Christmas

jowlman

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #21 on: Dec 26, 2008, 12:20 »
I got an email yesterday saying that he would be making calls today and tomorrow. He has not called me today as of yet. For those still interested he quoted me $30 and $100. The big thing is they do not offer health insurance of any kind. so it is up to the individual to arrange for their own insurance.

I hope that everyone had a MERRY CHRISTMASand a HAPPY NEW YEAR

Fred

Offline let-it-ride

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #22 on: Dec 26, 2008, 04:14 »
I just talked to Bernard. He answered my questions and it was a good interview.
One thing he didn't know about, (he said he is the recruiter only) was what units are used to measure radiation.  We use mr's. Is it the same there? I know it should be easy to convert, but as we know the rest of the world uses all types of conversions that we don't use.
So, I hope everyone has a good talk with him.

Happy New Year

alphadude

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #23 on: Dec 26, 2008, 04:22 »
they use SI units.

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #24 on: Dec 26, 2008, 08:29 »
I do not think you need to worry about conversions all meters are sold in both units.  Did any one ask about a theory test ? Did any one get a solid offer ?  I spoke to him he just asked my questions.  Travel will be reimbursed and they will pick up at the airport and will have accommodations at a reasonable local B&B. The pay is biweekly in South African Rands and direct deposit to a bank account you need to set up there and can be wired transfered to USA.  I know you need several inoculations and medicines to travel there.  There is a quality control issue with prescription meds there also.  Happy New Year

milo124

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #25 on: Jan 03, 2009, 02:12 »
So what's the latest on this?  I received an email but only because they may need additional names in case some of the first 10 get cold feet.  I still have questions so if anyone has decided to go (and have some recent info) please post it (or send me an email).  Thanks.

Offline Laundry Man

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #26 on: Jan 05, 2009, 08:46 »
Years ago I was going over with NSS the first time US Techs went.  Well it seems NSS over booked the number of Techs in case someone backed out.  I was one of the overbooked Techs and didn't get to go.  I was pretty pissed after all that paperwork, work permits, international drivers license etc.  Good thing I hadn't backed out of the IP2 outage or I wouldn't have worked that fall.  Just be careful with this one.
LM

Offline let-it-ride

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #27 on: Jan 05, 2009, 11:17 »
I talked to two people from the site today. They asked a few questions, like how old are you, how long in the biz, and can you work shifts. They also asked if I was an 3.1, have I ever took the Core and NU tests. They wanted to know if I was available by the end of the month.  That was about it. Call lasted just a few minutes.
I'll see what happens now.

alphadude

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #28 on: Jan 05, 2009, 01:22 »
I know techs are not used to asking the hard questions but you need too ask these:

How much funding for rent a techs is in the present budget?
When will the budget be approved for technician allocation?
When will funding be available for technician allocation?
How long will the budget allocation be for? (this year and next?)
Is this an emergent work situation or standard operational support  (infrastructure)?
When the funding is allocated is it protected for the duration of the workforce supplement?

Those are the questions to ask. The housing, per diam, work hours etc are small change questions.


South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #29 on: Jan 06, 2009, 12:00 »
Having worked at Koeberg in RP I will try answer someof your questions:

In SA we use the SI units having converted from the good old Rem, a few years ago. So its all Sieverts, and mostky micro Sieverts, and Bq/cm2 etc. All ver onfusing units if you are use to the old units.

SA companies do not generally pay per diem!! It may be factored into your hourly rate, and they may offer you a special deal, but I have never heard anyone at Koeberg being paid per diem. Its an unknown concept here.

The NEU exams etc mean nothing here. However if you can pass the NEU exams then you will have a good understanding of the Koeberg ways. The US systems and what we do in SA are very similar. The signposting etc is however completely different.

SA is mostly safe. The same as in any country if you stay out of the bad areas you will be ok.

I do however find it strange that a SA company is recruiting people form overseas when there are people such as myself available. This is typical of Eskom who will rather spend a lot of money on overseas people than people from their own country. Having done 30 outages at Koeberg I was not approached. I have sent my resume to DI, but have not heard anything. Good luck to the rest of you.

If there are any questions I can answer let me know. I start on Monday at Koeberg, working the outage.

milo124

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #30 on: Jan 06, 2009, 12:40 »
Hello South Africa,

What's the average total dose/exposure for a RP tech working an outage at Koeberg?

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #31 on: Jan 06, 2009, 01:04 »
I don't have figures, but its fairly 'low'. I reckon at most you would probably end up with a 100mrem. Just depends which jobs you end up with.

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #32 on: Jan 06, 2009, 01:17 »
To add to the last reply that 100mrem was for an outage. For a year maybe 300 to 400mrem. Again it really depends on the work you get. However the plant is fairly clean, and they do try to keep doses ALARA.


Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #33 on: Jan 07, 2009, 11:42 »
Anyone get any answers about taxes, social security taxes and FICA deductions ?  This may not be lucrative if you have to pay your own.  I do not think it is tax exempt.  I have a call into a CPA.  I think you may have to pay SA taxes and still owe SS and FICA without employer match.  This makes this less pay than USA a lot less.

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #34 on: Jan 07, 2009, 01:16 »
It also depends where you get paid. Are you going to get paid in the USA? When I work in the UK, I get paid in the UK as I have a UK bank account. I do however pay National Insurance and taxes in the UK.

So are you going to open SA bank accounts and get paid in Rands? Or are you getting paid in dollars into a USA bank account? Either way you will be liable for taxes on one country. I have a feeling that you will pay taxes in SA. However I may be wrong. It's definetly worth checking as it will definetly affect your earnings.

Also are you getting per diem? What are the tax implications? In SA we are not generally familiar with per diem, so it may not be as tax free as you people are used to in the USA.

I don't have the answers for you, but you guys really need to look at it. Also remember the cost of living in SA is generally higher than in the USA. If you need to hire a car to get around, which you will need to do, then that is an extra cost. Petrol (gas) is also more expensive - paid by the liter.



« Last Edit: Jan 07, 2009, 01:22 by South African »

Offline let-it-ride

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #35 on: Jan 07, 2009, 01:26 »
The agent told me we will have to pay SA taxes, but not US taxes. He didn't say if the diem will be taxed. As far as cost of living. He said almost everything is at least 1/3 cheaper than the US. Gas is higher, around $8 a gal. Pay will be Rands. I think a Rand to dollar is 9.6 to 10 SAR =$1.00. (last time I checked) Health insurance is not provided, would have to find your own.
I was picked to go, but........

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #36 on: Jan 07, 2009, 01:58 »
To be honest I would check. I would not believe what the agents tells you. They are after all getting quite a big fee for recruiting you. If the information they provide is incorrect, you have no come back to them. They are only a recruiting agent.

The cost of living is definetly higher is SA. I have worked in the UK and have been to Texas twice. And I can assure you what you can buy with an hours pay in the UK and the USA is far more than you can buy in SA.

The price of gas has just come down again. You are looking at about 3 to 4 dollars a gallon at the moment.

However remember at least 35 to 40% will go to tax! Also your per diem might also be taxed.

Health insurance is best covered with travel insurance, which is what I do when I am overseas. That covers the really big costs of hospilisation etc. If you get sick and its not too seriuos you can pay for a doctor.

So really look into it before you take up the job. As I said I do not have the answers, but suggest you be cautious about what you are promised.


Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #37 on: Jan 08, 2009, 03:01 »
Anyone out there going to this for sure ?

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #38 on: Jan 10, 2009, 10:34 »
Hello,  Am I the only going ??

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #39 on: Jan 10, 2009, 11:42 »
The agent told me we will have to pay SA taxes, but not US taxes. He didn't say if the diem will be taxed. As far as cost of living. He said almost everything is at least 1/3 cheaper than the US. Gas is higher, around $8 a gal. Pay will be Rands. I think a Rand to dollar is 9.6 to 10 SAR =$1.00. (last time I checked) Health insurance is not provided, would have to find your own.
I was picked to go, but........

Run this past your tax guru before you take it on faith.  The way I understand it, you have to establish residency in a foreign country (or countries) and be out of the USA for a certain number of days (330?) during the tax year before any foreign earnings become tax-free...but I have no personal experience with it, so...
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

jowlman

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #40 on: Jan 11, 2009, 10:34 »
Well I've been made an offer, but have not made my travel plans as of yet. Due to previous commitments, I won't be going until February. If I decide to go. I haven't been on here in a few days and some good questions have been raised. One thing I have not seen mentioned that I asked, per diem is not 7 days/week, it is only paid on days worked. That will also effect the bottom line.

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #41 on: Jan 11, 2009, 10:40 »
Jowlman ,  Are they going to let you come later ?

Offline techtoolong

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #42 on: Jan 11, 2009, 10:58 »
I have spent a lot of time on the internet and phone about the taxes.  I spoke to a CPA, the IRS, my state and the social security office.  According to Bernard you will be paying local taxes.  The rate is about 40 % this credits towards federal taxes only.  My state has a safe harbour law.  if I am out of state more than 335 days I do not owe them.  Keep in mind you will not have any income for these quarters for unemployment.  Last but not least social security and medicare.  If you are out of the country and not self employed and your employer has no USA affiliates you do not owe social security and medicare taxes. Check your state.  Some of them have no exemption and you will owe them.

jowlman

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #43 on: Jan 12, 2009, 01:31 »
Yes they told me that I could report in February. I still have not made up my mind. I do think that it will be a good opportunity if not financially just for the experience.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #44 on: Jan 15, 2009, 01:45 »
I heard from Bernard today saying there may be one position left at Koeberg. I answered his questionable questions ( marital status, work "style " etc. ) and have yet to pose some questions of my own. Is anyone actually going ? Cutting myself off from the unemployment for a year, ticking Bartlett off by breaking commitments and paying hefty SA taxes may not make this job worthwhile. The adventure's the big draw for me. If any of you guys are going....please write or post, I'll be watching.

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #45 on: Jan 15, 2009, 04:27 »
What is interesting is that I am a South African, and more than qualified for the job, and have also applied, but they are not interested in us? So they have vacancies but are not taking SA people. How would you feel if we took your jobs away, and they paid us more than what you were getting? Which is the case at the moment. I know this sounds like sour grapes, but it sucks!!

But I do wish you all good luck, and if there is anything I can help you with, as far as information is concerned let me know. Coming to SA is a lot different that the USA. It is however a great country, but I would make sure that I really do my homework before I commit to working here.

So good luck, and maybe I will see you in SA soon.



milo124

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #46 on: Jan 16, 2009, 11:15 »
Quote
I know this sounds like sour grapes, but it sucks!!
You're right...that does suck!  I've never been to South Africa and it would probably be a great way to see the country, but from what I've seen so far (financially) it doesn't make much sense.  By the way, I have seen a few gripes posted on the boards that involved HPs from other countries coming into the US for outage work - so it goes both ways.  Anyways,  thanks for the info and good luck to you too.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #47 on: Jan 17, 2009, 07:59 »
You are so right.  We all know what it is like to be laid off all summer while other people work to maintain their visas.  It happens here all the time.  Has anyone actually been told to buy a plane ticket for this ? 
« Last Edit: Jan 19, 2009, 02:07 by techtoolong »

South_African

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #48 on: Jan 29, 2009, 10:23 »
For those who were interested in working in South Africa at Koeberg, by now I am sure you must have gathered that this work has little or no chance of taking place. It seems that the left hand at Koeberg doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and I doubt this work will take place as there is not budget for it.

I am not 100% sure this will not take place, but about 99.9%.....so wait around at your own risk.

Offline HydroDave63

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #49 on: Jan 29, 2009, 10:44 »
It seems that the left hand at Koeberg doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and I doubt this work will take place as there is not budget for it.


Exactly. Some of the most productive platinum mines on the planet are now idle in ZA due to no money for transmission line repairs

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #50 on: May 11, 2009, 08:54 »
So, did anything ever come of this the first time?

I see the guy is posting again, but am not going to get invloved if he didn't make good with his original commitments....
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #51 on: Jun 05, 2009, 10:08 »
What's kind of interesting is that Bernard contacted me again but seemed to have lost most of my information from earlier in the year. I had sent records of the NUF taken at Vogtle last fall which seemed to have gone missing. I reminded him that I was a female ( I had also sent a picture ) and it was not my lack of qualifications that had prevented me from going, that it may have something to do with the fact that as far as I knew NOBODY went. I also told him if he wants any Americans he'd better get on the stick as the fall outage schedule here is a heavy one. I don't really want to go anymore ( unless the $$$ are great ) but I'm enjoying watching to see how it all turns out.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #52 on: Jun 21, 2009, 02:46 »
Oh well.... I was selected to go to Koeberg and it sounds like it might be for real this time. Anyone going ? Sure would like to talk to you. Please write as I'm seriously considering it. Tired of listening to the BS from these contract outfits here.


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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #53 on: Jun 23, 2009, 01:21 »
Me again, Just heard from Bernard that the " schedule " is two days, two nights, and two off. Comes to about 60 hours a week. What kind of schedule is THAT ? The pay is $30 hr american overtime $45 and the per diem is 874 R a day which is about $100. Diem is not taxed and is kept in a local bank for your use. The pay is sent to your bank but taxed first in SA at a rate of 22.5 %. You get a certificate to send in with your taxes to show that these were already paid. Insurance is not available...wonder if this means I can keep my low COBRA for a while. Am I willing to give up my unemployment for this ? Any one goiing ?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #54 on: Jun 23, 2009, 03:27 »
I'm going to go.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #55 on: Jun 23, 2009, 04:04 »
The Koeberg guy has contacted me via email, and said that people are not answering his calls or his emails.  If you are interested in going, I request that you contact the guy soon.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #56 on: Jun 23, 2009, 04:25 »
com'on, dont be afraid. everyone's doin it.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #57 on: Jun 23, 2009, 04:56 »
I wrote him today telling him I am proceeding " as if " I am going...... meaning I am going on Thurs. to get the international drivers license and am going to see about the " Police Certificate ". Playing the devil's advocate I would have to add that we would not be able to deduct any travel expenses or our usual CONUS mileage differential etc. I suppose I could check on the unemployment insurance for my state. I'm just not financially secure enough to throw a bunch of bucks getting set up at a job that may not pan out to the positive money wise in the end. Sort of like working Palo Verde. The adventure attracts me in a big way however and with the head hunters at Big Blue already spewing BS (which I can no longer tolerate) SA looks that much more attractive.. So.... proceed I will. The contract is problematic with dates being somewhat off. Any thoughts on this ? 

Offline Rennhack

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #58 on: Jun 23, 2009, 08:23 »
Post some details, and I'll try to get answers.  I don't know anything, but I can ask.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #59 on: Jun 26, 2009, 07:26 »
HHmmm........ Went to fax my contract today and was told that the number was no longer in service. Also have been waiting for a promised call from Bernard. The difficulty with the report dates being the contract states Aug. 17th which is two weeks before the outage date and Bernard has told us that is not enough time and we would need three weeks of training... so...when are we supposed to be there ? I'm beginning to think perhaps this fall outage is going to go the way of the spring one, for us anyway.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #60 on: Jun 27, 2009, 12:43 »
he gets what he pays for when I was working overseas all taxs were paid by the company and pay went through the USA so I was able to draw unemployment.  flights were paid for there and back and we did not fly coach.
a driver picked us up at the airport and drove us to and from work.

Offline Mike_Koehler

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #61 on: Jul 17, 2009, 09:47 »
Any more info? I see that Bernard has been posting this job with increasing urgency....... How about it? Is anyone going?

Mike
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #62 on: Jul 26, 2009, 05:15 »
I am thinking of going if I don't get an offer at Palo Verde for a different position.  It sounds like a great adventure and I've spoken with several people who have worked there at length.  They loved the country.  I feel it would be a wonderful adventure.  I do have some info if anyone is going.  Email me and I'll send it.  If I go, I won't be going until the 2nd week of August.  If anyone is going, please contact me.  Perhaps we can share a car as I understand it is essential.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #63 on: Jul 28, 2009, 12:31 »
All i got to say is be careful what you wish for.
Just be glad you didn't go to brazil because you get told alot of lies to get you there and when you get there you find out things are different than you are told so please be careful
« Last Edit: Sep 07, 2009, 10:07 by 11 for 12 »

Offline Mike_Koehler

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #64 on: Jul 28, 2009, 09:46 »
A ll igot to say is becarefulwhat you wish for.
Just be glad you didn't go to brazil because you get told alot of lies to get you there and when you get there you find out things are different than you are told so please be careful

Really good advice!!!!!!!
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #65 on: Jul 29, 2009, 10:44 »
I've been getting a lot of calls from this guy.  It seems very strange to me and I also heard that the hours were not what he stated.  I've decided not to go.  It is a long want to go and have things not work out as you are told they would.  Good luck to anyone who goes.  Oh, and I do have a list of restaurants, etc. for anyone who is going.  Just email me.

Good luck all.  laurie 8)

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #66 on: Aug 21, 2009, 02:53 »
Wow, this sounds awesome. You get to live in South Africa with a reasonably well paying job? The way I see it, if I could live/work there for 6 - 12 months and come out slightly ahead, I'd be stoked!!!!

It would seem that I am a little late for this August report date, but I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next round of hiring.

Did anyone go?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #67 on: Sep 04, 2009, 02:19 »
So...did anyone go...?
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #68 on: Sep 07, 2009, 06:01 »
Yeah, a friend of mine went. I went to school with him summer ( TSTC ) He is there now. Im thinking its supposed to be a 3 month gig . I may be wrong on the time frame but he is def there.
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #69 on: Sep 21, 2009, 03:44 »
I am curious if anyone actually went to SA?  There was a recent job posing on another site for instructors in SA.  I sent my resume and they, of course, want to know my inclusive rate.  Since I have never worked out of the country I am not really sure what one can expect.  I am serious about going if it is financially feasible to do so.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #70 on: Oct 18, 2009, 10:04 »
Hi Dtrader,

Do you have the website address for that advert for the instrctors jobs?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #71 on: Feb 05, 2010, 01:19 »
I've rec'd some information concerning a job in South Africa.........  They are offering somewhere in the range of $45 to $60 US for per diem.  I don't know if this per diem is paid over 7 days and I don't know if will be taxed (I've asked these questions but I haven't rec'd a response yet).  However, is this a "good per diem rate" for SA?  To me this seems low, considering the fact that SA is more expensive than the US.

I read above where SA doesn't pay per diem but as far as this position they will be giving per diem.  Does this imply a shift in their corporate financial thinking?

Thanks for the input

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #72 on: Feb 20, 2010, 07:39 »
I havd heard arumor that Bartlett is going to get the contract for the outage starting in August.  Has anyone else heard this?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #73 on: Feb 21, 2010, 08:37 »
I've rec'd some information concerning a job in South Africa.........  They are offering somewhere in the range of $45 to $60 US for per diem.  I don't know if this per diem is paid over 7 days and I don't know if will be taxed (I've asked these questions but I haven't rec'd a response yet).  However, is this a "good per diem rate" for SA?  To me this seems low, considering the fact that SA is more expensive than the US.

I read above where SA doesn't pay per diem but as far as this position they will be giving per diem.  Does this imply a shift in their corporate financial thinking?

Thanks for the input

The per diem rates for SA are much higher ( see http://aoprals.state.gov/web920/per_diem_action.asp?MenuHide=1&CountryCode=1233 ). I am not privy to the corporate history of the firm to comment on their travel allowance practices.
Joseph Smith EA/MS Tax
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TravelTax TravelTax Canada
www.traveltax.com info@traveltax.com

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #74 on: Feb 21, 2010, 10:16 »
I havd heard arumor that Bartlett is going to get the contract for the outage starting in August.  Has anyone else heard this?
No there is no info that they will get the contract or that their int. dept bid on it.
The last group that went got paid $30hr and $100 a day diem and you had to find and pay for your own place, and meals,so if they are only paying $45-60 a day this time that is really bad and who in their right mine would go for that????? just to say wow i worked in s. africa duh you would make twice the coin here. They need to come up with those wages big time if they are correct.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #75 on: Mar 31, 2010, 02:37 »
I found the pics of Koeberg interesting.  Here (in the US) we have deer (and various critters) and they have zebras.  It's too bad something hasn't been worked out on this (as in a company paying a fair rate with real staffing needs).

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #76 on: Apr 27, 2010, 07:46 »
I got an email from Bernard this weekend telling me that he was staffing for a fall and spring outage if I was interested. Has anyone else gotten an email? I asked him to contact me back with the pay details.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #77 on: Apr 27, 2010, 08:27 »
I got one too.  I turned it down last time after I had made the short list.  Bernard's way of saying hired.  I really think I am going this time.  I need some input from my tax guy Travel Tax LLC.  From what I understood they were taking out S.A. federal tax which is very high.  I would also be libel for my home state of Maine.  But no Social Security or Medicare.  It comes out to be more taxes than USA.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #78 on: Apr 29, 2010, 03:30 »
Is this the same Bernard that didn't pay his techs last year or was very late in getting them their pay? Some of the techs told me that they almost lost their apts from lack of timely payments

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #79 on: Apr 30, 2010, 11:35 »
 I had thought about submitting my resume, but I have a pretty good job where I am at now.  South Africa would be nice to work at.... be kinda like being back in the Navy again.

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #80 on: Jun 17, 2010, 10:29 »
Gosh, I wish I knew what was true and what wasn't.  Every time I think of going I hear something negative.  Is this true?  Folks didn't get paid in a timely manner?  That would stink to be over there and not get paid!!!  Any truth to this??  Can we hear from someone who went please?

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #81 on: Feb 05, 2022, 03:46 »
Okay. I am now in training at Koeberg, so...let me give you an update on this thread.



1. I am just doing this job for the entertainment, so may not be YOUR cup-of-tea if you NEED the money. Only pays $36 & $110...with a ton of hoops to jump thru to get your first pay. Have heard from previous techs that you should not expect to see any money for a month.

2. I picked some brains before I signed up. Several techs that are coming back love it here because it is so slow a pace. :-(  The one tech whose opinion I trust said it is even worse than DOE, so I have set my expectations quite low. That being said, the odd-factor since I have been in-country is VERY high, so definitely getting my entertainment. And springbok & zebra at plant to boot!

3. LOTS of hoops to jump through to get work visa.

4. They are NOT good at scheduling. Think I had 5 different report dates? Of course, being Omicron ground zero made things hard for them, so...

5. My return ticket is for May, but...chatting with some of the Framatome guys and they think we could be here until September...

6. Some things are VERY different...system names...SI units...postings... Fortunately, they are giving us a couple weeks of training, so...hope I won't make TOO big of fool of myself!

7. Cost of living about half of States? This is an upscale touristy beach town & can get decent hotels for $25-50 per night. $5-10 for a decent meal.


8. Bernard said 17% tax if we only work first outage. Maybe double that if we work both.



That's all I can think of right now...?


:-)
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

Offline Manymiles

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #82 on: Feb 05, 2022, 10:43 »
I worked at Koeberg for 6 months 5-6 years ago.  Many of the techs that had been there before said that when they filed their taxes the next year, the South African government ministry said there were no, or very little, taxes paid on their wages.Some of the techs were getting demands for wage history documents and/or back taxes, from the South African government.
A couple of months I asked for verification that the taxes were being paid on my wages, and never got anything.                                                                                                 

 I don't know if anyone has ever had any real tax issues from their work there. But, the following year, out of obscurity,  I requested information from the South Africans on the payment of taxes for my wages, they said that there were no records of taxes having been paid for me. You should keep in mind that it is the South African government, and Bernard, that you're dealing with here.                                                                       
I read in this post-string that pay was extremely late, shorted, unexplained...well, sketchy!  Yep, to all that!                                                                                                                                                                     

The above post says the costs are half that of the US, but in reality, the costs are about the same as say...small town Georgia or Alabama. 
Another thing to keep in mind - There's a very real reason that the working class people live in compounds behind 12-15' tall walls, and all have private police guarding them... 'cause when the sun goes down, the roaches come out.  Well, I guess it's not any worse than most big cities in the US now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Most of the house people that work there are fantastic!                                                                                                                       
The excitement wore off very quick, and I got very tired of being there after a month or two.
Good luck, be safe, and for God sake...don't get any on ya!
« Last Edit: Feb 05, 2022, 10:54 by Manymiles »

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #83 on: Feb 06, 2022, 01:01 »
I worked at Koeberg for 6 months 5-6 years ago.  Many of the techs that had been there before said that when they filed their taxes the next year, the South African government ministry said there were no, or very little, taxes paid on their wages.Some of the techs were getting demands for wage history documents and/or back taxes, from the South African government.
A couple of months I asked for verification that the taxes were being paid on my wages, and never got anything.                                                                                                 

 I don't know if anyone has ever had any real tax issues from their work there. But, the following year, out of obscurity,  I requested information from the South Africans on the payment of taxes for my wages, they said that there were no records of taxes having been paid for me. You should keep in mind that it is the South African government, and Bernard, that you're dealing with here.                                                                       
I read in this post-string that pay was extremely late, shorted, unexplained...well, sketchy!  Yep, to all that!                                                                                                                                                                     

The above post says the costs are half that of the US, but in reality, the costs are about the same as say...small town Georgia or Alabama. 
Another thing to keep in mind - There's a very real reason that the working class people live in compounds behind 12-15' tall walls, and all have private police guarding them... 'cause when the sun goes down, the roaches come out.  Well, I guess it's not any worse than most big cities in the US now.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
Most of the house people that work there are fantastic!                                                                                                                       
The excitement wore off very quick, and I got very tired of being there after a month or two.
Good luck, be safe, and for God sake...don't get any on ya!

Yeah, probably same cost of living as the rural South...but Melkbos is an upscale touristy beach town, so...?

Thanks for the info on taxes. You didn't have any trouble with the IRS? I am mostly worried about the forms I have to file because of having a South African bank account? And whether I can deduct my South African taxes on my 1040? Guess maybe I had better get an accountant to look it over before I file next year...

And I hear you about the 'roaches'. I have a tendency to stray from the beaten path when I travel. Have ended up in a couple of areas (Atlantis, Civic Centre) where a local has had to take me under their wing & escort me out with an admonishment of "Don't walk here. The people they will rob you"... I tend to ignore most warnings, but the matter-of-factness about the situation by the local was a bit sobering.

I am trying to do this whole trip without a rental car, so utilizing the bus system. Has definitely added a few moments of 'entertainment' to the experience!   ;-)
« Last Edit: Feb 06, 2022, 03:00 by UncaBuffalo »
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #84 on: Feb 09, 2022, 01:19 »
Got my first diem yesterday. So 9 days from when I started? Seemed about normal length of time?
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #85 on: Feb 13, 2022, 03:13 »
These guys certainly take a laidback attitude towards staffing an outage...two weeks to in-process...and then a 3-day weekend when finally 'qualified'...
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #86 on: Feb 17, 2022, 03:34 »
These guys certainly take a laidback attitude towards staffing an outage...two weeks to in-process...and then a 3-day weekend when finally 'qualified'...

...or, maybe it goes beyond 'laidback'...has stretched to a full week...apparently there is some confusion in the plant as to why people would fly 10,000 miles to work. It is TO WORK, not to sit in hotel room waiting on some "committee" to approve our credentials. (The credential approval happens during the resume approval stage, if the plant happens to be reading this.)

GRRRR....  :-(
« Last Edit: Feb 17, 2022, 03:35 by UncaBuffalo »
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #87 on: Feb 19, 2022, 05:12 »
Ok...we got an explanation on 'credential review'...just their term for a final check that your plant RP training is complete & you are qualified to do a survey at Koeberg. Includes a short oral board in front of management & training.

That doesn't necessarily explain why we had a week off. But they finally called us back to work yesterday. So things moving in a positive direction.  🙂
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #88 on: Feb 19, 2022, 02:04 »
Same thing happened to me at TVA....but it was a long weekend during the beginning of the outage....all the badge people were off for 4 days so they told us to sit and wait 5+ days until our badge was ready.  Of course BHI and TVA had no idea why so many of us were mad....Some people just went home home.   Gee I wonder why people were upset when you don't get to work 6 days out of an 18 day outage?   hmmmmmm.  That was a bit of a "coming to jesus" moment for me.

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #89 on: Feb 26, 2022, 12:35 »
Same thing happened to me at TVA....but it was a long weekend during the beginning of the outage....all the badge people were off for 4 days so they told us to sit and wait 5+ days until our badge was ready.  Of course BHI and TVA had no idea why so many of us were mad....Some people just went home home.   Gee I wonder why people were upset when you don't get to work 6 days out of an 18 day outage?   hmmmmmm.  That was a bit of a "coming to jesus" moment for me.

Maybe security is off in their own little reality? I had that one on a badge at Point Beach last fall...
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Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #90 on: Feb 26, 2022, 12:41 »
Things not looking good for this being my job for much longer.

First paycheck was 34 hours short, but...lots of confusion & I was assured that it would be straightened out "soon". Then yesterday's paycheck was 40 hours short, so...probably booking my flight home. I have been assured they are still working on it, but...
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #91 on: Mar 04, 2022, 03:42 »
Things not looking good for this being my job for much longer.

First paycheck was 34 hours short, but...lots of confusion & I was assured that it would be straightened out "soon". Then yesterday's paycheck was 40 hours short, so...probably booking my flight home. I have been assured they are still working on it, but...

They talked me into working another week. Koeberg is very much a bureaucracy and decisions happen s...l...o...w...l...y.

Finally got tired of waiting, so told them I would come back to work when/if they get it sorted out. Guess we'll see whether they can do that before I see everything I want to in South Africa & head back to the States?
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #92 on: Mar 09, 2022, 02:05 »
Okay. Looks like they got it all sorted out. :)    Check's in the mail! ;)      So back to work in the morning...

In the meantime, they realized they aren't ready to do a SGRP...postponed that until next outage.    Still doing the head replacement this outage, so here until...June?
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #93 on: Mar 09, 2022, 07:40 »
"before I see everything I want to in South Africa & head back to the States" ?


Take a nice relaxing trip up to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) to check out the birthplace of the Rhodesian Light Infantry aka The Saints. One of the greatest military units in history.
« Last Edit: Mar 09, 2022, 07:44 by fiveeleven »

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #94 on: Mar 10, 2022, 08:16 »
Okay. Looks like they got it all sorted out. :)    Check's in the mail! ;)      So back to work in the morning...

In the meantime, they realized they aren't ready to do a SGRP...postponed that until next outage.    Still doing the head replacement this outage, so here until...June?

No check, no tech... no diem, no see 'em...

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #95 on: Mar 18, 2022, 09:52 »
                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Most of the house people that work there are fantastic!                                                                                                                       




Amen to that!  :)


AND, same goes for the long-term returnee contractors. A couple of them that I worked with at Point Beach told me Koeberg could be a good gig. And it is (now that I am actually in the plant working) but mostly because they are here to keep me out of trouble! ;) Thanks!


« Last Edit: Mar 18, 2022, 09:54 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #96 on: Mar 25, 2022, 03:36 »
A couple of odd quirks at Koeberg:

1. Their house people stick to their normal rotation during outage. So never have time to get their sleep patterns adjusted. Not sure how that is even humanly possible working 72's? And we are only halfway through outage, so sure it will get worse for them.

2. Only plant I have ever seen where the rent-a-techs rotate through ALL of the job areas during outage...containment for a week...then maybe aux building...then decon facility for a week. So it takes several outages to ever get familiar with the plant & become proficient at your job. I guess it has worked in Koeberg's favor with the multiple-year returnees, but...rough for a newbie - esp. an old dog who has only done the Rx Bulding trick since early 90s.      AND, has the added downside that there is zero payback for taking ownership of your area or workers.



Also, the language barrier is substantial. English is the nominal Official Language of the outage. But, even when both parties are fluent, the accents can make understanding difficult. And MANY of the workers are NOT fluent in English. I have been working with really good techs from Brazil trying to cover very experienced workers from France...but I am often only person in area even vaguely proficient in English (and there has been debate about my proficiency! ;) )            We have been able to muddle through based on sheer luck & perseverance, but...
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #97 on: Apr 01, 2022, 02:35 »

2. Only plant I have ever seen where the rent-a-techs rotate through ALL of the job areas during outage...containment for a week...then maybe aux building...then decon facility for a week. So it takes several outages to ever get familiar with the plant & become proficient at your job. I guess it has worked in Koeberg's favor with the multiple-year returnees, but...rough for a newbie - esp. an old dog who has only done the Rx Bulding trick since early 90s.      AND, has the added downside that there is zero payback for taking ownership of your area or workers.



Also, the language barrier is substantial. English is the nominal Official Language of the outage. But, even when both parties are fluent, the accents can make understanding difficult. And MANY of the workers are NOT fluent in English. I have been working with really good techs from Brazil trying to cover very experienced workers from France...but I am often only person in area even vaguely proficient in English (and there has been debate about my proficiency! ;) )            We have been able to muddle through based on sheer luck & perseverance, but...

Found a hack to avoid having to learn all the jobs...'volunteered' for Valve Crew. Now I can do 95% of my work in Containment, where I am reasonably familiar with the set-up. They use different names for their systems (RCV = CVCS, RIS = SI, EAS = Ctmt Spray, etc.)...but similar layout to a Westinghouse or CE PWR so pretty easy to get up to speed. And, when I have to find a valve in Fuel or Aux Building, I can just follow the crew.

And, since I am always covering valves, I start seeing the same crews over & over....can establish some level of understanding of what they need from me & they get familiar with what I will expect of them...even if we still have the language barrier.

Plus, (some people would NOT find this an advantage) the plant realized I prefer being in the field, so have reduced the RP Valve Crew from 3 techs down to...just me some days. Lots of entertainment & makes the 12 hours fly by! :)
« Last Edit: Apr 06, 2022, 07:13 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #98 on: Apr 07, 2022, 04:36 »
Okay. Looks like they got it all sorted out. :)    Check's in the mail! ;)      So back to work in the morning...

In the meantime, they realized they aren't ready to do a SGRP...postponed that until next outage.    Still doing the head replacement this outage, so here until...June?

Koeberg'd again! :( :( :(

Check arrived, but was for a third of the amount I had agreed to return for.....GRRRRR.... Apparently the utility & Deros had different views on what had been negotiated. I am giving them a couple of days to see if they can get it 'sorted', but...not holding my breath.

 :( :( :(
« Last Edit: Apr 07, 2022, 04:41 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #99 on: Apr 15, 2022, 11:43 »
Koeberg'd again! :( :( :(

Check arrived, but was for a third of the amount I had agreed to return for.....GRRRRR.... Apparently the utility & Deros had different views on what had been negotiated. I am giving them a couple of days to see if they can get it 'sorted', but...not holding my breath.

 :( :( :(


Ended up having to take another day off to get their attention. As soon as I did, they agreed to pay me. Not sure why it seems impossible to achieve anything through a normal discussion...
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #100 on: Apr 24, 2022, 03:59 »
Got my ROF. Now 3 weeks to poke around rest of southern Africa before my return flight...
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #101 on: May 17, 2022, 11:31 »
Kruger National Park goes on my top-10 Best-Ever list...incredible abundance of wildlife. I'm not one for groups & guides, so safaris had never held any appeal to me. Kruger ended up being the ticket, since they let you drive yourself. Elephant...hippo...croc...rhi no...leopard...warthog...hyen a...giraffe...baboon...buffal o...impala...wildebeest...kud u...
« Last Edit: May 17, 2022, 12:29 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #102 on: May 24, 2022, 08:20 »
1. Plenty of drawbacks to Koeberg, but...I will go back.

2. Next couple of outages are SGRPs....at the leisurely Koeberg pace...9 months per unit? ...12?    So...a ton of money to be made.
« Last Edit: Jun 05, 2022, 11:36 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #103 on: Jun 05, 2022, 11:11 »
Guess their fall outage got rescheduled to staff in late November? Currently planned for 120 days?   $$$
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #104 on: Jun 11, 2022, 12:19 »
These guys certainly take a laidback attitude towards staffing an outage...two weeks to in-process...and then a 3-day weekend when finally 'qualified'...

...or, maybe it goes beyond 'laidback'...has stretched to a full week...apparently there is some confusion in the plant as to why people would fly 10,000 miles to work. It is TO WORK, not to sit in hotel room waiting on some "committee" to approve our credentials. (The credential approval happens during the resume approval stage, if the plant happens to be reading this.)

GRRRR....  :-(

Ok...we got an explanation on 'credential review'...just their term for a final check that your plant RP training is complete & you are qualified to do a survey at Koeberg. Includes a short oral board in front of management & training.

That doesn't necessarily explain why we had a week off. But they finally called us back to work yesterday. So things moving in a positive direction.  🙂

Everyone had problems getting In-Processed this outage...most not as egregious as my group's debacle, but... 

Management has promised to focus on providing efficient training and logical scheduling on future outages. They will be trying to have you in the plant & working within 3 days. We'll see, but nice that they recognize the problem.
« Last Edit: Jun 14, 2022, 04:10 by UncaBuffalo »
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #105 on: Jun 25, 2022, 10:04 »
Kruger National Park goes on my top-10 Best-Ever list...incredible abundance of wildlife. I'm not one for groups & guides, so safaris had never held any appeal to me. Kruger ended up being the ticket, since they let you drive yourself. Elephant...hippo...croc...rhi no...leopard...warthog...hyen a...giraffe...baboon...buffal o...impala...wildebeest...kud u...

Kruger would be worth the trip even if you weren't getting paid.

If you are working there anyway, add Table Mountain & Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to your list of things that should be done.
« Last Edit: Jun 25, 2022, 10:06 by UncaBuffalo »
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Offline Marlin

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #106 on: Jun 25, 2022, 10:39 »
Kruger would be worth the trip even if you weren't getting paid.

If you are working there anyway, add Table Mountain & Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens to your list of things that should be done.

You posted tons of pictures when in Cambodia next time you go to South Africa, pictures would be nice.
« Last Edit: Jun 26, 2022, 10:54 by Marlin »

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #107 on: Jul 01, 2022, 02:52 »
You posted tons of pictures when in Cambodia next time you go to South Africa, pictures would be nice.

Oh...are we able to upload pictures again? That section of the website was being upgraded for quite some time & I hadn't realized we were allowed back in.
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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #108 on: Jul 01, 2022, 02:56 »
Oh...are we able to upload pictures again? That section of the website was being upgraded for quite some time & I hadn't realized we were allowed back in.

I just tried it and got:    "Error      You don't have permission to perform this operation."  :(
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

Offline Marlin

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #109 on: Jul 02, 2022, 03:14 »
I just tried it and got:    "Error      You don't have permission to perform this operation."  :(

My bad I thought it was open I'll ask Mike

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #110 on: Aug 04, 2022, 06:16 »
Excerpt from email from recruiter:

"I received the confirmation that outage 126 will start on the 8th of December 2022 and will last around 4 months."
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #111 on: Aug 20, 2022, 12:36 »
1. Plenty of drawbacks to Koeberg, but...I will go back.

2. Next couple of outages are SGRPs....at the leisurely Koeberg pace...9 months per unit? ...12?    So...a ton of money to be made.



To clarify: When I say "I will go back"...I mean sometime...but not necessarily THIS outage....   

We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #112 on: Aug 26, 2022, 08:01 »
Excerpt from email from recruiter:

"I received the confirmation that outage 126 will start on the 8th of December 2022 and will last around 4 months."

...but...now it has been re-scheduled to late January?
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #113 on: Sep 13, 2022, 07:04 »
Oh...by the way...take time to request your lifetime dose records BEFORE you go to Koeberg. It will save you lots of hassle.

https://www.reirs.com/requests.html

I had gotten so used to all my records being on PADS that I didn't bother taking anything with me... Oops!  ;)
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #114 on: Nov 01, 2022, 08:11 »
Rumor is they raised the pay rate?
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

Offline jmoore0988

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #115 on: Nov 01, 2022, 09:15 »
I just got an email from Bernard to do the 126 outage starting 8 December. I’ve been reading this thread and was wondering if it was actually worth it? I saw there were some issues about pay. Overall, I’m just curious about the experience for anyone that’s gone.

For anyone looking for updated info (not sure if it’s changed since last outage)

37$/hr
55$ /hr for overtime after 45 hours
2000 rand a day per diem
6x12s
120+/- days

Thanks!
   -Joe

Offline UncaBuffalo

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #116 on: Nov 02, 2022, 12:14 »
I just got an email from Bernard to do the 126 outage starting 8 December. I’ve been reading this thread and was wondering if it was actually worth it? I saw there were some issues about pay. Overall, I’m just curious about the experience for anyone that’s gone.

For anyone looking for updated info (not sure if it’s changed since last outage)

37$/hr
55$ /hr for overtime after 45 hours
2000 rand a day per diem
6x12s
120+/- days

Thanks!
   -Joe

Best case scenario? It will take them a year. You will make $190,000+.
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #117 on: May 29, 2023, 10:44 »
The SGRP continues...techs have been on site since Dec. 1.
« Last Edit: May 29, 2023, 10:44 by UncaBuffalo »
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

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Re: Koeberg Nuclear Power Station - South Africa
« Reply #118 on: Sep 02, 2023, 12:13 »
....SGRP continues...now scheduled to end in November?
We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t think what anybody sees in them.      - B. Baggins

 


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