17 Nov. 2008 Monday

Looking for Input Please!

I know this post is going to be long and drawn out, but please read this and let me know your opinions.

Thanks,

Jason

Interesting things seem to be happening for me. I think I will end up going to Europe for 2 months in January and February. I talked to one of the guys who went last month and he said we really needed some one who knows what they are doing. And he meant me. All but one of the people who are doing this training are all new hires. And none of the new guys has experience in the making of roller parts.

In the last month or so I have learned and, if not mastered, 3 different machines now with out too much supervision. So I got the inside scoop on what was going on in Holland.

In the beginning all the information I had said all I would be getting would be my regular pay check and that was about it. But everything I had been told was that I would make Operators Pay Scale while working in Holland and that was it. “Well, hell.” I thought, “I can make almost that much right here and not have to be away from my wife!”

During the first bit of poking into information about this whole thing I didn’t know that there was a possibility of a lay-off at the plant. I guess that was why my boss was pushing me to take this new training.

Well, now there is new information. I would get full Operators Pay for the hours worked in Europe. Plus overtime pay for the flight to and from Europe (appx. 13 hours each way). Plus 400 Euros (appx.$ 509 at current exchange) a week in spending money. A hotel room to myself (I thought I would have to be bunking with someone).  Free breakfast at the hotel each morning, free lunch at the plant each weekday and a calling card to call home on.

The only expenses would be supper each day, laundry once a week, and whatever entertainment is needed to keep from going crazy.

So now I’m seriously thinking about going to Europe for two months. The weekly spending money is not paid through the payroll, but in cash at the plant in Holland. So, no paying US taxes on that money. I know I can save those Euros with no problem and if I can manage to bring home about $300-350 each week, I can bank $2400-2800 US Dollars when I get home. Now that would be a pretty big incentive for me to be away from my wife for two months.

You see folks, my car is slowly falling apart and it’s gonna cost me a small fortune to get it fixed. So I need to find a way to make a few dollars to help pay for that and all the other things that need paying for. And with me gone, I won’t be driving my car so that will save in gas to and from work, we can suspend the insurance for the two months I’d be gone so that will save probably a couple of hundred dollars between those two things alone. And hopefully I can hold off on all the repairs until I get home. I won’t be saving any money by not doing the repairs, but I won’t be putting the pinch on us until we had the money to do the repairs.

 I have my annual bonus coming next month which should be about $2300 take home and with another $2400-2800 coming by the beginning of March from my time in Holland, would really go a long way to getting us out of debt here at home.

There are several other factors than just the cash that we are taking into consideration too. The VA is in a hiring freeze right now and I don’t see me getting to be hired in over there for at least a year or more. So I think I should make myself valuable to my current job so I’m not in a position to get laid off in the future. Plus I would have seniority over all the new people who were hired for the new product line and I would be able to stay on day-shift, so I can still spend time with M during the week. As of right now, I will get bumped to second shift as soon as my training is over, or they lay me off because there is no work for a second shift, whichever comes first.  Both of which are undesirable to M and I.

I talked to M about it tonight and told her to think about it and to sleep on it and we’d talk about it in the morning. I think she will approve of me doing this.

So there it is. I’m pretty sure I’ll be traveling, but I value what y’all have to say.

I’m Alive… So Far…