Africa contract

[Beachparty]

Is there some of you that have already been on contract in africa ?
If yes, how much does it pay, type of job, aircraft, conditions, where... etc...
How are you dealing with tax income when you come back ?
Any info will be appreciated
I'm looking for some oportunities but i don't want make mistakes !

Thanks

[longjon]

Thats a pretty big question and there will be a lot of different answers.

I know of lots of CDNs working in Africa and elsewhere not specifically on contract but a rotational basis.

CHC is one of the well known ones and I think its 6 and 6.

With CHC I think you get paid in a CND bank and get a tax break. Other places are different with the tax, depending on country worked in etc, but as a rule you don't pay tax, least most of the people I know don't. So you do say close to 10 thou a month when in the field and more or less half on basic salary when home or at your condo in Spain and get 6 mo off, you do the math.

You could be on helicopters or Boeing and anything in between. TIA applies to pretty much everywhere even the Northern countries around the Med.
In a way its like working in the North in Canada, it gets in your blood and hard to give up but a lot of divorced guys and if you manage the life style with a spouce she must be some special. Speaking from personal experience on this part

[Beachparty]

Your answer is really appreciated !
What do you mean by TIA ?

[longjon]

TIA ---This Is Africa--

[302sc]

AND BE READY FOR A CULTURAL SHOCK......... in many ways other than what you learned in canadian school

[Cat Driver]

For a leisurely afternoon stroll I would suggest the open air market on the river bank in Cotonou Benin.

If you are hungry for meat there are rows of tables with river rats lying on their backs slit wide open with flies and maggots crawling around in them in the tropical heat..

When Africa gets boring and you need a little more diversity for your entertainment just hop over to Jeddah Saudi Arabia and take in a few beheadings in front of the Mosque down town, it is known as chop chop square.

[Cannonballer]

As far as the tax break goes I beleive that it is that you have to work outside of Canada for a period no less than 6 months. Then the money you make during those 6 months (or greater) is tax free. Which means if you are working for a Canadian company then when you file for your income tax you apply via a form that must be filled out by your employer to get the taxes you already paid back. If you work in Canada during your time off or as part of your rotation then your tax break dissappears. Correct me if I am wrong ... it has been a few years since i was up on that part of our tax law.

If you dont work for a Canadian company then get a bank account outside of the country and dont worry about it. And if you spent lots of time outside the country and dont want to be hassled then give up perminant residency ... you still get to be a Canadian citizen ... but you lose other benifits... ie health care and what not...

Once again ... it has been a few years so feel free to correct me.

[chipmunk]

Yup, you have to work at least 180 days outside Canada to get the tax credit; during that period, you can only work 10% of the days back in the country.

So lets say you are doing rotations of 60 days on, 30 days off - you can do 2 overseas rotations, and if your company wants you to come in to the office on your time off back in Canada, you can do up to 18 days before you become ineligible for the tax credit.

[kevinsky18]

Is there some of you that have already been on contract in africa ?
If yes, how much does it pay, type of job, aircraft, conditions, where... etc...
How are you dealing with tax income when you come back ?
Any info will be appreciated
I'm looking for some oportunities but i don't want make mistakes !

Thanks

I assume you are asking about entry level positions. Maun is the Yellowknife/NWO of Africa and there is an extensive posting on another forum/website that has almost daily if not weekly reports and for the past 14 months up until and including today the consistent report is that the entire industry is dead, stagnant, plain and simple no jobs, no new hires. You may want to research and find the post I'm talking about.

Or course there is no shortage of people suggesting you go there anyways and just check it out your self. Perhaps you will get lucky.

[Cat Driver]

Regarding the subject of going to Africa to look for work, the bottom line is to experience Africa is well worth the time and money even if you do not find work.

[CYOX]

Yup, you have to work at least 180 days outside Canada to get the tax credit; during that period, you can only work 10% of the days back in the country.

So lets say you are doing rotations of 60 days on, 30 days off - you can do 2 overseas rotations, and if your company wants you to come in to the office on your time off back in Canada, you can do up to 18 days before you become ineligible for the tax credit.

I am not quite sure where your info is coming from? In order to avoid Canadian taxes you must become "Non-Resident" in order to be non-resident, you must be a resident somewhere else. Preferably in a tax free state such as Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jersey or the UAE. There is no 180 day rule, when claiming non-residency you must basically abandon your life in Canada and have the intention of leaving Canada for at least 2 years. No bank accounts, no drivers license, no ties to Canada.

When was the last time you tried to open an account overseas? In order to open a bank account these days you would need some sort of residency for that state/country.

Get paid in cash and be comfortable with the knowledge that you are evading taxes.

[just curious]

It isn't tax free, its less tax.

It's a program pertinent to pilots who work in resource exploration or who fly mad scientists around.

[chipmunk]

It isn't tax free, its less tax.

It's a program pertinent to pilots who work in resource exploration or who fly mad scientists around.

Yes, I probably should have mentioned that part. Thanks JC.

[TG]

I am not quite sure where your info is coming from?

Should be from this:
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tp/it497 ... 7r4-e.html

Just quoting a small part of it.

Summary

This bulletin deals with the overseas employment tax credit (OETC). An individual who is resident in Canada may be entitled to claim this credit for qualifying income from overseas employment. The OETC effectively eliminates 80% of the Canadian income tax on the first $100,000 of salary, wages and other remuneration earned from such employment. To qualify for the OETC, an individual must:

(a) be employed by a specified employer (generally, a resident of Canada), other than for the performance of services under a prescribed international development assistance program of the Government of Canada;

(b) be employed in connection with a contract under which the specified employer carried on business outside Canada on a resource, construction, installation, agricultural, engineering or prescribed activity (or for the purpose of obtaining such a contract); and

(c) have performed all or substantially all the employment duties (done in connection with a contract described in (b) above) outside Canada.

The conditions described in (a) to (c) above must exist for a period of more than six consecutive months

* within the year,
* beginning in the year and ending in a subsequent year, or
* ending in the year and that began in a previous year.

This period is referred to as the qualifying period.

The bulletin explains various terms and conditions relating to the OETC. It also provides details of the calculation required to determine the OETC and gives an example of this calculation.

etc...


http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t626/t626-08e.pdf
If you become eligible, I believe that would be the form to fill up by your employer.

[ClevelandSteamer]

www.expat.ca

Good Luck

[longjon]

Maybe a bit off topic but I'm sitting in the Air France business lounge in LHR wondering why they have no presence here, this lounge is cr-p.

Seems like most of my contacts are going EASA so if you want to have a flying future in Africa go get the licence.