Short contract North Africa

[Wanderer]

Cheers for all the replies guys...do you know much a Uk day rate of 475 translate into the north african market for a week's worth of work(excluding flights,hotels,visa etc??)

Depends on if what part of North Africa it is. Could be an interesting job but it could also be a pile of trouble that you can do without. Without knowing more about the nature of the work or your personal circumstances and attitude to risk/adventure it's difficult to say.

I'd be inclined to avoid Libya and Egypt at the moment, check with the Foreign Office for advice. I'm also mindful that a lot of Africa's business involves 419 or bribery so watch your step. Also consider who you are doing business with (European/UK/US based company of African based?) and if they are credit worthy.

[ascender]

Like a couple of others have said, it could be a very interesting contract, but be wary and use your common sense. I've done work in various African countries for a client and they can all vary greatly in terms of your own security, costs, working environment etc.

Its a great chance to spend some time in countries you may not ever visit otherwise and I had nothing but good experiences over there.

Innoculations aren't too expensive but will add up.
The client can probably assist with visas and innoculations.
Flights can be very expensive and internal ones over there can be, um, interesting.
Will they provide security where required and what level is it? Infrastructure in place to keep you updated on changing security/political situation etc.
Insurance.
Accomodation - in hotels of a certain standard or maybe they have their own staff house?
Living expenses will be cheap.
Local manager/staff liason for you to cover the initial period where you're finding your feet with local customs etc.

All the up front stuff should be fine, but just be wary about leaving your own LTD exposed if you're having to deal with any companies/individuals in Africa. I don't know the circumstances, but getting reliable work done quickly and getting paid on time etc are a real problem with many of the local companies.