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Intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear test ranges are not what most people think of when it comes to an island paradise, but the Marshall Islands are known for both.
This far-flung country in the Pacific Ocean has a population of 53,000 people spread across over 1,000 islands, but one of them, Kwajalein, is not like the others. The 1.2 square mile island is actually an American army base, and the US Army has a 99-year lease on it that will run until 2046.
So, how do I know about it?
I lived there for three years as a child, and my parents worked there for a total of seven.
This article on how to get a job on Kwajalein has plenty of info from our own fond memories as well as current facts from Ronnie and Wendy, two Americans living and working on the base today.
Kwajalein Atoll has white sand beaches, year-round temperatures of 80 degrees, swaying palms and colorful coral reefs.
If living in a remote tropical paradise located over 2,000 miles from Hawaii sounds appealing to you, it’s time to get a job on Kwajalein!
Yes, I know I’m adorable.
How to Get a Job on Kwajalein
I spoke to two current residents who filled me on what kind of jobs are available on the island and how you can land one.
Wendy has been there for years and told me there are positions for “engineers, teachers, electricians, carpenters, public works positions, airfield workers, almost any job you could find in small town USA.”
Ronnie, a recent transplant to the island, also told me that at the moment construction personnel (his field of work) are needed as well. Additionally, the two listed more positions on the island like nurses, hair stylists, dining facility managers, cooks and MWR (Morale Welfare & Recreation) jobs like hobby shop lead and adult recreation.
There is one important thing to keep in mind, though: positions both in and out of the tech fields may require passing a security clearance before you get hired.
Scuba diving on Kwajalein Atoll
Where to Get a Job on Kwajalein Atoll
One of the biggest organizations on Kwajalein is DynCorp International, which bills themselves as “a leading global government solutions provider.”
Because Kwajalein is an army base, much of the staffing, hiring, and day to day positions are contracted through one company, and right now, DynCorp has that job.
To browse open positions and get a job on Kwajalein, search with keyword “Kwajalein” on the DynCorp website. You can also join the KwajNet group on Facebook and visit their website to find a regularly updated list of open positions.
Radars on Kwajalein Atoll
How much money can you make on Kwajalein?
Working on Kwajalein is all about the perks and every position comes with a generous financial package.
First and foremost, when you get a job on Kwajalein you also get free housing.
It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst either. Wendy compares the “bachelor’s quarters” to dorm living in college, while she describes the family homes as “cinder block houses – very functional and sturdy.”
Additionally, Wendy adds, “part of the benefits package is a certain number of trips, usually. One a year or one every other year.” If you’re worried about the expensive flights required to get to and from the Marshall Islands, don’t worry. You can go back to the States completely free.
Even better? Traveling to and from the US requires a layover in Hawaii… every time 🙂
Finally, what about taxes?
There is no income tax if you’re there for 330 days but you still have to pay the Marshallese taxes (which, back in the 90’s, were about 5% ) and of course, everyone still pays into social security as well.
What is the education and healthcare like on Kwajalein?
Free housing and trips are great, but schools and healthcare are pretty important too.
The unfortunate reality is that healthcare on the island is minimal, which my family can attest to. When something is out of the doctor or hospital’s typical range of abilities, patients are sent on a flight to Hawaii to take care of it.
When my brother broke his arm as a child he had to fly first class to Hawaii for treatment.
A year later, our family was uprooted again for a few weeks when my little brother’s birth was deemed too high risk for the island and we moved to Hawaii to await my mom’s due date there instead.
Schools are a little better, Wendy tells me, describing them as “small, but good.” In the elementary school, there is only one class per grade level.
Kwajalein, Marshall Islands from above
What’s So Special About Life on Kwajalein?
I lived on Kwajalein from 1996 to 1999, when I was only 5 to 8 years old. Still, though, I remember many unique aspects of the Kwaj lifestyle that you just won’t experience anywhere else.
Life Without Cars
The island is so small that everyone simply rides their bikes anywhere they want to go.
Even in kindergarten and first grade, I hopped on mine and rode it to school with the rest of my siblings. Just keep in mind that riding without a flashlight on your bike at night is against the law. If you get caught you’ll end up with a warning or even a fine.
If that commute isn’t unique enough for you, a job on the island of Roi-Namur, where programmers and engineers work on the all-important radar systems, will require a 20-minute flight to work every day. My dad did this for seven years and it became routine.
Usually.
Once, the plane took off and an issue with the landing gear required immediate attention. The pilot flew up high in the air and then performed a steep nosedive in an attempt to lock the gear into place.
The flight landed back on Kwajalein, lopsided, bouncing on one side of the wheels until it finally settled down on the runway and the workers disembarked.
Even though the airport lined up another flight to take them to Roi-Namur, my dad’s colleague had other ideas. “I only give you one chance to kill me a day,” he said. And with that, he went home.
Unique Memories
Another memory from life on the island as a kid is watching SCUBA Santa swim up out of the ocean to bring us presents at the beach on Christmas, instead of visiting him at a mall.
Throughout the year, my mom would also wake us up to watch the missiles come in. These scheduled tests were launched from California and landed in the ocean around Kwajalein, coming in at night like bright shooting stars.
Speaking of stars, the lack of light pollution that comes with living on a speck of rock in the vast Pacific Ocean meant that the view of them every night was breathtaking.
Of course, because Kwajalein is a US army base they must adapt, as best they can, to the US work schedule. The island timezone puts it 16 hours ahead of eastern US, so if you get a job on Kwajalein your weekends will be Sunday and Monday.
What are the best things to do on Kwajalein Atoll?
The only restaurants on the island are Subway, Anthony’s Pizza, and Burger King. There are also two theaters (one indoor and one outdoor), but don’t expect to see the latest releases right away.
Ronnie also told me there are two bars, one called The Snake Pit and a second on the golf course. But, most people spend their time on the beaches.
If you get a boating license, you can rent one and explore the nearby uninhabited islands or go diving on the coral reefs and sunken World War 2 ships that surround Kwajalein. You can also go deep sea fishing or try to spot dolphins, stingrays, barracudas, sharks, and even whales.
At the moment there are only around 1,000 people on the island, so community plays a huge role in the social lives of everyone there.
When my parents lived and worked on Kwajalein for seven years, they’d regularly take part in some unique events, like the Rust Man, a triathlon and play on the famous Iron Man race.
Another couple turned their house into a restaurant on weekends, taking reservations for one or two tables and then creating a home cooked meal for them.
Every year we also went to the Shaving Cream Social, where we’d spray each other with shaving cream in the pool, or race to the bottom of the deep end where we’d struggle to bring greased up watermelons back to the surface.
What about sports?
The kids on the island were divided into two swim teams, and every meet throughout the season was the Sharks vs. the Barracudas. In basketball, soccer, and volleyball, the junior high and high school kids have no other choice but to compete against teams of adults on the island.
Difficult Aspects of Life on Kwajalein
For those that get a job on Kwajalein one of the most difficult aspects of life on the island is the isolation.
The remote location means that it’s a seven-hour flight just to Hawaii, and then another long haul to get to the mainland US. While family and friends can visit, the paperwork required to secure permission and the prohibitive cost of flights makes it hard.
The convenience of life in the US is lacking there as well. There’s only one grocery store and my dad says, “they’d run out of milk or the good tuna. Produce was also dicey because they had to fly everything in.”
When Diet Coke was invented it showed up on Kwajalein three months later and tasted terrible.
Why?
Residents found out later that when Diet Coke is stored too hot the sweetener turns into wood alcohol… which is poisonous.
Kwajalein may be high-tech in terms of missiles and defense, but that’s where it ends.
“The internet is ok,” Ronnie told me. It’s fiber optic, so users typically don’t have too many problems. However, the island is still waiting for a cell phone tower and for now, most residents use wifi based calling only to reach home.
On Kwajalein, life is simple. Most events revolve around community groups and the beach. If you don’t like either of those, day to day life on the island will be tough to adapt to.
Beach on Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands
Are you ready to get a job on Kwajalein?
There’s a lot to consider before you take the plunge and get a job on Kwajalein. Island life can be romanticized and it isn’t for everyone.
However, if you’re looking to slow down, enjoy the great outdoors, or just have an adventure that few Americans get to experience, landing a job on Kwajalein may just be for you.
Use this guide to get started and soon you’ll be racking up major savings while you relax on a beach in paradise!
This article is part of the See the World series. Read the rest below:
How to Get a Job in Antarctica (Even if You’re Not a Scientist)
How to Teach in Abu Dhabi and Dubai
How to Work on a Yacht and Travel the World
Everything You Need to Know to get a Job as a Flight Attendant
Everything You Need to Know to Work as an Au Pair
Travel for Free With the Beginner’s Guide to Housesitting
Or, explore the complete Working Abroad series for more step-by-step guides to making money while you travel!
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Little corrections are in order, just for accuracy. Unless you are management the pay is NOT generous, in fact in many cases it is less than stateside pay, and no overtime pay, if you work more than 40 hrs it is still paid as straight time, or it is comped time. Also Kwajalein is an Army garrison not a base and as such misses out on certain perks of base living. As far as the internet is concerned, it is not fiber, it is basically DSL over the phone lines and is capped at a certain speed, it is not fast by stateside standards. The line becomes fiber when it leaves the island but not before. Also local and long distance phone service is due to be discontinued soon, you will have to use VOIP for all calls on island and off. Flights to Hawaii on United are $1400 round trip and so most do not take more than one leave per year, United has a monopoly and charges what they want i.e. way too much. Also be aware that unless you like outdoor activities, swimming and diving and such there is little to do here and can be very boring, so if you need excitement Kwaj is not for you.
Hey Kurt, thanks so much for sharing all this info and helping make the article as accurate as possible. That’s a shame about the flight prices, but it’s not surprising 🙁
Di, thank you for the article. I was born and raised on Kwaj and I’m currently applying for opportunities within DynCorp to go back.
That’s awesome, good luck! I’d like to go back again someday too and I’m so curious to see how my childhood memories will match up to it now.
Hiya Kurt,
I am ready. Ive been contracting since 04. Tired of the 12 hour days in the middle east. Ive done my research on Kwaj over the years but never took the leap. I know the pay wont be anywhere near what I am used to as a contractor. Not a concern. I know where to look for contracts, but no luck except a phone interview a few years ago. Any help would be appreciated. I am a heavy equipment mechanic almost 30 yrs, Currently Heavy Equipment Inspector Lead (QC). ronvalvassori Im at Yahoo
Hi Kurt – Tim Weller, here. Your reply is as-always, an accurate assessment. I enjoyed making your acquaintance while on Roi in 1986-87; and, being the best man at your and Laura’s wedding. I returned to Kwaj(Roi) in 1990 until Nov. 1991 and even in that few years between contracts, things had changed a great deal. Unfortunately, as you stated, not-so-much for bachelor status. Life has been an interesting adventure since we last conversed. Feel free to contact me via email.
Kurt, In September of 1988 as a 35 year old approaching Kwajalein by air I felt like I was landing at a South Pacific paradise, and in some regards I was. Rewinding a little over a week I was sitting in my office in Bedminister NJ where I worked for AT&T International as an engineer in their ITAC (International Technical Assistance Center). I was preparing for my upcoming travel to Sydney Australia to work with the local PTT (phone company) and Honeywell, supporting AT&T’s products from a design and Australian acceptance standpoint. As that visit was coming to an end I was eager to get home for my upcoming birthday four days away. As I prepared to leave I received a call from my boss asking if I could “stop by Kwajalein to take care of an issue”. I said I would call him back. Never hearing of Kwaj I checked a map. Sydney to Kwaj, finish up there in a day, Kwaj to Honolulu and Honolulu home. No problem so I called back and said yes. Wasn’t I surprised when I found out it was Sydney to Honolulu then back down to Kwaj. The flight down was uneventful except that one side of the plane was people and the other side was everything else. I arrived and was put up in what seemed like a BOQ. After settling in I was going to head out for a swim. As I walked to what I thought was the swimming area I was stopped and asked where I was going. Wasn’t I surprised when I was told the ocean side wasn’t the recommended swimming location, the Atoll side was. I was able to resolve the Kwaj issues quickly and thought I would get out the next day. The truth was I would be spending my birthday on Kwaj due to departing flight timing.
That was the best thing that could have happened to me. I was asked if I could head over to Roi the next day to take care of a couple other small issues. I showed up expecting to take a boat. I was told to grab my camera. The ride to Roi was in a open door Army style chopper.
I still have those pics. Exploring Kwaj was awesome. As Di said you couldn’t rent a car. When I got back to the States the toughest thing was trying to get my $25.00 Bike rental from Global Associates approved on my voucher. Out of all of the places I’ve been and the things I’ve seen, Kwaj still sticks out most vividly. Looking off the pier at a quarter that seemed two feet away only to find out it was probably 20 feet. Looking at the decommissioned silo’s, The Yap crafted storyboard that I got at the Micronesian Handicraft Shop that still graces my family room and the 1988 Kwajalein calendar I was given as I departed. It hung in my AT&T and my own company offices until I retired. The people who took care of me for those four days. I can’t remember the name of my contact from DynCorp other than his first name was Ron. I left AT&T in 1989 and started my own IT business for thirty years. After all this time Kwaj was still the assignment I remember most.
Hi, Just checking, what are the chances for Non-US Citizens?
That’s a really good question. I’m not sure, but you can try asking on the KwajNet Facebook page because I think they will be able to give you a more detailed response!
Age restrictions for a job at Roi-Namur? Visited Roi a few years back, when my son worked there. Love it. I’m retired Army. Would like to go back to Roi and work but my age (67) might be a limiting factor.
Do you know of basic limiting factors, such as age, for job applications, as such?
Sorry, I don’t know if age plays a factor in hiring. Why not send in a few applications and see if anything comes from it? Can’t hurt to try!
You might want to keep in mind that, thanks to the bomb tests, The Marshall Islands are far more radioactive than Chernobyl or Fukushima.
Yes, but the islands that are radioactive are not populated. Kwajalein and the nearby islands are fine!
I am a registered Nurse and saw a job posting on the base. Are there a lot of female nurses there? How clean and safe is it there? Are there any dangerous wildlife to encounter? Housing is dorm style but is there AC, clean water, clean toilets?
I’m not sure about how many female nurses there are on Kwaj but the island is definitely clean and safe! Most of the dangerous wildlife is in the sea 🙂
I was a Kwaj kid 1961- 63. It was Navy then. 1st, 2nd grade. All the swimming I wanted. The BEST years of my childhood, no tv, no phones,(I remember they did install a single telephone booth, not sure where you could call) at some point. Father Fey, 1st Holy Communion. George Seitz school. Everyone knew everyone and looked after everyone. Mr. Magoo, greased pig contest, our little silver trailer, ours was right on the water, i think there was a “yard” a fence, and a dirt road (for the mp rotation). My father was Navy and my mother worked as a secretary for MIT on Roi. I loved living on Kwajalein, and to this day (58 years later) I still wish we could have stayed there forever! Going back to the States was such a culture shock! Over the years, I have always fallen back on those memories of that tiny little place to get me through the toughest times and those memories will always be my go to for strength and patience when needed! Thank you for providing me the opportunity to express my appreciation of Kwajalein, even though I don’t think that this space was intended for my trip down memory lane!
I love this! Thanks for sharing. I also lived there when I was young, preschool, kindergarten, and first grade, so it’s nice to know it had such a strong influence on someone else at such a young age as well. I also wished we could stay forever!
Hey there i was on Kwaj at the same time. I always tell ppl it is the closest i will get to paradise until i die. Best time of my life.
Dynacorp uses Taleo, therefore they are not an option.
What do you mean?
Hi! I just tried to look at the link provided for Dyncorp. Google only pulls up a page for Amentum. Did they change their name?
I think so – a quick google search shows Amentum acquired Dyncorp in 2020