Home  »  Employment   »   Military Spouse Employment: Most Common Struggles

Military Spouse Employment: Most Common Struggles

Julie Provost

As a military spouse, you can get used to putting yourself on the back burner. Military life can make it hard to do what you want, whether that is going to school or working. There are so many different hurdles for military spouses who want to pursue their own careers. Here are some of the most common struggles faced by military spouses in employment and how to address them.

Cures for Military Spouse Employment Struggles

There are many common struggles that military spouses face.  Here we outline the most common ones along with recommended remedies for each.

Moving Often

As a military spouse, you are likely to move frequently. Typically, this means every three to four years, although some military families relocate more frequently than that. There are several challenges associated with this type of lifestyle.

The first is that employers may not want to hire you when they see or learn that you are a military spouse. They don’t want to hire you over someone that they know probably isn’t going to move as often. They don’t want to spend the time and energy to train someone who they feel won’t be around long enough.

It is illegal for a company not to hire someone based on their marital status.  However, this is very difficult to prove and, in most cases, not realistic or financially worthwhile to pursue. An employer can not hire you for a multitude of reasons, and you might never know if it was because you were a military spouse or for something else.

So what can you do?

Work to show companies what you can offer. If you possess the right skills and a strong work ethic, that can go a long way with some employers. Ensure that you highlight why they would want to hire you over others.

Work to demonstrate to employers in general that hiring military spouses is a beneficial practice. There are ways to make a job work, even if the military spouse has to move away. Many jobs can be performed at home, even if they have not been done so in the past.

Find companies that do hire military spouses and see if they are a good fit for your career goals. If a company has stated that they are welcoming to military spouses, that is one part of the career journey that you don’t have to worry about.

Being the New Person

Another issue with moving often is always being the new person at your job. This makes moving up a bit more difficult. This is more of an issue in some careers than others, but it is something that military spouses struggle with. When starting a new job, it can be frustrating to know that once you reach a position of seniority, it may be time to relocate to a new state or even a different country and start over.

While there aren’t many solutions to this, the best approach is to plan ahead before a move. Keep a good track of the jobs that you have had and the education you bring to any job you apply for.

While it can be frustrating to feel like you have to start over all the time, finding creative ways to continue your career from place to place can be a good option. This can mean building your own business using the skills you have or working for a company that allows you to take your job with you from place to place.

Read: How Can The Military Spouse Network Help You

Not Having Access to the Right Jobs

Another significant challenge for military spouses seeking employment is the limited access to jobs in their desired career field, particularly where they reside. Sometimes, the only jobs available have nothing to do with what you went to college for.

When you go to college, you expect to be able to use your degree afterward and find a job in your field. You know you might have to start at the bottom, but nothing can be more frustrating than not being able to even start your career in the first place.

So what can you do?

The most effective solution to this is to utilize any educational or career resources available at your local military installation. From job fairs to extra classes, exploring all your options in your area is crucial. Sometimes you can assume that your area doesn’t have a job in your field, but you might be surprised by what you find.

OCONUS Rules and Regulations for Military Spouse Employment

There are even more challenges for those military families stationed overseas. For one thing, due to SOFA laws (Status of Forces Agreement), you might not even be able to keep up with your home business. This can mean giving up a business you have poured your life into for the last few years.

It can be easy to tell a military spouse in this position to simply not worry about their career while they are overseas and to enjoy everything the country they are stationed in has to offer, but it isn’t that simple. For some, taking a 3- or 4-year break in their career can be devastating. For others, the idea of not working at all is simply not feasible in terms of their career goals.

So what can you do?

Be aware of the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) laws in your country. Ensure you abide by them, but also consider consulting with your military installation to explore any specific rules they may have for home-based businesses. Never assume that what is allowed in Germany would be allowed in South Korea, as each country has its own rules and regulations about what you can do.

You can also take your time overseas to attend school or pursue a degree that will help you find a job more easily upon your return to the States. There are options for attending school online while you are overseas, as well as taking classes at your duty station.

READ: How to Transfer the Post-9/11 GI-Bill to Spouses and Dependents  (links to CollegeRecon)

For some spouses, staying at home might be an option, and while it isn’t ideal for family life, it may be the best choice for their career path.

Volunteering can also be an option. You may have trouble finding work in another country, but you might be able to volunteer. Then you can add that experience to your resume, which can help you in the future.

Professional Licenses

Some careers require obtaining a license to work in that field. For many people, this happens only once in a lifetime career. For the military spouse, this can become a big headache, especially if different states have completely different laws about what you need to do to get your license in each state.

So what can you do?

When it comes to transferring licenses, this can apply to a wide range of careers.

Teachers are required to hold a state license. The laws vary from state to state; however, some states offer a provisional license if you hold a valid license from another state. The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) can help with the teacher certification reciprocity process. In addition, the Department of Defence schools accept teaching licenses from any state or territory.

Nurses also need to have a state license. As of January 2018, 29 states are a part of the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows you to work as a nurse in your state or any other state in the Compact.

READ: How to Become a Nurse as a Military Spouse (links to CollegeRecon)

In addition to teaching and nursing, other careers also require licenses. These are:

• Attorneys
• Childcare Workers
• Cosmetologists
• Massage Therapists
• Paralegals
• Real Estate Agents
• Social Workers
• Other positions in the medical field

If you practice in any of these careers, ensure you are aware of the necessary steps.  Additionally, stay informed about legislation in your state. Being aware of what is required, staying organized, and ensuring you are prepared will go a long way in helping you meet your licensing requirements.

The Department of Defense State Liaison Office (DSLO), as well as its website, USA4MilitaryFamilies, has been established to educate state policymakers on the unintended barriers created by policies, as well as other issues important to service members and their families.

Hectic Military Lifestyle

Being married to someone in the military means living a unique lifestyle. For one thing, your spouse is not always home. They can be gone for months and sometimes for over a year at a time. Beyond the move, military life brings numerous frustrations to the military spouse working on their career.

If the military spouse has children, childcare is particularly important, and not being near family can also present challenges. If the spouse works a lot and their spouse is deployed, their career can suffer trying to balance everything.

The unknowns of military life can be frustrating too. If you are unsure when you will be moving, it can be challenging to inform your employer of your plans or when to begin searching for a new job. Plans can change.  You could apply and find a good job at your new duty station, only to find out that your spouse’s orders get changed to a different duty station, 1,000 miles away.

So what can you do?

One solution to this is to be aware of the various childcare options available in your area. The Child Development Centers on post might offer what you are looking for as well as FCC providers or other daycare options.

In some cases, pursuing a portable career is the solution for military spouse employment. This can address the issue of wanting a career while their spouse is serving in the military. There are plenty of areas to explore if this is something a spouse wants to do and can start with going back to school for an education. Using MYCAA (linked to CollegeRecon), a military spouse can pursue a degree or certificate, which can help them in a portable career.

READ: Portable Careers for Military Spouses  (links to CollegeRecon)

READ: 10 Unexpected Careers Through MyCAA  (links to CollegeRecon)

These struggles can cause some spouses to decide to wait on their education and careers until their spouse retires.  That doesn’t always have to be the case. There are ways to move forward and achieve your dreams, even within the military lifestyle. Look for new ways to do things in your career field and be open to something you might not have thought about doing in the past.

 

RELATED:

• 4 Reasons to Take Advantage of MySECO
• 10 Companies Committed to Hiring Military Spouses
• Military Spouse Employment Act
• Military Spouse Priority Placement Program
• About Professional License Transfers for Military Spouses
• How to Prepare For and Find a Remote Job