Tag: Military Spouse

Step-By-Step Employment Guide: What Type of Work Should Military Spouses Do?

As you start your job-finding journey, you will need to decide on what type of job you will be looking for. There are a few different options. You can choose between being a W2 employee, or a 1099 independent contractor. You also need to decide if you want to work full-time or part-time. There are pros and cons to all of these choices.

W2 Employee

A W2 employee is a salaried or hourly employee. They are not business owners, and they work for the company. They receive benefits and work based on a schedule that is created by the employer in most cases. There are certain laws that will need to be followed, and the company will withhold social security, medicare, and taxes for the paycheck. The company will provide all the tools and supplies you would need, such as a laptop.

Pros: More security, and more long-term stability. You can receive benefits and certain protections.

Cons: You will have more regulations about the work you do. You won’t have as much say in when you work. You have less flexibility overall.

Companies who can help you find W2 jobs:

• Hire Heroes – they help veterans and military spouses get hired in many different fields. They offer personalized career coaching, expert mentoring, and job sourcing.
• Integrity Staffing Solutions – they are a staffing agency that places people into open positions in different fields around the country, including remote jobs.

1099 Independent Contractor

A 1099 independent contractor provides certain services to a company. They differ in how and where they work and what tools they use to get the job done. Employers don’t take out anything from their paychecks and they are not eligible for employee benefits. They are their own boss and work for themselves.

Pros: You have a lot more freedom as a 1099 contractor. You don’t have a traditional boss and you have the ability to contract with multiple companies. You can more easily work remotely as a 1099. As a military spouse, this can be a way to find that flexible job you are looking for.

Cons: You don’t have the safety net you might have as an employee. Your job is more temporary and you won’t be offered any benefits. You will have to make sure you save money from each paycheck to pay your taxes as no employer will not be taking the money out for you.

Companies who can help you find 1099 jobs:

• Freelance US LLC – they offer services for military spouses that are designed to accommodate the military lifestyle. They can help you find jobs in graphic design, writing, programming, business tasks, video, audio, and photo.
• Virtual Gal Friday – while they are not specific to the military they provide work-from-home opportunities that are more accommodating to work-life balance than a traditional job.

Full-Time Status Employment

Working full-time would be working 30-40 hours, usually five days a week. Many people want to work full-time.

Pros: Working at full-time status can give you better benefits, give you higher pay, and make for more stability when it comes to your career.

Cons: Working at full-time status can mean less flexibility with your schedule. There is a higher chance of burnout since you are working more hours.

Companies who can help you find full-time jobs:

• Avant Healthcare – this company is for military spouses working in healthcare.
• American Corporate Partners – this company works with veterans, active duty, and military spouses. They offer a mentoring program and links to jobs with their partner companies.

Part-Time Status Employment

Working part-time is usually working less than 30 hours a week. Finding a part-time job can be good for those looking for more flexibility.

Pros: Working at part-time status can be great for work-life balance. You have more free time during the week and can focus on other parts of your life in a way you can’t if you work full-time. It might even be easier to find a job if you are flexible in the hours you can work.

Cons: Working at part-time status means fewer benefits in most cases. You usually have to work a certain amount of hours to qualify for them. You also may be seen as more expendable than a full-time employee would be. If you are not there as much as your co-workers then it can also be difficult to navigate.

Companies who can help you find part-time jobs:

• TrueBlue – this company is for service members, veterans, and military spouses looking for a more physical type of job.
• BreakLine – this company is for veterans and their spouses looking for jobs in the technology field.

As you can see, there are different options based on what works for your lifestyle, your industry, and your goals.

Step by Step Guide to Employment: Portable Jobs for Military Spouses

According to the 2021 Military Family Lifestyle Survey Comprehensive Report by Blue Star Families the military spouse unemployment rate is 4 to 6 times the national average. It can be difficult for military spouses to find the right job and to be able to do so at every duty station they move to. Overall, military spouses can struggle to find employment.

Military spouses wanting to find a new job can be hit with struggles that their civilian friends don’t have to deal with. When someone becomes a military spouse, they enter a whole new world. There will be many moves, maybe even every two to three years. Their spouse’s schedule will be all over the place and there could be times when they aren’t home. This can make for a harder environment when it comes to finding a career and maintaining one.

The military spouse unemployment rate is 4 to 6 times the national average according to a military family lifestyle survey

This is why so many military spouses want to look for jobs that are more portable. Jobs they can take from duty station to duty station or where they will know that the likelihood of finding a job when they move will be high. As you are just starting the process of finding employment, now is a good time to figure out how you feel about portable jobs.

Is a portable job right for you?

Ask yourself if a portable job is the right choice for your own career path.

Not every industry works well with portable jobs. Some career paths will mean that you won’t be able to easily find a new job at each duty station. You might have to get more creative about your career. However, other industries do have a lot of portable jobs that can be a good fit.

Going for a remote job can be a good option too. Because of Covid, many companies have switched to remote work, even if they never had before. They have realized that they can make at-home jobs work for the company and their employees. This can be a good option because your job can literally come with you without much interruption.

Examples of Portable Jobs

Medical Billing and Coding

With medical billing and coding, you would work to ensure that people are billed correctly, keep invoices organized, and make sure bills are paid on time. With the coding part, you would be working to assign codes to medical actions. In order to work in this type of job, you would need a certificate. This job can also be done remotely.

Please visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for medical billing and coding.  You can find schools such as Central Ohio Technical College which offers programs for medical billing and coding.

Customer Service

In this type of job, you would work for a company and help customers via phone, email, and/or chat. You would handle customer complaints and provide other assistance. There are many companies such as Amazon and Verizon where you can work from home. You would need a high school diploma.

Search for agencies specializing in Customer Service jobs for veterans and military spouses using CareerRecon.

Pharmacy Tech

As a pharmacy tech, you would help in the process of preparing prescription medicine for customers. This does require specialized training but it is everywhere and you should easily be able to find a job in this field.

Please visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for pharmacy technicians.  You can find schools such as Concorde Career College which offers programs for pharmacy techs.

​​Bookkeeper or Accountant

A bookkeeper would handle the day-to-day tasks of recording financial transactions. An accountant would handle the financial and tax data for a business. You would need an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree to work as a bookkeeper, and a bachelor’s degree to be an accountant. These types of jobs can easily be remote and are available in most locations.

Search for agencies specializing in Accounting positions for veterans and military spouses using CareerRecon.  Or visit CollegeRecon for training or education options for accounting online.

There are many other options for portable jobs, from running a home business to freelancing, or working in the service industry. Take your time trying to figure out what direction you want to go in and what that would look like when it comes to finding a job.

>> Find agencies specializing in placing military spouses with CareerRecon’s Search Tool

Your Employment Questions Answered: Childcare and Going Out of Town

Sometimes the best way to learn something new is by seeking advice from those who have been there. Asking questions is how we learn about new resources or can give us perspectives that we might never have thought about before. When you ask a question, you can gain the knowledge you are looking for that will help you figure out what you need to know to move forward, whatever the subject might be.

Childcare can be a big issue for military spouses. Their service member could be deployed or working long hours, and they might need to make serious decisions between work and their children. This isn’t going to be easy. Sometimes there is no easy answer and sacrifices are going to have to be made. Luckily there are some resources out there, both civilian and military that can help.

Question: Should I skip my work trip for my son’s attendance award?

My job is having a work retreat and my husband is deployed. My son is only in kindergarten. My friend is able to watch him for three days but won’t be able to take him to school. This means he will have to miss three days of school and will lose his perfect attendance. I could stay home, but I have already missed a retreat and attendance is strongly encouraged. I don’t know what to do. Is my son’s perfect attendance worth more than my work trip? How do I decide which has priority?

Answer:

Having to choose between your child and your work can be difficult. You don’t want to have to pick one over the other, but in some cases, you might have to. In this case, the work trip should be your priority. You missed out on the last one but now you can go to this one and it sounds like it would be important that you do so. You do have someone who can watch your child and keep them safe which is the most important thing.

As far as his attendance goes, while missing school isn’t ideal, doing so at his age won’t be the end of the world. You can even talk with the teacher about getting some independent work for him to do while he isn’t at school. While earning a perfect attendance award might be fun, earning one, especially at age 5 isn’t totally realistic. During the school year there could be days he would need to miss for illness or even when your spouse returns from a deployment. Risking your job for that type of award wouldn’t be worth it.

Just like your service member spouse, your career is important and it provides for your family. There is nothing wrong with that. Your job is important too.

Childcare Options for Military Spouses

If you really don’t want him to miss school there might be a few options for you or for any childcare needs in the future.

YMCA School Partnerships

Check and see if his school has a YMCA partnership. If they do, they might be able to offer transportation before and after school. Not sure if it is possible for your caregiver to drop or pick up your child earlier before school or later after but that could be an option too.  For more info, please go here.

Care.com

With Care.com, you can find a caregiver to take your son to and from school. He could still stay with your friend but they would take care of transportation. Please make sure to also check out the Care.com military discount.  For more info on the Care.com program, please go here.

Hourly Care at the CDC

While this might not help in this current situation, most military installations offer hourly care through the CDC (Child Development Center). This is great if you need someone to watch your child for a few hours during school breaks or even after school. In some cases, you might get free hours if your spouse is deployed.  For more info on the Care.com program, please go here.

As you can see you do have a few options when it comes to planning work trips around you and your son’s schedule. Hopefully, you will be able to find something that will work.

RELATED Articles at myMilitaryBenefits:

• Military Child Care Basics
• Free Childcare for National Guard Coming
• The DoD Resource that National Guard and Reserve Families Need to Check Out!
• “Our Military Kids” Provides Grants to Military Children
• VA Loan Eligibility Expanded for National Guard

Your Employment Questions Answered: How Does Military Spouse Preference Work?

Sometimes the best way to learn something new is by seeking advice from those who have been there. Asking questions is how we learn about new resources or can give us perspectives that we might never have thought about before. When you ask a question, you can gain the knowledge you are looking for that will help you figure out what you need to know to move forward, whatever the subject might be.

In many cases, military spouses have to move every few years with their service members. Because of this, having and maintaining a career can sometimes be difficult. You might feel as if you have to start over or have a disadvantage as a military spouse working on your career. The good news is that the DoD has established a Military Spouse Preference (MSP) program. Here is what you need to know about it.

Question: Can you tell me more about how to use the Military Spouse Preference (MSP)?

I am a new military spouse and we are about to PCS from Little Rock to Ramstein in Germany. I work in a public library as their grant coordinator. I have my master’s degree in higher education as well as a graduate certificate in sustainability. I would like to find something in the public service sector, either in government or education, once I get to Ramstein.

How would military spouse preference work? How do I apply for it? Is there a limited number of times you can use it?

Answer:

With the Military Spouse Preference (MSP) program, you can help build your career as you move from duty station to duty station. MSP doesn’t automatically give you the job. You still need to qualify for the job, apply, and go through the employment process. But it can help you.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for Military Spouse Preference (MSP), you will need to either be married to an active duty service member, including a full-time national guard, be married to a service member or veteran with a 100% service-related disability, or a widow or widower of a service member.

As an active duty service member spouse, you will also need to make sure that you were married to your service member before they PCSd to the new duty station, which is clear that you did. The job you are looking at applying for will need to be in the commuting area of your sponsor’s new duty station.

How to Apply

You can apply right at USAjobs.gov giving you a head start before you get to your new duty station. Make sure the job states, “Military Spouses” with the green wedding rings on it. In your case, looking for overseas locations, you should also see the “Military Spouse Preference (MSP) for Overseas Employment.” You will need to create a USAjobs.gov account to be able to apply.

Keep in mind that you can apply for as many jobs as you would like but once you get an offer, whether you accept or decline it, you can’t use MSP at your current duty station again unless the job is just temporary.

You will need to show proof of marriage, a copy of your spouse’s PCS orders that have you listed as a family member, and proof that they are active duty, have been disabled, or have passed away.

More Information

You can read more about applying at USAjobs.gov on their website, and read more about military spouse employment help in our military spouse section on Career Recon.

RELATED:

• MyMilitaryBenefits’ Military Spouse Jobs Section
• MyMilitaryBenefits’ Military Spouse Section
• DOD Priority Placement Program for Military Spouses