Military spouses are the foundation of the nation’s military support system. Fortunately, the military provides education and job assistance resources, training and opportunities to our nation’s resilient military spouses who sacrifice so much to support their service members.
Spouse Education Benefits
Military service members are eligible to designate some of their Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits to a spouse or military dependent. The Post 9/11 GI Bill® education program provides a monthly housing stipend for military service members, veterans, and spouses while pursuing a university or other college degree program.
Major universities and local colleges nationwide offer additional scholarship awards for military spouses and dependents to apply for. Family support service centers at U.S. military installations offer grant-funded scholarships and intern programs for military spouses as well.
Military Spouse Employment Assistance
The Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marine Corps provide some form of job training assistance for our military spouses. Federal government agency employers established military employment preference codes, transition assistance employment training, internship programs, or paid civil-service positions for military family members.
Spouse Employment Job Training Services Include:
- Resume writing
- Resume marketing skills
- Interview techniques
- Job networking
- Online job assistance services
- Skills assessment evaluation
- How to market transferable skills
- Transition assistance
Foreign spouses of U.S. military service members may receive additional job training aid. Military service members or spouses who speak a second language may classify the proficiency as a transferable skill.
Volunteer Employment Programs
A number of military spouses sacrifice their time volunteering for the military community. As a volunteer, military spouses are representing and supporting military operational efforts to strengthen morale.
Military volunteer funded programs require volunteers to retain a list of the duties, responsibilities, and skills obtained throughout a specified volunteer term. Spouses are encouraged to keep track of all volunteer program hours and list all volunteer obligations as employment experience.
Military Spouse Employment Resources
Online military employment resources are accessible. Research information about current military job fairs, free employment workshops, and free training certification programs offered to military service members. Some military employment sites require additional information to verify dependent status.
- Recruit The Military – Specific job resources online for military spouses.
- CareerOneStop – Provides a one-stop center for employment including a section dedicated to military spouses. CareerOneStop is sponsored by employment agency divisions nationwide. CareerOneStop recognizes the sacrifices military families make and hosts a separate link filtered with resources for spouse employment.
- Military Careers.org – Provides military spouses the access to enter specific search related content. The search engine tool in the website references a numerous amount of filtered links related to key search terms.
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) – The DoD launched a program to expand career opportunities for military spouses. This partnership provides increased employment opportunities, focuses on maintaining employment for relocating spouses, career promotion opportunities for those who are excelling at their jobs, ensures pay equality, resume and interviewing tips, and a job search tool with hundreds of thousands of open positions.
Additional Tips for Military Spouses
Additional resources on employment benefits for spouses are available. Contact a local family services support center at a local military installation, Chamber of Commerce, or city hall administration center.
Hear more about the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) Program in this video.