By Jaimi Erickson
Guest Blogger
The dawn of remote and virtual work has been a huge gift to military spouses since it adds a level of balance between career progression and time and life demands that are inevitable when a servicemember deploys.
I chose to stay at home when my children were all young and school-age. As they have grown, working at home has been a huge plus for recharging my mental health, saving for retirement, and honing my professional skills.
There are so many more options for MilSpouses now than when my kids were babies. Having the option to build a career from home is a pretty special opportunity for MilSpouses who want or need to work.
I put together a list of virtual work options, which have been recommended to me by other military spouses. These offer ways to build an income from home, grow your career, and manage it amid the challenges of military life. Take a look at which opportunities are available that can use your skills and help you build on them. Then, write your resume and take a leap into a career.
Stay-at-Home Job Opportunities
Instant Teams
Instant Teams helps companies source a highly skilled, diverse workforce and empowers military spouses to find meaningful careers. This company focuses on supporting military spouses and provides flexible employment options. From semi part-time email-based positions, to full-time, virtual office support, you can find opportunities based on your skills and availability. To receive updates on openings, you can create an account on their website.
Freedom Makers
Virtual assistants are very employable these days. Freedom Makers helps military spouses get hired as virtual assistants to support business goals. It is a for-spouses-by-spouses business, and it helps both military spouses who are working from home and those who are working in an office.
Pearson
For those with teaching degrees, you can put your skills to work with Pearson, an education testing company. Pearson employs degreed teachers to score state standardized tests. The company provides thorough training before each test scoring project. This work is seasonal, so during scoring projects, you can work more than full time, or as little as 10 hours a week.
I did some scoring work with Pearson. It was work that fit around homeschooling. I could work in the evenings and on weekends to help earn additional income from home. It felt good to use my teaching degree for education-related employment. Military spouse life can complicate the path of those in the teaching field, but jobs at Pearson fit into this lifestyle.
Hiring Our Heroes
While not a place of employment, Hiring Our Heroes is a great starting point for preparing to enter the workforce. Whether you are looking for part-time or full-time career opportunities, getting connected to Hiring Our Heroes will get you in front of companies eager to hire military spouses.
The organization offers resume writing support and resources for interviewing, and holds career fairs, which are an opportunity to go through the interview process and find work that will help you bring your skills into the working world.
As military spouses, we can get a year of LinkedIn Premium free. Personally, LinkedIn has been my favorite way to seek out employment opportunities. The search option and job search functions are very easy to navigate. Plus, LinkedIn is a very active networking community. Being active in LinkedIn groups lets you stay connected in your field of expertise.
Work-at-Home Resources
A mega resource of work at home opportunities for military spouses and spouses wanting to work from home is over on my blog. I have been compiling opportunities for years to help support mothers who need accessible, virtual, or part-time employment to help supplement their household incomes. Read through the stay-at-home job opportunities to see how your skills or interests may lead you to finding a work-at-home option.
Stay-at-Home Jobs Recap
While working at home can be a great fit for those with children at school during the day, it can also be a good fit for you if you homeschool. Setting up a carpool to get the kids to their activities can free up time for you to work. Working before the kids wake up, or after the kids go to bed, are strategies I have used to fit in work around family needs.
The opportunities listed above can help you connect to virtual work opportunities that can move with you to your next duty station. You also have the option to build a business from home. Think about what you really want to do and how you want to do it and take advantage of the opportunities and support available to help you achieve success.
About Jaimi Erickson
Jaimi is a mom of 4, military wife, and writer. She blogs about motherhood, kids activities and homemaking tips at The Stay-at-Home Mom Survival Guide. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
