Employment Opportunities & Career Resources
- American Corporate Partners (ACP) - Spouses: ACP is a nationwide non-profit dedicated to assisting veterans and active duty military spouses on their path towards meaningful employment.
- Army Employment Readiness Program: The Employment Readiness Program offers resources to help with a career plan and job search.
- Army Quality of Life Task Force: The Army Quality of Life Task Force (QOL TF) oversees the comprehensive approach to strengthening quality of life programs in support of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s number one priority, People.
- Career One Stop-American Job Centers: Nearly 2,400 AJCs nationwide help people search for jobs, find training, and answer other employment related questions. Find an American Job Center in your local area.
- Department of Labor: U.S. Department of Labor is working to reduce employment barriers and enhance career opportunities for military spouses. This site helps military spouse understand licensing options in each State.
- Department of Veterans Affairs: If you’re a military spouse or surviving spouse, find out if you’re eligible and how to apply for the Department of Defense’s Spouse Education Career Opportunities (SECO) program. And learn about other resources to help you build your career or start a small business.
- Entrepreneurship Bootcamp: The no cost Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans, or EBV, Foundation has created the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans’ Families, or EBV-F, a program for military family members who are caregivers to a wounded warrior or the surviving spouse of a military member who died serving the country.
- Hiring Our Heroes: Hiring Our Heroes provides a variety of programs and events for military spouses to prepare for a next career move or reenter the workforce.
- Home-Based Businesses: This edition of STAND TO! explains how the Army revised home-based business policy to provide consistency for home-based business owners as they relocate to other Army locations.
- Institute for Veterans and Military Families: IGNITE helps women veterans, active duty service women, and women military spouses/life-partners explore the opportunity of small business ownership as a post-service career path.
- Military Benefits: List of work from home jobs, portable careers and additional income opportunities for military spouses, veterans and reservists.
- Military OneSource: Military OneSource offers practical information and resources for pursuing education goals and achieving career aspirations.
- Military Spouse Careers: Search hundreds of thousands of jobs for military spouses.
- Military Spouse Corporate Career Network: Provides service in employment so that every military spouse, caregiver, and military family member can have a pathway to a portable career within their chosen career paths.
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership: Jobs for military spouses; leverage MSEP resources to jumpstart your career.
- Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP): MSEP connects military spouses with hundreds of partner employers who have committed to recruit, hire, promote and retain military spouses.
- Military Spouse JD Network: MSJDN supports military spouses in the legal profession by advocating for licensing accommodations for military spouse attorneys; educating the public about the challenges faced by career-minded military spouses and their families; encouraging the hiring of military spouses; and providing a network connecting military spouse attorneys with each other and their supporters.
- Military Transition: Helps service members, veterans, spouses and employers better understand and prepare for the military-to-civilian transition process and civilian employment.
- My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA): The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program is a workforce development program that provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance for licenses, certifications, or Associate’s degrees to pursue an occupation or career field.
- National Military Family Association, Spouse-Owned Business: NMFA awards can be used for a variety of educational and employment pursuits. Scholarship funds on average are $500-$1,000 and can be used towards degrees, certifications, licensure, clinical supervision for mental health licensure, CEUs, business expenses and more.
- Operation “We Are Here”: Resources for the military community and military supporters.
- Small Business Administration: The U.S. Small Business Administration is committed to helping more military spouses have the tools and skills needed to be entrepreneurs, especially in the areas of capital, counseling, loans, and contracting.
- Soldier For Life – Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP): Soldier For Life engages and connects Army, government, and non-government organizations in order to influence policies, programs, and services that support Soldiers, Veterans, and Families. They promote hiring fairs, entrepreneurship, and employment resources.
- Spouse Education and Career Opportunities: Provides education and career guidance to military spouses worldwide and offers comprehensive resources and tools for all stages of your career progression.
- United Service Organizations (USO) - Pathfinder: The USO Pathfinder operation works with strategic partners to connect service members and military spouses to resources within these focus areas: employment, education, financial readiness, veterans’ benefits, housing, legal, family strength and wellness and volunteerism.
- USA Jobs - Military Spouses: If you're a military spouse, you may be eligible to apply using a non-competitive process designed to help you get a job in the federal government.
Education (Scholarships and More)
- Army Emergency Relief (AER): Apply for a Scholarship: Army Emergency Relief (AER) is a private, nonprofit organization that was created to help Soldiers and their Family members who experience financial emergencies.
- College Scholarships: Various resources for military spouse scholarship opportunities.
- Department of Veterans Affairs Programs: Find out if you’re eligible for VA education benefits for dependents and survivors (also called Chapter 35 benefits). If you’re a dependent spouse or child—or the surviving spouse or child—of a Veteran, you may qualify for Chapter 35 benefits or job training through a GI Bill program.
- Fastweb: Fastweb is your connection to scholarships, colleges, financial aid and more.
- Fisher House-Scholarships for Service: You and your family's service for our country qualifies you for unique funding opportunities. This site will help you find the best matches for your educational goals.
- Military Benefits: Find military spouse groups and clubs who offer scholarships for military dependents.
- Military OneSource – Education & Employment: Military OneSource offers practical information and resources for pursuing education goals and achieving career aspirations.
- National Military Family Association, Military Spouse Scholarships: NMFA awards can be used for a variety of educational and employment pursuits. Scholarship funds on average are $1,000 and can be used towards degrees, certifications, licensure, clinical supervision for mental health licensure, CEUs, business expenses and more.
- Spouse Education & Career Opportunities (SECO): The SECO Scholarship Finder makes searching for education funding and career development opportunities fast and easy. Search for financial assistance resources and professional development opportunities offered specifically to military spouses and family members.
- Spouse Education & Career Opportunities (SECO)-MyCAA: The My Career Advancement Account Scholarship Program is a workforce development program that provides up to $4,000 of financial assistance for licenses, certifications, or Associate’s degrees to pursue an occupation or career field.
Military Spouse Hiring Authority
Military spouses serve a pivotal role in contributing to the financial and personal success of military families. In 2008, President Bush established Executive Order 13473, the noncompetitive appointing authority for certain military spouses that allowed hiring into permanent, term, or temporary positions in the Federal Government.
The intent was to assist military spouses gain employment with the Federal government as part of an effort to recruit and retain skilled and experienced members of the armed forces, and to recognize and honor the service of members injured, disabled or killed while on active duty.
A spouse of a member of the Armed Forces now remains eligible for noncompetitive appointment (under E.O. 13473) for the duration of the spouse’s relocation to the permanent duty station of the member.
Previously, military spouses were only eligible for appointment under the noncompetitive authority (E.O. 13473) for the first two years following the date of their sponsor’s PCS orders. That is no longer the case and spouses of a member of the Armed Forces remain eligible for appointment the duration of the sponsor’s tour. For more information, visit your local civilian personnel office.
Nonappropriated Fund (NAF) Opportunities
This tool allows certain NAF employees at the NAF-03 level and below to transfer, without a break in service, from one Army Installation to another when the same position is available at the gaining Garrison. The position must have the same position title, pay plan, occupational series and pay band level/grade. Placement to a new position through the CEAT is not an entitlement and requests for transfer are not guaranteed job placements.
If you are a current NAF employee and preparing for a permanent change of station, please discuss this tool with your local NAF Civilian Personnel Officer or supervisor.
Military Spouse Licensing Reimbursement Program
The Army will reimburse qualified relicensing costs up to $1K for spouses. These are costs to cover the examination and registration fees imposed by the State of the new duty station. This will allow spouses to secure a license or recertification in the new duty station for the same profession as in the original duty station.
The Army will provide instructions for filing reimbursement through the permanent change of station process.
- Military Spouse License Recognition Options by State
- Army doubles amount for spouse licensure reimbursement
- STAND TO!: Army Spouse State Licensure and Certification Costs Reimbursement
- AER offers $2,500 relicensing aid for spouses
Civilian Personnel Resources
Miscellaneous Employment References
- DoD Instruction – Employment of Spouses of Active Duty Military
- DoD Telework Policy
- Executive Order 13832
- Military Spouse PPP Self Certification Checklist
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