As an Air Force wife, is it fairly easy to find jobs on base?

Question

My boyfriend is in the Air Force, we have been together for about a year and a half. My boyfriend has had a medical restriction for the past couple of years due to testicular cancer so he has not been able to be deployed outside of the United States. He feels this is limiting his opportunities and is working on getting the restriction removed. When/if he does get stationed at an overseas base, I am worried about being able to find a job. By then we will be married, I currently work in ATM/Debit card processing and have had experience in various career fields and am working on getting my degree. According to my boyfriend, a lot of military wives have a difficult time finding a job overseas. I am not the type to not work, how difficult is it to find a job as a civilian overseas?

I do not speak any languages fluently other than English. For the most part, I can hold my own in Spanish and Sign Language but by no means could be considered fluent.

Answer 1

When it comes to overseas, it's a whole other ball game. There are quotas and restrictions in place regarding "local national" hires and spouse hires. In some locations there must be at least 50% of the jobs filled by local nationals. Other locations, it can be as low as 20%. Depends upon the SOFA agreement.
There are generally openings as the CDC, AAFES, and the Commissary. Also, there are job opportunities at the banks and credit unions. There are also some jobs where you cannot use your spouse preference, and you can only use it once per base. In other words, if you got hired at the club using spouse preference, if you get and try to get a job elsewhere on base, you cannot claim spouse preference again.

Answer 2

The majority of the jobs on base overseas are for the locals there. South Korea etc. So I know sometimes it is harder to get a job on base unless you are looking for a certain position. Many times when you are overseas places want people to teach English. You can look up jobs over the Internet and call schools or companies that promote these types of jobs. Also in many places that do teach English, you do not need to speak the language, The pay is also pretty good.

Answer 3

Depends on what you're willing to do. Virtually every Air Force Base (be it in the CONUS or overseas) has a daycare shortage, so if you're willing to get certified and watch kids you would have no trouble finding work. The civilian positions on base, including those working for the clubs, AAFES, credit unions, etc., are fiercely competed for, so that would be a tough way to go. The only other way you'd be able to find a job in a foreign country is if you spoke the language fluently. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's really a crap-shoot unless you have a special skill or knowledge set that they need. Best bet is to contact the Family Support Center once your B/F gets stationed overseas and see what's available.

Answer 4

I am a military wife in the USAF. Military wives have presidence over any civilians for jobs on base. If a civilian has a little more experience than you, you will still get the job. Reason being is that you are viewed as an extension of your husband in the military and they want to support you and your efforts towards success whenever possible. One of the main reasons for that is infiltration in YOUR life as well as your husband's. A lot of wives can't deal with being a military spouse and eventually, will leave. If you are a part of that experience and have something accomplished on your own (instead of just being there waiting for the man to bring home the check), you and hubby will have more in common with the military. You'll both be working towards the effort, and so on.

Learning another language to work on a US base is NOT necessary. They speak English

Answer 5

Do you speak any foreign languages? That helps huge when getting a job overseas.
Even on a base that is predominantly english speaking, knowing another language opens alot of doors.