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Government Job Opportunities for Military Spouses

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

In yet another positive development for the career prospects of military spouses, President Bush recently signed an executive order giving federal managers permission to hire a special set of qualified spouses without having to subject job vacancies to the normal competitive process.

Bush's order gives some preferential treatment to the qualified military spouses of services members who have either been killed in action, incapacitated by their service (100% disabled) or are moving as part of "permanent change-of-station orders."

Each year nearly 20,000 new people join the government's employment ranks, and this directive would allow federal mangers to hire a qualified military spouse before the open position is publicly advertised.

Military officials are hoping that more career opportunities for military spouses will lead to better retention numbers for military personnel. Military spouses generally have unemployment numbers higher than their civilian counterparts.

It's expected that this directive will not be implemented until early next year. The military spouses of Reservists and National Guardsmen on active duty qualify for the preference.

Military spouses who are not affected by the executive order can still give themselves a competitive edge by enrolling in career training programs that are 100% online and entirely self-paced.

Many schools and universities also offer military spouse discounts and military spouse scholarships and military spouse career advancement accounts to help military families afford tuition. And with uncertain economic times on the horizon, it's always a good thing to have as many qualifications as possible.

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Posted by Allied @ 2:30 PM • 0 comments

Marine Sgt. Major Discusses State of the Corps

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

When a Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps speaks - people listen. So it was when the Marines' top enlisted man, Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, sat down with Marine Corps Times to weigh in on some of the day's important issues. Kent is a 32-year veteran of the Marines who served in Iraq in 2004.

Kent sat down for an interview with the paper and spoke on issues ranging from the GI Bill to HBO's new miniseries Generation Kill, which focuses on recon Marines during the initial invasion of Iraq. Here is a snapshot of some of what Kent said:

  • The goal is still to have 14 months of dwell time for every seven months of deployment
  • Two of the Corp's biggest priorities remain combat and the state of the Marine family
  • New programs coming soon include the Combat Fitness Test and changes to the Body Composition Program
  • The Corps needs to give NCOs as much responsibility in garrison as they have in combat
  • He didn't like Generation Kill; it didn't portray the Marine Corps he knew
  • On the new GI Bill, he takes a wait-and-see approach
  • Despite a spat of recent motorcycle accidents, the Corps can't ban Marines from buying bikes

In speaking about the marine family, Kent gave a nod to military spouses everywhere and the important role they play, when he said: "Our families are as important as ever. They're supporting the Marine, they're going through quite a bit and they're sacrificing so much. So, the commandant has refocused millions of dollars back into family support." Go here for the full interview.

One important educational resource for military spouses is military distance learning courses and military spouse scholarships. It's hoped that by offering more aid for military spouses that the consequences will ultimately be more jobs for military spouses.
Allied Schools www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 8:47 AM • 0 comments

The Military Family, Moving and Military Schools

Friday, May 30, 2008

Moving from duty station to duty station is a fact of life for most military families; along with the excitement of exploring a new state (or country), there are also anxieties about new military schools, neighbors and expectations. And when a military family moves to a new state, military spouse education along with the children's schooling is suddenly disrupted.

And no matter how many times a military family moves, helping young children cope with the news is always difficult. A recent article in Military Spouse magazine highlighted some effective ways to help military children adjust to a move.

The advice for military families, included:

-Communication: like adults, children appreciate being kept in the loop; explaining them the who, what, when, where and why of the move is essential

-Go over the timing: get a calendar and explain when you'll be moving and what the various steps are

-Details about the new base/town: share as mush as possible about the family's future home

-Keeping in touch: explain that your family will keep in touch with current friends and neighbors

And it's not just children who face difficulties with a move; it's also military spouses, who often leave behind friends, jobs, volunteer work and involvement with distance education military programs.

When it comes to disrupted education and out-of-state tuition rates, spouses should look to military scholarships, Government Career Advancement Accounts (CAA) and military spouse discounts to help them pay for school. A search on the Internet will also help them locate schools that have accredited military education options. More and more these days, schools are becoming more sensitive to the career and educational needs of military spouses.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com

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Posted by Allied @ 4:04 PM • 0 comments

Army Will Grow Military Benefits Support for Family

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Next year Army families can expect more services, support and military benefits because of a $700 million increase in the 2009 Army Budget. This amounts to a doubling of the Army's 2008 family support services and will translate into more staff at family readiness groups, better child care and more military spouse education opportunities.

The 2009 portion of the Army's family support budget will be set at $1.4 billion. Much of the Army's initiatives are centered on helping military spouses with more child care resources so they can pursue either employment or career education. One way that military spouses can prepare for career is through accredited military education options such as training at a 100% online vocational school.

Online schools have been creating educational opportunities to aid the military family, including scholarships for military spouses and scholarships for military dependents. The advantage of training online is that military spouses can maintain their daily commitments to their family and the community, while still preparing for a career like medical transcription, medical coding or real estate sales.

Allied Schools is an example of an online school that offers both scholarships for military wives as well as scholarships for military children. When service members enroll at Allied using Tuition Assistance (TA) and then completes one module/course, their spouse or dependent enrolls at no charge under Allied's Military Family Scholarship Program.
Allied Schools, www.education4military.com


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Posted by Allied @ 10:41 AM • 0 comments

Scholarships for Military Spouses - A Fitting Honor

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Twenty-four years ago, President Ronald Reagan set aside May 9 as Military Spouse Day to honor the achievements and sacrifices that military spouses make each and every day. And to highlight the importance of the day, President George Bush recently recognized six current military spouses for their extraordinary efforts and volunteer work. And this recognition by the Commander-in-Chief comes along with a host of private and governmental efforts to reward and honor military spouses with such things as scholarships for military spouses, child care assistance and career training programs.

Securing jobs for military spouses has become an important goal for the military and one of the best ways to do that is by giving spouses access to job training and education. These days there is a host of aid for military spouses, including military spouse financial aid for school, student loans for military spouse and military spouse college benefits.

One of the best examples of these efforts is the government's Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative, which offers military spouses at 18 select military installations education funds for school. Eligible spouses qualify for up to $3,000 a year for education and can renew for a second year of schooling; this is a two-year pilot program that may be extended after the government evaluates student enrollment and completion rates.

The good news is that military spouse education is now in the forefront of people's mind, and along with official recognition from the President and other officials, it's just a matter of time before more Americans come to appreciate and consider the sacrifices that these citizens make for the country as a whole.

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Posted by Allied @ 10:34 AM • 0 comments

The Army Reserve Turns 100 this Year!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Very few organizations are fortunate enough to celebrate a 100th birthday, but that's exactly what the U.S. Army Reserve will do this April 23 when it turns 100!

There have been many changes to the Army Reserve since its birth in 1908 as the Medical Reserve Corps, but what hasn't changed is the commitment of American citizens who stand at-the-ready as citizen warriors.

The Army Reserve will commemorate the anniversary with a host of events all year, with one of the highlights being a reenlistment ceremony of 100 Soldiers at the Upper Senate Park in Washington, DC on April 23.

In addition to the thousands of Reserve Soldiers who have served in Iraq as part of the active component, the history of the Army Reserve includes numerous examples of its readiness to support the nation during a crisis, including:

--60,000 Army Reserve Soldiers were called to active-duty during the Berlin crisis of 1961

--During the Persian Gulf War (1990-1991) the Army Reserve contributed 84,000 Soldiers in support of the Army

--Army Reserve Soldiers were a major presence in Bosnia from 1995-2001

In many ways there is no way the nation can thank Reserve Soldiers enough for their service, but one important service benefit that does exists for Reserve Soldiers is Army Reserve Tuition Assistance (TA Army Reserve). Reserve TA is a military education benefit that pays up to 100% of tuition and fees for Reserve Soldiers on active-drilling status. And these days there are countless online courses for military personnel using their US Military Tuition Assistance funds.

The important part of Reserve TA is that Soldiers pay nothing out-of-pocket for their education - the Army Reserve pays schools directly. And when Reserve Soldiers enroll at certain online schools using their TA benefits, their spouse can enroll at a discounted tuition rate, or even in some cases, for no charge. Married Reserve Soldiers should always inquire about military spouse education programs when enrolling in military distance learning programs.

By Robert Fay, Allied Schools, http://www.education4military.com/

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Posted by Allied @ 11:36 AM • 0 comments

Navy Spouse Group Offers Support, Mentoring

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

The Navy's all-volunteer spouse support group "Compass" held a training conference in December 2007 at the Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Base in San Diego, Calif.

The conference was titled "Compass Connections" and included Compass teams from around the world. As reported in Navy Compass newspaper, the "purpose was for Compass team leaders and trainers to get to know one another while going over the teaching curriculum and teaching new ideas."

Compass, a division of Naval Services FamilyLine, is a 12-hour program taught by Navy spouses for Navy spouses. The program is designed primarily for new Navy spouses and seeks to help them integrate into the Navy culture. New spouses are mentored by spouses who have been part of the Navy for a longer time - helping them navigate the procedures, jargon and lifestyle that are unique to Navy culture.

"All spouses are welcome. There are no ranks, no communities; we come in here with our first names only, no last names, "Compass director Rosemary Ellis told Navy Compass. "The only reason that you're in the room is that you are married to a Sailor. That's what we all have in common."

In addition to meeting a network of Navy spouse peers, participants in Compass learn among other things, naval history, customs, pay scales, resources and benefits.

And when it comes to benefits, military spouses now have an increasing number of education and career training resources available to them from the Navy, the federal government and private schools.

Some educational institutions that work with military personnel have created military spouse tuition assistance programs. Some schools offer discounts on military spouse education, while a few select schools have even begun offering no-charge tuition for military spouses when their spouses enroll using their Tuition Assistance benefit. Program education for military spouses is an essential part of any effort to address the high unemployment rate that plagues many military spouses.

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Posted by Allied @ 2:34 PM • 0 comments

Consumer Scam Targets Military Spouses

The financial magazine Smart Money in its 2007-year-end issue warned its readers of current consumer scams, including one particularly evil scam directed solely at military spouses whose service member spouses are serving overseas in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The scam works like this: thieves call up a military spouse and pretend to be a representative of the American Red Cross. They inform the military spouse that their husband/wife has been wounded in combat and is being flown to Germany for medical care. To ensure that the administrative process goes well, the thieves ask for the service member's social security number and date of birth. Once the callers get this personal information the crooks can easily steal the person's identity and cause all kinds of financial damage.

Earlier this year, the American Red Cross put out a statement warning of this consumer scam, noting that their organization always works through the military and Department of Defense (DOD) - they do not call military spouses directly. The Red Cross strongly urges military families not to give out personal information over the phone to individuals whose credentials or organizational affiliation can't be verified.

This particular consumer scam aside, 2007 was a year in which people became more aware of the needs and concerns of military spouses. The Army announced its Army Family Covenant to support military families, while the DOD and the Department of Labor launched the Military Spouse Career Advancement Initiative to provide grants for military spouse education at select bases.

In addition, some schools that work with military personnel have been implementing military spouse tuition assistance programs. In many cases, when active-duty service members enroll at a school using their Tuition Assistance benefits, schools offer discounts on military spouse education. A few select schools have even begun offering no-charge tuition for military spouses when their service member spouses enroll. Program education for military spouses is an important area that is finally getting the attention it deserves. Military spouses looking into educational options are encouraged to identify themselves to admissions representatives when contacting a school - military spouses can't afford to leave money on the table.

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Posted by Allied @ 2:29 PM • 0 comments