Employment Resources for Spouses of Veterans

Many families struggle with the transition out of the military and into the civilian world. It’s natural – it is a big change! Thankfully, there are a world of resources available to both the veteran and the spouse. A recent Facebook conversation encouraged me to pull together some resources available to spouses of veterans who are not disabled or retired. I hope some of these will be helpful to you!

Many military spouse organization embrace the “once a milspouse, always a milspouse” philosophy. While spouses of veterans who are not retired or injured can not access certain Department of Defense (DoD) program, there are still many resources available.

VetNet, a program of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), is a channel of free, online trainings on career-related topics.

MadSkills is a virtual staffing agency, putting together military and veteran spouses with employers who need their skills for short-term for jobs that can be done from anywhere.

Onward to Opportunity – Veterans Career Transition Program is also a program of IVMF, offers free career training, including recognized industry standard certifications, along with career support. The programs can be accessed online or at one of the 12 physical locations across the country.

The Hiring Our Heroes Military Spouse Professional Network connects military spouses with professional networks, provides training and career development opportunities. Chapters, which include both online/virtual and physical chapters serving a local area, include spouses of veterans.

Also part of the Hiring Our Heroes program, CareerSpark is an online, interactive resume builder that help military spouses create skills-based resumes that reflect their paid and volunteer work experience. It is available to spouses of veterans.

In-Dependent offers resources to help spouses manage their overall well-being. These include a yearly virtual conference and a five week program to help you identify your strengths, talents, and interests.

AmVETS Career Centers offer free career training and employment assistance to veterans and service members from the active, guard and reserve, and their spouses. In addition to 12 physical locations, services are available virtually.

If your service member has been separated less than 180 days, you are eligible to use the Spouse Education and Career Opportunities program managed by Military OneSource.

The military’s Transition Assistance Program – Goals, Plans, Success (TAP-GPS) is available to veterans for 180 days after separating from the service, and spouses are accommodated on a space-available basis.  If you can’t go to a physical location, or your nearest branch doesn’t have space to accommodate spouses, the entire program can be found online at the Department of Labor Veterans TAP webpage. Even if it has been more than 180 days since your veteran has separated from the service, many of these resources are still available, so be sure to check them out.

Veterati is a mentorship program, providing networking, encouragement, and feedback on the job hunt. It is all online, so you don’t have to worry about

Ideally, you’re not waiting until after transition to start your transition plan. If your military member is currently serving, please be sure to take advantage of the many programs available to continue your education and develop your career. Not all programs continue to be available after separation from the military, so it pays to get your ducks in a row early!

**I’m working on similar posts for spouses of caregivers, spouses of retirees, and spouses of currently serving military members. Those posts will include these programs plus more resources available to those specific groups.