I am grateful, as a military spouse, that working remotely is more accessible to me. I am working from home right now due to COVID-19, but we just received orders, and we are moving back to South Korea. So, in a few months, I’ll be looking for another job. My visa will not allow me to work on the economy, so remote work is a viable option. Ultimately, working from home allows military spouses to stay relevant in the workforce. Consequently, remote jobs will diminish the impact of frequent moves on the careers of military spouses.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!
This post is sponsored and/or contains affiliate links, from which I earn a commission at no extra cost to the reader. I appreciate your support and know that all the views expressed are my own.
- Why Remote Jobs are important to Military Spouses
- Options for Working Remotely
- Remote Job Examples
- Working from Home, Telework and Co-working Spaces
- Teaching English Abroad
- How to Find a Remote Job
- Remote Access Boards
- Tech-Related w/ Remote Opportunities
- Freelance Opportunities
- General Skills w/ Remote Options
- Tips for Success
- Related Topics
Military Spouses Seeking Remote Jobs
Staying Employed While Your Spouse Serves
As a military spouse, I keep my resume updated at all times. As a result, certain aspects like continuity, tenure, or seniority are hard to sustain. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t have a meaningful career. It just means I need to be more creative.
Ultimately, the growing demand for remote work (as well as the technology that supports it) helps military spouses. And as a black military spouse with a Political Science degree, I am grateful for the increased opportunities. Likewise, many companies are incorporating flexible work opportunities. These jobs act as a perk, not unlike higher salary and vacation time. But also as an alternative staffing model to lessen the impact of future pandemics like COVID-19.
Many employers acknowledge that military spouses possess valuable skills. Here is a list of the top Military Spouse Employers for the year. Although USAJOBS does not offer many remote opportunities, it is an excellent resource for military spouses seeking employment on or near a military installation.
Options for Working Remotely
Definitions of Remote Work
Work from home is just that—jobs you can do from your home.
Telecommuting jobs allow employees to work from home (cafes or co-working spaces) for organizations in the same general area.
Remote work is the catch-all phrase for work that can be accomplished anywhere in the world with access to WI-FI, a phone, and a laptop.
Virtual Jobs occur in a virtual environment.
All the above terms say the same thing. However, the differences will give you a little insight into what keywords you should use in your job hunt. While some remote jobs are 100% remote, there may be other stipulations that further define eligibility.
Some of the Easiest Jobs for Remote or Location-Independent Work
- Textual jobs (writers, editors, proofreaders, translators).
- Media related jobs (journalists, photographers, videographers, podcasters, bloggers, digital marketers)
- Financial positions (accountants, online tradespeople and e-commerce shops, product promoters and affiliate sellers, consultants, insurance agents, etc)
- Organizational roles (Online personal assistant, customer support, travel agent, researchers)
- Teaching (online professors, online coaches, consultants)
- Computer and IT-based jobs (programmers, database managers, software developers, web designers, graphic designers).
Working from Home, Telework and Co-working Spaces
If you have a great job with a company you’d like to stick with, consider asking if you can work remotely during your next PCS. This conversation is also an excellent time to negotiate hours, benefits, and more. Don’t accept a pay cut without a fight. Re-iterate your value by highlighting the savings they’ll gain by not having you in the office, i.e., office space, supplies, and medical insurance. Opting out of medical insurance is a significant selling point for negotiating a higher salary.
If you’re looking for a job that you can do remotely, there are plenty of resources that cater to military spouses. Search for placement brands or apply to gigs that are 100% remote. You might also consider becoming an independent contractor. Be aware you will have to file a 1099 tax form. But conscious, you will be responsible for your taxes. The IRS does not deduct taxes from your paycheck, so you will have to put it aside or be hit with a huge tax bill the following April.
COVID-19 has kept me out of coffee shops and co-working spaces. And for a small fee, co-working spaces are an excellent option for working from home when you need additional resources like printers, WI-FI, faxes, or a little human interaction.
Teaching English Abroad
DoDEA and ESL
Teaching is a very viable option for military spouses in the DoDEA (Department of Defence Education Activity). DoDEA does not list teaching jobs on the USAJobs.gov website. The USAJOBS.gov page contains DoDEA staff and educational support positions. These jobs require a teaching certification. However, individuals with a high school diploma/GED or higher may apply as a Substitute Teacher, AVID Tutor, or a Training Instructor.
I taught English as a volunteer in South Korea and enjoyed it. It was a chance to earn and learn. I am currently researching the different certifications available. There are online and hybrid, online, and in-class options. But don’t forget, in places like South Korea, word of mouth and who you know is very important. You can make a decent living teaching English to just a few students.
How to Find a Remote Job
Resources every Military Spouse Should Know.
Locating a remote job comes with a diverse set of challenges, according to the remote job platform FlexJobs. However, there are several resources and strategies to help you find remote work. Here are some of the ones I’ve started using. I recently signed up with It’s a Travel O.D., a resource for finding a remote job. Andrea has a duffel bag full of tips and resources for distant job hunters. Here is the resume she created for me as a resource for you to create your own.
However, be wary and do your due diligence because there are scams out there. You should never pay any money upfront for a remote job opportunity. And accordingly, run the other way if someone promises or guarantees you a job making a ton of money.
Download Flexjobs free guide for finding a remote job. Complete the form and check the military spouse box for more information.
Like it? Pin it!
Resource Boards
Remote Only Job Boards
- FreelanceWriter
- Flex Jobs
- No Desk
- Panigan
- Remote.co
- Remotive
- Jobspresso
- JustRemote.co
- Remote.com
- RemoteOK
- SkiptheDrive
- TextBroker
- VirtualVocations
- WeWorkRemotely
Tech-Related w/ Remote Opportunities
- PowertoFly
- Fiverr
- Freelancer.com
- Upwork
General Skills w/ Remote Options
- Top 100 Remote Friendly Employers
- CareerBuilder
- Indeed
- Idealist
Tips for Success
Discipline, Support, and Additional Training
- I belong to a couple of Facebook groups for military spouses, where we bounce ideas off each other, including job opportunities.
- Create habits and dedicated office space in my home where I work daily.
- Multi-level marketing or referral marketing can be a viable source of income, but make sure you know what it takes to participate and make money from it.
- You may have to get authorization to operate a business on-post or in a foreign country.
- I paid to have my resume ‘remotified‘ to qualify for more remote job opportunities.
- Update your skills. Remote jobs use a lot of newer technologies like managing social media, photo-editing, e-commerce, digital collaboration, scheduling, and communication software.
- I signed up for the Blogging Like a Boss course by Gloria Atanamo after we met in NYC in March.
- I also signed up for an account with skill-share. Skillshare has a ton of classes, and you can get two months for free.
- Be prepared to answer the following questions: Where do you work when you’re remote? Why do you want to work remotely? How do you handle distractions?
- And finally, discipline is important when you work remotely. This isn’t for everyone.
Comments
I thought I wanted to work at the Commissary or Exchange but I don’t want a ft job at all. I am a military spouse about to start a blog and I would love to travel all over Korea We are pcsing to South Korea next year and I am looking into getting my teaching certification before we go. Do you think that’s a good blog idea?
If you plan to only write about teaching English abroad its a great idea. I think its also a great series for a lifestyle/ travel blog too. You might want to reconsider working on-post part-time at least because to make money to sustain your blog and have some money in your pocket until you can monetize your blog.