Ask Army Wife 101: How to Find Work Onpost

*I received a question from a reader about working on post. I thought this was an great topic since I have not really touched on the different career options and career counseling programs offered on many military installations for military spouses.

Q. Hello, I am a new Army wife and I feel so overwhemed. My son and I are moving from California to Fort Lewis WA to live onpost. My question is about working on post. I work in social services and my husband said that im sure to find a job there on post, but I dont know what the process of applying is like. Are there services there that can assist me in finding a job?

A. Nicole, their are many programs online and within the military support community to help you locate work on and off post. I have learned that if you prefer to work onpost that usually you will be working for a contract company or the government. Your first step to applying for a job onpost is to visit the Army Civilian Personnel Online site better known as CPOL. This is a site through the Army that many spouses I know personally have used to apply for jobs at their current military installation or surrounding bases. You can seek and apply for onpost employment USA Jobs. There are a plethora of other job hunting sites but these are the most recommended.

In speaking with my friend (another military spouse) who has held numerous contract and government positions onpost , she informed me that for the most part everything is done by computer when it comes to the application process. Alittle birdy put into my ear that the computer seeks out certain keywords when sorting through the many applications they receive. They informed me that this is why it is so important to read the specialized experience and other requirements on the vacancy announcement thoroughly.

If you would like to receive career guidance their are quite a few paths you can take to get career counseling or advice. The first and most obvious one (at least in my opinion) would have to be to visit Military One Source which has a wide array of services to help military spouses find careers in their chosen field as well as in a particular location. The Military.com Spouse Career Center also has some great information as well as communities where you can chat with other spouses seeking employment. CPOL which I mentioned at the beginning of this post also offers some excellent advice on careers for spouses. 

The above information relates to seeking employment through the internet. If you want to speak to someone face to face,consider visiting your local ACS (Army Community Services) which provides all types of services for soldiers and their families.

Lastly you will want to know that most likely you will qualify for Military Spouse Preference. In summary MSP(according to afcrossroads.com) provides priority in the employment selection process for military spouses who have had to relocate due to a PCS. Keep in mind MSP does not guarantee you a job. You can learn more about MSP here.

Best of luck!

Hooah & Smooches

Ask Army Wife 101: Work from Home Question??

Q. This is off subject of military but I was curious if you knew of any stay at home jobs with a decent pay?
If so please let me know. I was working but my paycheck was going to day care so it really wasn't worth it, but I'd love to bring in some extra cash and spend time with my daughter. Thanks so much!!

A. Stephanie this is a great question and it absolutely relates to Army Wife 101 because many of us are always looking for something we can do from home to earn extra cash. I won't bore you or the readers with a long drawn out post about working form home. I will post the links to the last two blog entries I wrote about this topic which includes links to many positions that can be done from home.

Part 1: Working from Home

Part 2: Working from Home

Best of Luck!
Hooah&Smooches

Guest Post: BeachBody Coach...One Army Wife's Home Business

* Please welcome my guest poster Stephanie who is here to share some great info with you. She herself is an Army Wife and will share her weight loss story with you as well as how she turned weight loss into a business.

My name is Stephanie.
I'm a mother, an Army wife, and a stay at home mom. My daughter was born on December 9th, 2008. She's the best thing to ever come into my life. I don't really know how I thought my life made sense before her. My husband is a Blackhawk Helicopter Pilot in the Army. We are living in KS right now. We just moved here and bought our first house. I love it.

I have recently become a Beachbody Coach. What is Beachbody? It's the company that sells P90X, Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, Rev Ab, Shakeology, etc. Anyways, I gained close to 60 POUNDS when I was pregnant with Mya. About a month after I had her, I started P90X. I loved it. I did it for about 4 months and lost about 45 pounds. They are such great workouts that you can do at your own pace, until you become familar with them and are ready to push yourself to the next level. What's great about P90X is, your body never gets "use" to the workouts, you just get stronger and are able to push yourself harder. Therefore, you and your body still feel the workout even after 3 months.

After the 3 months I added a spinning class and did that for about 2 months. I lost about another 10-15 pounds while in that class (which I was completely addicted to). So, between those two workouts, I lost the majority of my baby weight and gained some muscle that I never new existed. During that whole time, my husband was stationed in Korea. He got back in June 09 and we moved to KS in July 09. For about the first month of living here, I was busy putting our house together. Once that was finished, I talked to my friend, Mindy (TurboMindy) because she had just signed herself up to be a Coach. She told me about Turbo Jam and within 5 minutes of her explaining it to me, I was sold! I ordered to DVD's and LOVED THEM!

It's such a fun, upbeat workout, it's hard to believe that you can get the results that you do. After doing the workouts for a while, I decided that I wanted to help people feel as great as I do and make people even more aware of these products. Trust me when I say, I was NEVER a disciplined person when it came to working out! Actually, I hated it. But, that's because I never got the results, like the ones that I got from the Beachbody workouts. If you feel like you want to try these workouts and are really interested in making a change, but you don't think that you can do it yourself, or if you want to start your own Independent Beachbody Business and need some help, that's what I'm here for!!

I'll give you that little push you need to get motivated, all while practicing what I preach. This business is SO great for us Army Wives who want to make a little extra spending money. I just LOVE everything about this business and I KNOW that you will too! If you want to take a look at the products and what Beachbody has to offer, go to www.beachbodycoach.com/stephaniejacs click JOIN and make your FREE profile and I'll be you FREE coach. I have a video on You Tube that explains more about the Business and more about how I got involved. Take a look and let me know what you think! Contact me ANY TIME with ANY questions. I LOVE talking about all of this and I really look forward to talking to you!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQQ6fKPMvRE

http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=40606034

http://stephaniejacs.tumblr.com/

Working From Home Part 2

As some of you may know I am a work at home mom. I started working from home in 2004 first as a dispatcher and then as a customer service agent for WEST taking inbound phone calls to process customer orders. I loved the idea that I could work from home when I wanted and (NO) I did not have to pay to get hired.

What people must know is that when you are seeking a work at home JOB you should never ever have to pay to work. Think about it like this...when you work outside the home do you have to pay someone to hire you?

Those envelope stuffing jobs you see in the back of magazines or tabloids are not legit. If they were don't you think everyone including myself would be working for them :) I decided to discuss working from home again so that I could give you all an update on some work at home jobs that are hiring. I have always said I should start a virtual work at home agency as I have been helping people find WAH jobs for the last five years and I enjoy showing this side of the work world to people.

If you want to see my previous indepth blog post about working from home along with actual proof of payment screenshots visit here

Now on to the finds:

Note* The jobs listed below will definitely not pay your mortgage but I can safely assure you that getting a $20-$50 check here or there in this tough economy will come in handy. If you are looking to make a few hundred or more a month refer above to my earlier indepth blog post.

KGB is first up and if you not new to the WAH world I am sure you have heard of it , but for those who are you basically answer people's questions and do directory assistance via the computer . This is not a phone job. I have to tell you in order to obtain this position you do have to pass a series of test searching for info on the net within a time limit and I have had a heck of time doing that. I will say they are partners in the "Army Spouse Employment Partnership" and I have heard great things about them. You can apply here.

Associated Content is great for those of us with an inner writer inside. In a nutshell you create an account , write an article on anything you desire and submit it. The topic of your article, grammar,and punctuation will determine how much you paid for it. I pinned a a four page article that took me about an hour to write and was paid $16.00 for it, so you can see the money potential. If you've got an article and want to try your hand at submitting it visit here.

Lastly is Ask Mars Venus is hiring again...here is the info as per WAHM
Ask Mars Venus is hiring telephone coaches to add to our team of dating and relationship specialists. Coaches help callers from all over the world who are seeking support and advice about their love lives.

Coaches receive calls anonymously at the location of their choice and Ask Mars Venus brings clients directly to the coaches through various marketing methods. There is no charge for training and no payment to you during the training process. Once training is complete, coaches will enjoy the convenience of a work-from-home job.
If you are interested in this position, please visit: here

If you have questions about working from home don't hesitate to post them in the comments below and I will be sure to answer. I also plan to add work at home jobs that are legit as I find them. Good luck on your WAH job search.

Hooah & Smooches

Mil Spouses To Get Hired Quicker In September....

Let's face it , it is really hard to find or keep a job when your constantly having to pick up and move.

Getting a decent paying job is sometimes another issue in itself so what's a military wife to do ?

Check out this article about how some military spouses can be hired quicker for federal jobs without the usual competitive and complicated process that comes along with applying for government jobs.

Quick Hire of Military Spouses

Legit & Free Work From Home Information

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

New GI Bill Can Be Transferred to Dependants...

Hey Ladies....

So I'm sure that some of us have heard alittle gabble here and there about the New GI Bill that can be transferred to dependants (spouses and children).

Now ladies part of my mission statement for this blog is that I will always be truthful with you ... So the truth is their are still many parts of this bill that I don't understand or am not sure of and it would go against everything I know to give you false info. Anyhow I did just want to put the info out there because I know alot of us are in school or plan on entering and as we all know money is always a factor.

The new bill goes into effect August 1, 2009 and with everything there are eligibility requirements.

If anyone who reads Armywife101 is more familiar with it please feel free to leave a comment explaining it more in depth.

In the meantime here is the Official GI Bill Site

Another Article that explains the GI Transfer Options.

Until then

Hooah & Smooches

Krystel

Seeking Some Kind Of School Financial Assistance Look No Further....

So Mil Wifeys I know some of us ladies are always looking to further our education weather that means entering college for the first time or going back to college.

We all know money is usually the major factor as to when we go back and how long it might take to complete your academic goal.

So the military is providing some help with the MYCAA program. In the simplest of terms the MYCAA program will provide up to $6000 in financial assistance for eligible military spouses.

Yes overseas spouses can apply to.

The money provided will help to fund education in careers that are consider portable.
What that means is careers that are most likely to be easily found at other military installations.

Click Here For More MYCAA Info

If any of you wonderful ladies have been accepted for MYCAA please share your experiences with it by click the comment button below.