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Getting Started with CASY Support
Raynee Gaubert, Lousiana National Guard Family Readiness Volunteer and FRG Leader, National Guard Military Spouse
As a military spouse, I have faced a few challenges when it comes to finding employment. One of the biggest challenges I have faced to date is finding a job that coincides with our crazy military schedule. Anyone associated with the military knows that you write everything in pencil because it WILL change. This, however, creates difficulties in many ways when it comes to finding employment. With our ever changing schedule, we need jobs that are just as flexible as we are and those are not easy to find. Finding a job that coincides with our military schedule proved to be my most difficult challenge. Most employers want employees that can work a set schedule or a schedule that conforms to the needs
of the employer, but as a military spouse that is not always possible. We need a schedule that can change with us and employers that understand the demands of being married to the military. Unfortunately, I have learned those two things are very difficult to find.
That being said, I did learn a lot in my effort to find a job. I learned that, although they may not be the best paying jobs or the most exciting, the best fit (at least for me) was working in local small businesses. Local small businesses are often more willing to accommodate our crazy schedule and hectic lives. Local small business owners are often more understanding of our circumstances because they themselves are from the community and support our military. This is not always the case, but for me, more often than not, it was.
I want to encourage other military spouses not to give up and to keep an open mind. Finding the right job is not always easy, but it is out there. Being open and honest with the employer from the start is a huge help. Tell them during the interview process that you are a military spouse and that you may have a crazy schedule, that way they won’t be bombarded with it after they’ve hired you. This gives them an idea going in that you may need to change schedules occasionally or on short notice and they will be more understanding if and when that time comes. (continued on page 16)