Career Options for Military Wives – The Ever Growing Predicament

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Capt. Lucas Frokjer, the officer in charge of the flight line for Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 463, reunites with his family after returning from a seven-month deployment with HMH-463. The squadron arrived at Hangar 105 September, 17th and was welcomed home by a large crowd of family and friends. The squadron was replaced by HMH-363 who deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. When our CEO, Colleen Chapman, heard about the predicament of career options for military wives, she immediately decided she would contact one of her High School friends.

Meet Shaun Fevens

Shaun joined the military out of high school, has since had a family. Shaun is constantly being stationed in different locations around Canada for each phase of his military career. Colleen asked Captain Shaun Fevens, a man who she has more respect for than words can describe, a few questions. Colleen wanted to better understand what life looks like in regards to the career options available military spouses through the eyes of his wife Lana. Here is what she discovered.

1. Employers are hesitant to hire spouses of military personnel, especially for professional positions like a teacher or early childhood educator. It can also be hard to find a career as a dental hygienist and so many others. “Naturally, Tim Hortons and those types of jobs are not too concerned about losing people, but I’m sure I don’t need to say much about wanting or needing to work there,” says Shaun.
2. Military wives worry about furthering their education because the qualifications of the job may change from province to province. Shaun states, “the education she may take in Ontario may not be the same qualification she would need in Nova Scotia or Alberta, let alone a job that fits that education available.”
3. Military personnel are choosing to leave the forces due to how difficult finding a career can be on their spouses. When I asked Shaun if this was true he responded with: “Yes, I personally know people who have left the Forces so their spouses can pursue a full-time career.”

So is there a solution? My final question was, “what would a portable job mean to someone like Lana?”

“A portable job would be amazing. Not having to worry would bring a massive peace of mind to both Lana and I, and make future financial planning much easier.”

Feeling Fulfilled

Feeling fulfilled is what matters in life. Everyone strives to feel fulfilled. Sadly, many career options for military wives just don’t offer that. Just like military personnel, spouses want to help others and serve. Whatever makes you feel fulfilled, is the thing you should do. The cliche, “if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” is so true. Often, teaching or the medical field is attractive to people who want to help. Shaun’s wife Lana is no exception.

Career Options for Military Wives

Shaun pointed out how few REAL careers are available for military spouses. This is where Medical Transcription comes in. Most people have never heard of this career path. It is a career that moves with you. As long as you have highspeed internet, you can work. After you receive your training, you can start working immediately because of the high demand for Medical Transcriptionists.

CanScribe understands that spouses of military personnel often have a very difficult time supplementing the family income due to frequent moves, lack of flexibility in employers’ hours and remote locations.  Working at home is often a dream come true for many military families. As our way of saying thank you for your family’s service, we are proud to offer two annual $1,500.00 scholarships exclusively for military spouses.

We also offer unlimited scholarships to military family members. So, if your son, daughter, father, or mother is a military member, you qualify. Ready to start training for a career that actually fits your life? Apply now.