Mobile Careers | Army Wife Network

We will be the first to admit that being a milspouse has its challenges. You’ve got your service member spouse’s long work hours, lengthy deployments, and frequent moves. This can make your development of a long-term career difficult. Employers are sometimes cautious about hiring someone who has a difficult schedule to work around or is destined to move again.

Despite these challenges, there are several career options that are perfect for any Army wife who wants to work:

Telecommuting from a “brick and mortar” company
Commissary or AAFES employee
Daycare provider
Teacher or substitute teacher
Nurse or many other medical field careers
Freelance work (tutor, writer, copy editor, music teacher, translator, or interior designer)

If none of those options appeal to you, perhaps you want to start your own home business. Many milspouses choose this option as our technologically advanced world makes starting a home business a relatively simple task and provides the flexibility of working wherever your service member is stationed.

The reality is that tomorrow you will not wake up and “sign up” to work from home. Your paycheck will not be instant. Legitimate employers with home-based jobs hire the same way traditional employers do. There will be an application process and possibly an interview or test. Therefore, it is a good idea to have a resume written that outlines your skills and experiences.

If you choose direct sales, your sign-up might be instant, but the money will not. You will have to work hard to plan parties and online sales. You will also have a lot of networking to do if you plan on making it a long term success.

If you choose to develop your own business concept, your work will encompass hours of research and development, marketing and promotion, and business planning.

We are most certainly not trying to scare you about a mobile career. It can be the most rewarding thing you have ever done. We just want you to go in with your eyes wide open.

How do I find a genuine telecommuting job?

Legitimate employers with home-based jobs hire the same way traditional employers do. There will be an application process and possibly an interview or test. The key to finding work-at-home jobs is to search where people post jobs. Employers are not looking for home workers. They are looking for qualified people to fill a position. It is the position they advertise, and they advertise them on job-related sites. The competition for a work-at-home job will be fierce. You need to set your submission apart from the rest by having a professional, error-free resume.

How do I keep from getting scammed?

The Better Business Bureau offers tips on what to watch for so that you don’t get scammed. What are some signs of a scam? A business might be scamming you if it:

Never offers regular salaried employment
Promises you huge profits and big part-time earnings
Uses personal testimonials but never identifies the person so that you could check with them
Requires money for instructions or merchandise before telling you how the plan operates
Assures you of guaranteed markets and a huge demand for your handiwork
Tells you that no experience is necessary
Takes your money and gives you little or nothing in return except heartbreak and grief

When in doubt, check it out and err on the side of caution

What is a direct sales company?

The definition of direct selling is a marketing approach that involves direct sales of goods and services to consumers through personal explanation and demonstrations, frequently in their home or place of work. A direct sales company is a company such as Avon, Mary Kay, Discovery Toys, or Pampered Chef, where the company itself offers a “consultant” opportunity for you to do the direct selling of their product.

How do I decide what direct sales company is best for me?

First, take a peek at this website that has a list of direct sales businesses. Then, base your decision on the following:

Passion: Your interest, excitement, and general feeling about the company and products
Products: Place an order, use the products, and test their worth to you. Would you buy them?
Investment: Most companies will have an initial investment so check to make sure this is in line with your budget.
Minimums: Do you have to meet a sales quota, party quota, or call quota?
Compensation: What amount of money are you going to make for the work that you put into this business?
Control and support: Is there a support system? Do you have control over your business?
Advertising: Are you in charge of all of your advertising, or will the company do it for you? Do they have advertising in place?

Where do I start if I have a business idea of my own?

First ask yourself if there is a market for your product or service, then research it. Find out for yourself, first-hand, just how many people there are in your area who are interested in your proposed product or service and would be “willing to stand in line and pay money for it.”

Also, find out if what you want to base your business on has any competitors. This is known as defining your market and pinpointing your customers. This will also allow you to find out what others are charging for their product or service.

Regardless of what kind of business you start, you must have the capital and the available time to sustain your business. Create a business plan. Get educated and make a list of what you should do. A good place to start is with the Small Business Administration. In the age of the internet, you can find most of this information very simply by searching online using keywords: small business startup or home business startup.

Remember, if you fail to plan, plan to fail.

Online career support

Here are some helpful websites that have proven themselves as experts in the area of working from home:

Online resources for job hunting:

Companies that hire “work from home”:

Online resources for networking and mentorship:

Books about working from home

In case you’re more a hold-in-your-hand kind of person and want to skip the internet, here are a few books to help you get started in the work from home game:

I Love My Life: A Mom’s Guide to Working from Home by Kristie Tamsevicius
Working from Home by Paul Edwards
Home-Based Business for Dummies by Paul Edwards, Sarah Edwards, and Peter Economy
The Stay-at-Home Mom’s Guide to Making Money from Home, Revised 2nd Edition: Choosing the Business That’s Right for You Using the Skills and Interests You Already Have (Stay-at-Home Mom’s Guide) by Liz Folger
101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women, 3rd Edition: Everything You Need to Know About Getting Started on the Road to Success (For Fun & Profit) by Priscilla Huff
Secrets of Self-Employment (Working from Home) by Paul Edwards and Sarah Edwards