Editor’s note: This is a monthly column addressing the specific requirements many spouses will have to follow to move their professional licenses as they PCS.

Adrienne Fuscallero feels very fortunate to have her job. As a middle school social studies teacher, Fuscallero enjoys having her own classroom.

But each time the Army moves the couple, Fuscallero digs into her skills as a working military wife and reminds herself of the challenges that lie ahead.

“It’s a gamble. The school districts take a risk on us because we don’t know how long we will be there,” she said.

Fuscallero, a Philadelphia native, began teaching kindergarten in her hometown after graduating with an education degree. With a minor in Spanish, Fuscallero taught a bilingual class and earned her master’s degree, all while her husband was deployed and the family was re-assigned to a different state.

Fuscallero began her job search immediately upon joining her husband at Fort Bragg, N.C.

“I made a lot of friends at a picnic, and the next morning, I had 10 interviews,” she said.

These interviews reaffirmed Fuscallero’s penchant for preparedness and reminded her to arm herself for each move.

“The first thing the superintendents ask for is your teaching certificate, and if you don’t have one, they won’t even talk to you,” she said.

The middle school job ended up being what Fuscallero calls a leap of faith. She’d never taught fifth grade before, but the principal needed her, so she jumped in and loved it.

Now, Fuscallero has taught in three states and has had to obtain a new certification in each before she could begin teaching there. To make the process slightly easier, certain states have a waiver of reciprocity for teaching certificates; meaning, once you are certified in one state, other states may accept the same certificate.

Some states also prefer teachers to not only have a certificate, but to earn endorsements particular to their area of teaching. Fuscallero also said she noticed a particular difference in requirements for substitute teachers when she moved from the northern part of the country to the southern. For example, in Pennsylvania, a spouse cannot substitute teach without a teaching certificate, but in the southern states Fuscallero has lived in, you can substitute with just a college degree.

The certification process ranges from state to state, too. Some states require the teacher to take a test, whereas others provide a course that must be completed first. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what your specialty is.

Upon a move to Alabama, Fuscallero, whose master’s degree is in reading specialty, spent six weeks as a substitute gym teacher.

“I was willing to do whatever the school needed me to do to get started,” she said.

Fuscallero is an advocate of substituting first, as a way to get your foot in the door, and eventually winning a full-time teaching job when a position becomes available. However, she cautioned, in some school systems, being a really good substitute can sometimes lead to just being a permanent substitute.

As soon as Fuscallero knows her new PCS destination, she follows a checklist for preparing for a new job search and encourages other spouses to do this as quickly as possible. She searches online for the new state’s department of education and prepares her credentials, her education transcripts, her certificate containing every endorsement and qualifications and all of her state licensing test scores. She combines this material with the state’s application packet and can then receive a certificate for the new state within six to eight weeks.

She also recommends not only applying online, but sending hard copies, too. Fuscallero said many states provide district job listings and teachers can apply for jobs in the districts of their choice. For these, Fuscallero always follows up with an email after applying to really “sell herself,” she said.

Upon arrival to her new state, Fuscallero continues her pursuits in person.

“It’s better to go in to a school yourself with your resume, or else, you’re just another name who has applied,” she said.

For teachers who have their education degree and may not have a certificate for any state yet, Fuscallero suggests personally visiting the school.

“Even if you don’t have a teaching certificate, just go in with a resume and introduce yourself anyway. Many schools will help you get your certificate and make suggestions for specific areas of endorsement that their school may need you to get,” she said.

Whether she’s teaching elementary or middle school, gym or social studies, Fuscallero is grateful to have had a teaching job everywhere she and her husband have been stationed.

“Sometimes there are challenges, but I like to have a good attitude, and I’m thankful for having a job and a purpose,” she said.

When service members arrive at the U.S. Army War College, they know they’re in for 10 months of academic and professional challenges. Often, families accompany them.

If they choose, their spouses may take on a challenge as well.

Every year, students’ spouses are invited to team up to take part in a voluntary project that will benefit military families of all service branches. That’s how The Spouse Battle Book began during the 2000-01 school year.

The Spouse Battle Book is one of several publications put together as a spouse project. The tome is targeted primarily to battalion- and brigade-level spouses and is full of advice particular to spouses who find themselves managing volunteers in their unit.

It includes tips on managing volunteers, information about group dynamics, how to handle trauma and casualties in the unit, protocol, a worldwide directory of services and more. 

“The book is just a wonderful resource for people who are in those leadership positions to know how to do everything from how to work with volunteers to how to take care of yourself when you’re in the demanding leadership positions,” said Lisa Towery, spouse project adviser. “Every couple of years we go back and update it.”

The title of the book is a term of endearment, Towery said.

“When you are in those (volunteer) positions, the person I worked closest with ... we called ourselves ‘battle buddies,’ ” said Towery, wife of the War College’s deputy commandant. “Not that we go to work to battle against the enemy, but it’s something that complements what the service member does. It’s our battle book, sort of, on the spouse side of the house.”

Other projects have created a battle book for the company commander’s spouse, and last year’s class penned a guide to military protocol in 67 different countries. This year’s project focuses on how to mentor spouses through the rigors of military life, Towery said.

The books are available as free downloads from the War College’s website at http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/mfp/books.cfm. Each publication is another example of military spouses coming together to help each other, Towery said.

“It’s so humbling to watch the amount of passion, experience and enthusiasm that comes to the table,” she said. “That there are that many spouses out there that care about each other and want to give back. I’m glad I’m in a position to make sure that opportunity is there every year. I feel very blessed to have worked with some amazing people over the years.”

PCS season is upon us. And this year, you don’t have to pack alone.

Check out the Salute to Spouses webinar , “Is it Supposed to Be Like This?: Military Spouses Share Tips for Surviving the Upcoming, Summer PCS”.

The session, now available at our Webinar page, features two career Army wives and Salutetospouses.com contributors, Jan Childs and Sarah Young.

The pair has more than 10 moves between them and have shipped their household goods across the state and across the sea.

Have questions about prepping your home for the packers? They answer them.

Wondering whether you should feed your packers lunch or give them a tip? That is discussed.

The wedding album and other precious items – pack, carry or store? Hear Jan and Sarah give their tips and tricks for a career’s worth of worldwide moves.

Be sure to check back for future webinars with our panel of expert military wives as we talk candidly about the ups and downs of military life.

Christopher Kerney wants veterans to find a job.

That is, officially, his job.

But as the director of public relations and marketing for MilitaryVetJobs.com, he is concerned not just for veterans’ employment status, but their well-being.

As MilitaryVetJobs.com reaches out to military and veteran organizations to enlist employers he is also compiling a list of resources he can lead veterans to for help with medical issues, home purchases and financial difficulties.

“When I go to a recruiting event, finding them a job is number one but making sure there is a way for their family to be safe or deal with some of these difficult financial issues is really important,” Kerney said. “We partner with other organizations so we can give veterans a full range of tools to use as resources.”

From its inception, MilitaryVetJobs.com has always been focused on helping people.

The website, created by a Navy veteran, began as a place for a diverse pool of candidates to find work, without fear of facing bias due to their sexual orientation, gender, race or physical disability. Soon, the veteran population was overwhelming the site and it became clear the site could be used to specifically serve the needs of military job seekers.

Now, MilitaryVetJobs.com specifically serves all veterans, spouses and military children in search of work. Currently, 193,000 resumes have been uploaded to the site and the page boasts 90,000 unique visitors every month.

But, the staff at MilitaryVetJobs.com does more than urge companies to look over the thousands of resumes they’ve collected. They are also selling veterans to potential employers as the ultimate employee.

“Our sales team is constantly out there not just getting groups to sign up, but they are explaining the benefits of hiring vets,” Kerney said.

Benefits that include impressive technical skills, acting as a team player, working well under stress and focusing on the project at hand, rather than the clock on the wall, Kerney said. 

“Veterans are reliable employees in so many ways,” Kerney said.

In some cases, Kerney said, his team has to break down any fears employers may have of hiring a veteran who returns from combat with PTSD or other post battle issues.

“These men and women have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom,” Kerney said. “It is time we turn around and give them the respect they deserve and try to help them.”

Being a military spouse is a bit like being the minister’s teenage kid – everyone expects you to be the perfect example of good behavior, self-discipline, and self-sacrifice. But hey, sometimes you just want to go into total meltdown mode!

Understandable. In fact, most of us have “been there, done that.” But today, it’s a lot easier to do some permanent damage to your spouse’s career – and your family’s well-being – by not being careful about where you have your total meltdown.

Social media environments like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are terrific ways to share all sorts of personal and professional information with those in your life, but it’s critically important to remember that in many cases those posts on Facebook, Twitter, and similar sites are pretty much out there for the rest of the world to see. And we’re talking for years to come – long enough to damage your spouse’s or your own reputation and career options for a lifetime.

(Note: You may think you’re protected by keeping questionable online behavior behind password-protected walls, but many potential employers are now demanding access to applicant’s Facebook passwords.)

The Military is a Big Community – but Also a Small One

Social media is fun and entertaining, but on the Internet, stupid lives  forever – as does hateful, obscene, arrogant, naked – all those momentary lapses in judgment that you hope no one remembers when your spouse is up for promotion or when you go to land a job. Like it or not, word gets around fast and your behavior and choices reflect immediately on your military spouse’s reputation.

In addition, in the military world it’s even more important to realize the potential impact of your online comments, because so much of what you innocently post as a momentary thought or irritation can be misinterpreted by others both inside and outside of the military community.

The Four Keys to Smart Social Media Use

How to avoid having your family’s military career derailed by online indiscretions?

Recognize that online tools are incredibly powerful, whether for boosting or sinking careers. In a positive light, a blog that showcases your personal, professional or community interests and expertise will demonstrate your maturity and start building a positive reputation among your military “family.” A Facebook page or Twitter feed that promotes your passions and activities in a positive way will help confirm that you’re a mature and intelligent person. Not only will this reflect positively on your military spouse and his or her career opportunities, it will also help you lay the groundwork for your own future career, should you want one. Today, 90 percent of hiring managers will check out an applicant online before deciding whether or not to interview that person.

If it’s embarrassing and it can be posted online, it probably will be. And that includes photos friends take of you via cell phone and post online. So let your friends know that because you’re part of the military community, it’s important that they respect your need for privacy – and then try to avoid doing those things in public that are most likely to end up going viral!

Realize that often you don’t know the person you’re talking to, or who they might talk to. Keep in mind that often you may have no idea of rank in a social setting, but disrespecting the wrong person can have a terrible outcome if he/she turns out to be the spouse of your spouse’s commanding officer. Whether it’s at the soccer game, the PTA meeting, or a social get-together, be especially careful to treat everyone you meet with respect and courtesy. Not only is it simply the right thing to do, it also saves you from having to figure out how to (if possible) undo the damage of careless, thoughtless words or actions once you’ve behaved poorly or posted snarky comments about someone. And that goes double for online discussions!

Lastly, keep those meltdown moments face-to-face rather than online. Blow off steam and enjoy a good rant whenever you need to, but do it privately, in the company of trusted friends, where you know for certain that your words won’t live on for others to see or misinterpret.

The old saying used to be “loose lips sink ships,” that is, sailors speaking carelessly in bars could divulge information that the enemy could use to devastating effect. In today’s online world, we might say “thoughtless comments sink careers” – doesn’t rhyme nearly as well, but still pretty important!

Seven people. Roughly 4,000 miles. 3,500 pounds of luggage and not an ounce more. Bring no car or furniture.

Some PCS orders really read more like an insane game show challenge than an order to move.

When my husband was offered a position in Japan, these were the directions I was given to prepare for our PCS. Most civilians would melt into a pile of good given these stipulations. Military spouses, we just do it.

PCS season is upon us, otherwise known as summer in non-military speak.

On Monday, please tune in to our free webinar as seasoned military spouses and pro PCS’rs Sarah Young and Jan Childs discuss their best and worst PCS experiences and share the tips for making the most of your PCS move.

Ever wonder if you should feed the moving crew while they’re at your house? Should you pack your collectible plates yourself? What exactly are you supposed to do while they are packing?

We’re here to help you.

If you have a specific question, please log in and submit it. We will have time at the end to take as many questions as possible.  

Register Now

It is tax time again! Want to save yourself the cost of purchasing software to configure your taxes? Head online to www.militaryonesource.comwhere you can use the software for free. H&R Block offers free online tax filing services on the site to military families. Just go to the Military OneSource site and click on the tax service page. It will ask you to log on to Military OneSource, so if you have not signed up as a member of the site, do so now. Then it will direct you to the tax preparation software.

Things to know as you prepare your tax return:

• Questions? Call 1-800-342-9647 and ask to speak to a Military OneSource tax consultant. They are available seven days a week, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST. Send questions via email to TaxQuestions@militaryonesource.mil
• Military members can print out a W2 before it is mailed by visiting the MyPay site at https://mypay.dfas.mil. You will need your PIN number to access your W2 form.
• If your military member is deployed you must have a power of attorney from the IRS to file for them. Use IRS Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative, found at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2848.pdf
• The IRS has a specific document with detailed tax information for military members at www.irs.gov/publications/p3/index.html

The IRS will extend filing deadlines for military members for these reasons:

• The service member is serving in a combat zone and receives hostile fire or imminent danger pay. The deadline for tax filing is 180 days after their last day in the combat zone or hazardous duty area. For a list of combat zones, visit www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=108331,00.html
• If the service member is hospitalized outside of the U.S. as a result of injuries suffered in a combat zone they also have 180 days after their discharge from the hospital to file. 
• Commands should notify the IRS of combat zone deployments but you can also notify the IRS of your status. Email the deployed member’s name, stateside address, date of birth and date of deployment to combatzone@irs.govor call the IRS main helpline at 800-829-1040.
• If the IRS sends a notice regarding a collection, return it to the IRS with the words, “Combat Zone” and the deployment date written in red at the top of the notice so the IRS will suspend the action. Write, “Combat Zone” outside the envelope too. 

Are you looking for a job in the United States, but living in Japan?

Fret not. You can make an impression on potential employers from 4,000 miles away - and in your jammies.

UBM Studios/Milicruit , based in Chicago, regularly hosts virtual career fairs to give military spouses and veterans an opportunity to network with companies across the U.S. no matter where they are stationed.

Applicants log on during specific hours to chat with representatives from more than 90 companies. The website is open around the clock for job seekers to check out the companies’ virtual booths and learn more about potential employers.

The next live event happens Oct. 26 from 2 to 4 p.m. eastern standard time. The event will feature companies from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.  

On Nov. 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. eastern standard time, visitors can speak with representatives from companies around the U.S.

It’s important to keep in mind that career fairs are not hiring fairs, a place to conduct interviews or find job offers. Instead, it’s a place to find out more about employers and exchange resumes. Recruiters do, however, notice applicants who take the time to make a solid impression.

Attendees are encouraged to log on before the fair begins and complete their fair profile and post an appropriate photo.

To register, visit www.veteranscareerfair.com

Kara is ready to work.

Her Navy husband is on assignment to an unaccompanied tour in Nevada. She moved to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico to be closer to her family in his absence.

Now, she is ready to fill his time away with a job of her own. When she visited the hiring office on base though, she was told that she was unable to use spouse hiring preference to apply for a clerical or administrative job there.

The reason: her husband’s orders are not for Kirtland Air Force Base. But she’s not allowed to accompany him to his assigned duty station and therefore unable to find work at his assigned base. The Navy wife seems to be stuck in a no-win situation.

We’ve asked the Department of Defense for clarification on both the military spouse preference program and Kara’s dilemma. Here is their answer:

The Military Spouse Preference Program offers employment preference in DOD civilian personnel positions to military spouses who meet specific criteria.

 The requirements include that the spouse must accompany their sponsor on a PCS move to an active-duty assignment, must be married before the PCS occurs, must apply for a job within commuting distance of the sponsor’s new duty station and must rank among the “best qualified” candidates for that job.

Kara was unable to move with her husband to his new duty station due to the type of PCS orders he was given. Also, Kirtland AFB is far from his new job in Nevada meaning she is not within commuting distance.

She hoped there would be a waiver for this situation. DOD officials said, unfortunately, there is not.

The only waiver is given when there is no federal agency in the spouse’s geographic area where the military member transferred to, said Kathleen Ryder, chief of the civilian personnel section, 377^thForce Support Squadron at Kirtland AFB.

Unfortunately for Kara, Ryder said the waiver does not apply in her case because she is not authorized to accompany her military member to the far-flung location.

Hopefully Kara will find employment soon even without the spouse preference rating.

Have a question about military education and hiring policies? We can help you find the answer. Email us at info@salutetospouses.com

In April we told you about the upcoming changes to the Post-9/11 GI Bill expected to take place in August.

August is here and the changes are upon us.

Many of the changes were designed to make the benefits available to more veterans and streamline the process. For anyone using the program, it means paying attention to the fine details as you apply and use the benefits.

The biggest, coolest new benefits include paying all public school, in-state tuition fees and providing a housing allowance to students enrolled solely in distance learning programs. Students using the benefit can also be reimbursed for more than one license or certification test and use the benefit to foot the bill for admission exams such as the SAT, ACT, GMAT and LSAT.

On the downside, the amount the program will pay to private and foreign schools is now capped at $17,500 annually.

To take a closer look at the new rules and see how they change your education plans, visit the Department of Veterans’ Affairs official Gi Bill website:

http://www.gibill.va.gov/benefits/post_911_gibill/Post911_changes.html