FS KNOW-HOW
‘Virtually’ There: FS Spouses Build Careers Without Borders
BY KATHERINE JACOBS AND CAROLYN HO
If there is one thing the Foreign Service community does well, it is adaptation. We are used to exploring new countries, setting up new
homes, making new friends, learning
new jobs and sending our children to
new schools every few years. Successful Foreign Service families enjoy the
thrill and the newness of each assignment; but even the most seasoned can
find change challenging.
As the makeup of the diplomatic
community changes, so, too, do those
challenges. Today, more than ever before, highly educated and successful
Foreign Service entrants are married to
equally high-achieving individuals who
want their own careers. While some
spouses and partners welcome the opportunity to spend more time raising a
family, to volunteer internationally, or
pursue a personal avocation full-time,
many seek employment opportunities.
The Family Liaison Office’s current
spousal employment statistics show a
37-percent employment rate for Eligible Family Members living overseas,
compared to 52 percent for two-career
households in the U.S.
Many Foreign Service spouses and
partners seeking employment are frustrated by what seem to be limited opportunities. After several years, many
of them give up trying to work, while
others adjust their expectations and
take part-time or embassy roles as they
are available. Still others return to the
More than ever
before, Foreign
Service spouses
and partners are
pursuing successful
careers in their own
right. Here’s how.
;
United States, with or without their significant others, to try to pick up the
pieces of their careers.
Acknowledging the importance of
this issue and its impact on retention
of outstanding employees, the State
Department is taking steps to address
it — both by preparing families for the
realities they will face overseas and developing programs that can help
spouses and partners find employment at post. The Global Employment Initiative and Strategic Networking Assistance Program, the professional associate program, the Community Liaison Office newsletters
advertising Eligible Family Member
employment opportunities, and the
recent initiative to expand EFM status
to same-sex domestic partners are all
important efforts that go a long way toward helping spouses and partners
find work. However, there is clearly
more to be done.
Some spouses and partners who
teach; have medical, legal or financial
backgrounds; or work for companies
with offices abroad find that they can
continue in their chosen field just as
easily as they do at home. However,
those with jobs in U.S.-based organizations, or who want the opportunity to
maintain a consistent career from post
to post, often find they have few options
or resources to draw upon.
The good news is that with new
technologies and motivated managers,
some Foreign Service spouses and partners are discovering that their U.S.-based careers are not over. In fact,
there is a burgeoning work force of FS
family members that is “flattening” the
world as they know it, enabling them to
pursue professional careers while living
abroad.
The time for this shift is ripe. Across
all sectors in the United States, organizations facing a new economic reality
are looking to retain their talent while
increasing the efficiency of doing business. Technological advancements, including increased worldwide Internet
access, VoIP Telephony and innovations in computer-based information
and project management, not only
make possible telecommuting from
home offices in the States, but also
from home offices while stationed
overseas. Many Foreign Service
spouses and partners are discovering
that with some personal initiative, a
willing employer and an Internet con-
