Top Jobs for Air Force Spouses

You as an Air Force spouse can sacrifice a lot in order to support the mission service, to include developing long-term careers. Money is almost always short for spouses of young airman, and they have to find other ways to make money. But let's face it: not everyone's up for selling candles, lingerie, or fruit juice to make extra money as an Air Force spouse.

Fortunately there are other career options for you that can bring in good cash while helping them develop valuable skills that can go from base to base. One advantage you have as an Air Force spouse is that you tend to stay at locations for at least two years, giving you time to earn experience and good cash. And since the Air Force has a spouse's preference program that gives them a hiring advantage for Federal positions, some jobs may only be a phone call and application away.

After Hours Home Daycare Provider. Home daycare providers are more than glorified babysitters. They must adhere to nutritional guidelines and go through routine, drop-in inspections from the program coordinators and safety specialists. The job pays well because Air Force bases are almost always in need of childcare, especially for single parents.

Where the real money (and service) is at is when you provide after-hours care. This gives short-notice deploying airmen or off-shift airmen a safe place to bring their children. You'll have to stay awake during those hours (even while the kids sleep), but you'll always have work. Contact the Non-Appropriated Funds Human Resource office or Family Child Care office to find out what type of child care is needed.

Unit Program Coordinator. The Air Force often gives their airmen additional duties that can be time consuming, yet are necessary to keep the mission going. These duties include safety monitors, government travel card monitors, and budget analysts. The Unit Program coordinator is a Federal civilian position that employs someone to handle all those programs. This keeps the airman deployable and focused on their primary mission. Even if you're hired at a GS-3 pay rate, you can take home at least $30,000 a year plus Federal benefits. 1,200 of these positions were made available in 2009. Since Air Force spouses move along with their airmen, there could still be positions waiting.

Recreation Assistant. The Air Force PT program is constantly evolving. One of the latest moves was to take the official test monitoring duties away from the airman's supervisors and leave it to unbiased Federal civilians. Your responsibilities would include ensuring all testing phases are performed correctly so that airmen can get an accurate score or see their areas of improvement. Since everyone in the Air Force is required to pass the test in some manner, you'll be gainfully employed.

Bartender. Where there's an air base, there is almost always a club with a bar. Bartenders can get paid well from tips. They also get hired to do special events like squadron celebrations, group awards ceremonies and end-of-year holiday parties. The work might take place at odd hours, but it's a job skill you can carry from base to base. Bartenders are usually hired through the Non-Appropriated Funds Human Resource office.

Freelance Writer. Freelance writing or similar jobs away from the military may be more your style if you aren't a people-person. You can do it from anywhere, any base, at any time. This might be a job more suited for educated spouses with little children at home or people who like to do a lot of research online. You can produce quality articles and get paid, depending on which types of clients you have. In fact, the article you are reading right now was produced by a freelance writer.