Getting A T
he new company recognises, firstly, the untapped talent amongst spouses and partners of UK military
personnel and, secondly, their need to be essentially home based in order to cope with the demands of a family, frequent moves and unpredictable and chaotic working patterns of Service personnel, not only day to day but the operational deployments too.
Recruit for Spouses donates all profits to Service charities and allows Forces spouses to register on its website free of charge. Employers then pay a small fee to advertise jobs and access the database of spouses with skills ranging from shop floor to boardroom. Its patron is Lady Jean O’Donoghue, wife of General Sir Kevin O’Donaghue, describes Recruit for Spouses as, ‘A great opportunity for spouses to re-enter the workplace and prove that we really can make a valuable and worthwhile contribution to employers countrywide’.
Emma Cheedy, wife of a Serviceman in the RAF started work in April as a Service Children Support Co-ordinator for the Service Children Support Network after registering with Recruit for Spouses.
She said: “Recruit for Spouses will give spouses the confidence to show their real worth. Spouses have a huge range of skills and talents. Many are highly qualified but have had to put their careers on hold, or channel their talents into unpaid occupations because of the vagaries of Service life and raising a family. Although raising a family
JOB
affects civilians as well, I think there are additional responsibilities attached to being the spouse of a Serviceman or Servicewoman. There will be times when the ‘at home’ spouse is the sole carer; there will be big upheavals in the children’s lives which only the at home spouse can deal with because the other parent is away.“
Mrs Cheedy, who has two sons, Dylan, aged 10 and Rhys, 8, said she thought she faced permanent unemployment while her husband was serving in the RAF.
“Instead, I am just about to start my first ‘proper’ job for ten years, something I didn’t think I would be ever to do while my husband Paul was serving.
“Dylan was born in Cyprus, but we left when he was eight weeks old. We had moved from Akrotiri to RAF Aldergrove and then to Brize Norton, all before his first birthday. Rhys was born while we were at RAF Brize Norton where we remained for more than eight years, before moving first to RAF Daws Hill then, after a further 15 months, to High Wycombe”.
Limited to volunteer work and school jobs, like many military spouses, Emma became an active member of The Royal British Legion Branch in Carterton, helping with fundraising for the Poppy Appeal. She was also a SSAFA In-Service Volunteer and was the Community Volunteer Coordinator at RAF Brize Norton, Beaver Scout Leader for the 2nd Brize Norton Air Scout Group and was offered, through volunteering in school, a job as a lunchtime supervisor.
Emma said: “I had come to realise, over the years, that if I wanted to work it needed to be in a school environment or from home. I needed to be around for the boys and this became all too obvious when Paul was deployed to Afghanistan for six months in 2009. Without family close by and the school holidays to deal with, it would have been almost impossible for me to have worked,
www.raf-ff.org.uk
COMMUNITY
Heledd Kendrick, an Army wife, set up her own company in response to the struggles faced by many Service spouses to find work. And it is an RAF wife who has become one of the first people to find work using this innovative concept. Jo Kierstead of Recruit For Spouses reports…
especially when Daddy being away became too much for Dylan to cope with.
“As most military wives will say, “You just get on with it”. We give up our own career aspirations to raise our families and follow our husband’s careers. It can be very lonely and disheartening at times.
“Recruit for Spouses is a fantastic idea. Military spouses can look at jobs advertised by employers who understand the issues we face and are prepared to offer the individual work from home or work that is local and flexible. In return they have access to a pool of work skills, qualifications and experience.
“So I’ve started my new job. I am nervous and excited. Paul’s work colleagues are disappointed as I will no longer spend all my time baking (!) but I am sure they will cope... As to what I am going to spend my first pay packet on? I’ve seen a lovely pair of pink shoes…”
Emma’s new boss, Joy O’Neill, says, “I know how difficult it can be for Service spouses to find meaningful work but as an employer I also know how important it is to recruit the right person. Using Recruit for Spouses has been a positive and professional experience. Within a month I’d been able to appoint Emma, a high calibre candidate for an important new role. I will definitely use Recruit for Spouses again to advertise any future vacancies”.
To find out more about Recruit for Spouses and or to register as a service spouse or a potential employer visit:
www.recruitforspouses.co.uk or email
info@recruitforspouses.co.uk
Envoy Summer 2012 41
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