The Foreign Service Journal, November 2005

expand new ones. (For more informa- tion on Manpower’s training courses, visit FLO’s Internet site at http:// www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/38620.htm.) In addition, FLO contracted with Going Global, a leading provider of country-specific career and employ- ment information, to offer FS spouses free access to Going Global’s Country Career Guides and the Global Key Employer Directory (job listings included). Together, these valuable resources assist spouses with their international job searches. Partnerships have also been estab- lished with Baker and McKenzie, a global law firm; Pricewaterhouse- Coopers, accounting and consulting; and the Parsons Corporation, engi- neering and construction, to provide opportunities for professional spouses interested in working on the local economy at their posts. This program has already placed two spouses with PricewaterhouseCoopers, while 11 spouses have been retained as foreign legal consultants with Baker and McKenzie. Victor Williams, an FS spouse in Pretoria, attests to the value of SNAP: “Prior to coming to South Africa, I had over three years of successfully selling over 100 vehicles on eBay in the Washington, D.C. area. I met with the SNAP Local Employment Adviser, Jacqui Fogg, and she suggest- ed that it would be a great opportuni- ty if I could use that same eBay busi- ness model and tailor it to meet the needs of the diplomatic community in South Africa. ... Due to the over- whelming response from the commu- nity, I plan to launch two additional Web-based services.” Different Doors Open Historically, spouses have pre- ferred to work inside the U.S. mis- sion. For many, the comfort level of working for the U.S. government, in English, in a secure environment, and where they can commute with their spouse is more attractive than dealing with the challenges of working on the local economy. However, the State Department’s Diplomatic Readiness Initiative and the tightening of securi- ty after the 9/11 attacks have com- bined to cause an erosion of employ- ment opportunities within U.S. mis- sions for spouses, as FSOs fill vacan- cies that had previously been filled by family members. The Consular Asso- ciate program, once a viable opportu- nity for interested spouses, is still available but has been diminished because consular associates are no longer allowed to adjudicate cases. As an FS spouse in Tel Aviv, Sharon Harden, observes: “Of course, the secretarial/administrative posi- tions were offered up, but for some- one who graduated alongside the man who would be the Regional Legal Adviser, I knew that taking such a position would not be fulfilling profes- sionally or financially.” In addition, State’s overseas Hard- to-Fill program permits qualified Eligible Family Members to bid on and fill vacant Foreign Service posi- tions on the hard-to-fill list. However, the number of placements through this program in the past has been lim- ited. Consequently, for Foreign Service spouses striving to maintain a career or find employment while moving from post to post, resiliency, flexibility, creativity and patience are required. FLO is constantly looking for ways to provide new tools to aid in this endeavor. Earlier this year, FLO contracted with StaffCentrix, a leading provider of virtual careers training and related resources to the Armed Forces, to provide training in virtual careers to Foreign Service spouses. As of mid-September, the “e-Entrepreneur Training Program” had taught 76 spouses (with 30 more signed up for training in October) how to launch and operate portable, home-based businesses as “virtual professionals,” delivering high-end, business-related services to their own clients remotely via e-mail, phone and fax. To make this training available to more spouses and MOHs overseas, StaffCentrix developed a “Train-the-Trainer” course for LEAs and CLOs, enabling them to provide the course at post. The enormous response to e- Entrepreneur training indicates that spouses and MOHs are willing to go down new roads in an effort to find meaningful employment they can carry with them from post to post. Another indicator along the same lines was the overwhelming number of applications FLO received for fel- lowships offered by the Una Chap- man Cox Foundation. This new pro- fessional fellowship program provided 19 fellowships of up to $2,000 each to Foreign Service spouses for enrich- ment activities, including, but not lim- ited to, continuing education, distance learning, professional development, participation in professional confer- ences, dues for membership in pro- fessional organizations and small busi- ness start-up costs. Coming Home For FS family members returning to the Washington area from abroad, N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 23 F S K N O W - H O W u FLO has established partnerships with various firms to assist FS spouses seeking overseas employment.