Internship program helps military spouses build careers Published Aug. 9, 2010 By 1st Lt. Stuart Anderson 90th Missile Wing Judge Advocate F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. -- This year, the Department of Defense started the Military Spouse Internship Program, which is a new program encouraging federal-government agencies to hire active-duty spouses. Federal agencies have many positions to fill every year, and military spouses are an important source of dedicated professionals for these agencies. By reimbursing the costs to federal agencies of employing military spouses, this program creates a unique incentive for agencies to hire military spouses and expands the spouses' opportunities to find flexible, well paying employment and offers advancement in a wide range of occupations. The internship program will provide around 120 internships to spouses on a first-come, first-serve basis until the end of September. Under the program, any federal agency that hires a spouse, will be reimbursed for the costs of the first year of employment, including salary, benefits and training. The program is open to anyone married to an active-duty member of the Armed Forces. Applicants with all levels of skill, education, experience and prior federal employment can benefit from the program. The applicant must only have the qualifications required for the particular position they are applying for. The internship program will fund a year at any permanent position with a federal agency offering opportunities for training and advancement and that is portable. Portable means the occupation is common across the federal government; e.g., information technology, financial management, human resources or in an agency having occupations throughout the country. Even if an agency does not have a formal internship program in place, any position that provides training and advancement in a proper field is eligible for reimbursement. For those eligible military spouses, application for an eligible federal job is all that is needed to benefit from this program. In the cover letter or application, indication of eligibility for the internship program should be mentioned. If selected to fill the vacancy, the agency will then apply to the Department of Defense's civilian personnel management service for reimbursement of the first year's costs. While the internship program does not create any new job opportunities or provide for preferential treatment in the application process, the office that controls hiring for federal agencies -- the personnel management office -- also offers the noncompetitive appointment program. This program, which has stricter eligibility requirements than the internship program, allows agencies to appoint qualified military spouses to positions in the competitive service without a competitive process. Applicants should check to see if they are eligible for both programs, because they can use the benefits of both in applying for a single position. Federal employment offers many opportunities in locations all over the country for workers with all levels of skill, education, and experience. Through the Military Spouse Internship Program, agencies will have reason to seek out these individuals. Any eligible spouse looking to begin a new career or to continue an existing one with the federal government, should visit http://www.usajobs.gov.