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16 Professional Licensing Resources for Military Spouses

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Every 3 years, it’s the same song and dance — apply for a new professional license at a new duty station.

It means taking all new tests or attempting to have old tests transferred. I’m hunting down test scores and descriptions from 3 duty stations ago in a vain attempt to save the hundreds of dollars it will cost for a test assessment.

As professionally licensed military spouses move around the nation and the world, it pays off big time to have some help. Use these resources to help you get into a licensed career field, transfer your license or get a new credential.

16 Professional Licensing Resources for Military Spouses

How do you find out about licensing requirements when moving to a new duty station?

National Military Family Scholarships

Did you know that you can get a scholarship for your career? The National Military Family Association has scholarships available for military spouses who are looking to advance their careers. Whether you are going to school or need a little boost to get a credential, the NMFA is here. The scholarship application deadline is Jan. 15, 2018.

Licensing Guides

If you thought the NMFA was done at scholarships, think again! They have also put together handy guides for military spouses in nursing, teaching and the mental health fields. Each guide has a handy printable checklist as well as a longer explanation to help you navigate the road ahead.

CareerOneStop

Wondering about who to contact for licensing information at your next duty station? CareerOneStop should be your next stop.

Input your profession or career into the search box, then select your preferred state. A list of career choices should pop up. Click the one most similar to what you are looking for. The next page will give you further instructions and contact information.

For example, a search for teachers in Massachusetts brought us here: contact info for the state’s Department of Education licensing requirements.

Career and Education Counseling

Whether you are looking for information about going back to school yourself or need to find a tutor for your child, MilitaryOneSource has a solution to help. Education consultants can help busy military families find solutions to their education questions. Find out about scholarship opportunities, how to use MyCAA or where to turn to advance your career after a PCS.

Reciprocity Maps for Teachers

The ideal is to find a state that will accept your current professional license without a lot of insane hoops or redundant testing required.

USA4MilitaryFamilies is a great place to turn for information about teacher licensing reciprocity agreements directly impacting military spouses. Their interactive map helps to outline the agreements currently in place or being considered.

Getting advance notice about what might be required to transfer a professional credential can change how you prepare for your next PCS.

The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC) also has a map that shows which states might offer reciprocity for licensing. This website is specifically for teacher and education professionals.

For information about other professionals, MilitaryOneSource has compiled an inclusive list.

Facebook

The original online social network has been building military spouse communities for years! Now, there are even more opportunities to grow professionally.

Join a career specific Facebook group to find information about your particular profession. Or join something more general to learn about a variety of opportunities. Either way, you’ll be tapping into a vast network of experience and education. Check out this (probably not exhaustive) list:

How do you find out about licensing requirements when moving to a new duty station? Share your best advice or favorite resource in the comments.

States Aim to Streamline Professional Licensing for Military Spouses

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Moving to Nebraska and want to be a nurse, dental hygienist or athletic trainer? You’re in luck! New laws allow you to obtain a one-year temporary license in several health-related professions.

States Aim to Streamline Professional Licensing for Military Spouses

If your profession requires a license, it is in your best interest to reach out to the licensing agency in your new state.

If you’re not relocating to the Cornhusker State, you can still take advantage of military spouse licensing agreements. Many states have streamlined professional licensing for military spouses.

Which states? Which licenses?

According to Military OneSource, 49 states have agreements in place to help military spouses through the licensing process. Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa do not currently have reciprocity agreements specifically for military spouses.

New York is not indicated to have military spouse specific reciprocity on the map. However, as of March 2017, New York does offer simplified licensing options in many professions for military spouses. There is an application process that is New York specific and your license must be in good standing in another state. Applicants also must pay the appropriate fee and submit the application for their desired license.

This process is true for the rest of the United States as well.

Each state requires a different application process to obtain a reciprocal license. Every state requires that applicants verify their military spouse status. To complete the application you will also need to provide evidence of a current license and/or education from another state. This will require providing transcripts, copies of your license(s) and supporting documents.

There may also be additional requirements in many states. These requirements may include:

  • proof of employment
  • professional exams or equivalent assessments
  • fingerprints or background check
  • first aid, AED and/or CPR certifications

There are also different professions that are considered eligible in each state. Some states don’t appear to target or exclude specific fields. Other states are limited to education professionals. Still other states exclude lawyers and teachers.

The license you can obtain also varies. Some states offer a temporary license as a hold over until the professional license is approved. In many states, the application process is expedited. Often a longer-term provisional license is granted in lieu of a full certification. This can allow professionals to complete additional requirements for full licensure.

What if my license isn’t covered?

For many professions, there aren’t national certification standards. While there are lots of similarities, especially in medicine and health professions, there are also lots of differences.

States naturally tend to favor candidates who have completed education in their jurisdiction. Especially in education and legal professions, there may be statutes and requirements specific to each state.

However, before you give up hope, check out the state licensing agency for your profession. For educators, that is usually the department of education. For lawyers, it is the state bar association. Other professions, like medicine, health or beauty, all have licensing boards. While there might not be specific language related to military spouses, there are usually avenues for professionals who have been prepared out of state or who are seeking reciprocity with a current license.

If you have questions, contact the office indicated by your professional licensing agency. With a few questions, you might be able to clarify the process or ask about military spouse licensing statutes. A new program might have been put in place and not publicized!

Are there any hidden issues?

Reciprocity, whether you are seeking it through a military spouse certification program or through other avenues, seems to mean that if you bring a current license from State A, then you should get a similar license from State B.

This is not always the case.

In some states, certain professions have employment requirements in order to obtain a reciprocal license. This is often seen with teachers. This clause means that applicants must have completed a certain number of years working professionally in order to qualify for reciprocity.

There are often state-specific professional exams. This is the case for lawyers and teachers, as well as other professions. Unless there are other programs in place, applicants might need to pass these tests in order to be licensed. It can pay to keep your results from previous states’ tests and ask the licensing board to review those before you pay for the new tests.

Bottom line: if your profession requires a license, it is in your best interest to reach out to the licensing agency in your new state.

Does your job require a state license? Have you had difficulty getting a state license after a PCS? Tell us in the comments.

Can Military Spouses Have It All?

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What is “having it all?”

For me, having it all means having a job in my profession with my spouse also working in his field. It means a decent house in a safe neighborhood and reliable child care. Having it all means the ability to take a vacation every year. Having it all means that my marriage, family life, professional life and personal interests are able to work together.

Do You Think Working Military Spouses Can Have It All?

What do you think? Can military spouses have it all?

With the recent release of their study, The Force Behind the Force, the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) lays out some troubling statistics.

Essentially, this study tells us what military spouses already know: we are underemployed and unemployed in staggering numbers as an almost direct result of our spouse’s military service.

In his opinion, 2012 Military Spouse of the Year Jeremy Hilton dissects the results and reaches the conclusion that military spouses cannot “have it all” in the traditional work/life/family balance. And he’s not wrong.

The “powers that be” offer solutions: volunteer, work for the government or work remotely. Which is great, for those lucky few who have the skills in the markets that allow those kinds of flexible jobs.

In my time as a military spouse, I have sacrificed almost a decade of professional teaching experience so that my husband can honorably serve this country. Since receiving my master’s degree in 2009, I have taught in a school district for 2 years. I know that my personal job prospects suffer for each year that I am out of the classroom. Even with writing an education blog and being active in professional learning networks online, I am moving out of the loop.

My salary expectations are suffering too. My peers, with similar degrees earned at similar times, are several steps ahead of me. This way of paying teachers is not unlike the military and government method: years of experience and education combine to indicate a salary. With only 2 years on the books, I’m earning at least 4 years – 4 steps – below my peers.

When I have voiced concerns about this in online forums, some military spouses have been dismissive and down right critical.

After all, I knew what I was getting into. I should have expected to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars every few years to get a new license or maintain a current license.

If not, I should be prepared to walk away from an expensive education and a profession that I am passionate about. Or find a different passion or cobble together some other wage earning position(s). No slack should be cut. I should be happy with what I get, even if it is scraps compared to what my professional peers rate, these critical voices tell me.

Here’s the thing: I have seen how I could have it all.

I had it all for a very brief window. I had my dream job in my dream school. My spouse also had an assignment he loved. We were both being paid competitive wages, with the opportunity to advance. We had reliable and affordable child care.

And then we got PCS orders.

Suddenly, my career was at square one. Child care involved endless waiting lists and it was just easier to stay at home with my child. I gave in. I stopped fighting. I told myself that I couldn’t have it all.

Then we moved again. So I started again.

Now we are expecting another child, which is amazing, except that it means that my career will once again take a back seat. If I wasn’t a military spouse, I would have been in one or two districts over the last 6 years. I would have earned tenure on the faculty. I would have earned Family Medical Leave Allowance. I would have been able to bank sick days for years to compensate for the post-birth time off.

So, can military spouses have it all?

In short, yes. Sometimes.

When all the stars align and the pieces of the puzzles fall into place, for brief periods of time, military spouses can have it all. I have been to that promised land and I have been kicked out again.

Most of the time, military spouses will probably not have it all.

By the time we line up the child care and the best job, orders will be imminent. Or another child will be on the way. Or deployment and training will pop up again.

And we will be back at square one: new location, no job, a few kids and gaps in our paid job experience that no amount of volunteering or blogging will ever hope to fill.

We will be chasing our professional licenses, hunting on the job boards and calling child care places to see if there is any hope of an opening.

We become part of the statistics for unemployed or underemployed military spouses.

What do you think? Can military spouses have it all?

National Professional Licenses Would Help Working Military Spouses

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You graduated from college and got your teaching license in one state and then the military moved you to another. You want to work but you can’t. Your professional license isn’t valid in your new home state. What a frustrating situation to be in. You are trying to support your spouse and your country and you can’t even work because of a state license, a professional license that you worked hard to earn.

National Professional Licenses Would Help Working Military Spouses

How much money have you spent transferring your professional license?

Sound familiar? There are several careers that military spouses have worked hard to have but they have to give up their job because of state licensing. The process to get a new license can be complicated as well as cost you time and money.

Some states allow out-of-state licenses, others do not. The regulations can be really random and there is no national standard. This isn’t only an issue for military spouses. Civilians move to a new state for their spouses’ jobs too and run into this same type of problem.

So what is the answer? Have you faced this state licensing problem as a military spouse?

It would be great if there was a nationwide license transfer standard. Where it wouldn’t matter where you got your license and where you live in the United States because you could simply transfer your professional license without a lot of issues. Doing this would allow you to find a job in your field without having to worry that you don’t have the right license. This change would make life a lot easier for military spouses who want to further their careers.

The good news is that there is a group trying to make this happen.

The Third Way is a D.C.-based Think Tank working toward an “Interstate Teaching Application.”

Each state would evaluate the person as well as their credentials. Those working as nurses, lawyers and other professions would be able to benefit from something like this too.

I know if I worked hard to get a license and start my career in one state, I would really like to continue to practice my field in another state no matter where the military might send us.

Related: 5 College Degrees Leading to Portable Careers

Life can be hard for military spouses when your career has to be put on hold. Not all spouses want to be a stay-at-home mom. There are so many spouses out there that want to continue working and can’t because of situations like this. It would be better for everyone if something could change to make it possible to easily transfer a professional license.

These changes would also encourage those who are in school or thinking about going to college to pursue one of these careers. They can continue their future careers more easily when the PCS comes. I know if I was debating a certain program, I would want to know that I could continue that career into the future, wherever we might go and whatever state the military might send us.

What do you think? Should professional licenses for nurses, teachers and lawyers be accepted nationwide?