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10 Feb - Free AFF and Remount course for Army spouses!
26 Jan - Recruit for Spouses launched
11 Jan - National Insurance Contribution Conditions for Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance: an easement for spouses and civil partners of Service personnel
11 Jan - BFRS Event Helps Armed Forces Leavers Make Transition to Life on Civvy Street
F & C Spouse of serving personnel in need of a National Insurance number in Germany?
Forces wives launch online directory in aid of charity
Good news - An extra bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Is the Service Families Taskforce Report working for you?
Free AFF and Remount course for Army spouses!
A unique and very special opportunity for you...
A free, non-residential course with tea/coffee/biscuits and lunch provided, timings arranged around childcare commitments in beautiful Tedworth House near Tidworth!
Whether you are dealing with family separation, trying to enter the employment market, access education or preparing to face the challenges of life outside the Army, we know that life can be daunting and that's why we have teamed up with Remount to provide you with an exciting opportunity to boost your confidence, take control of your life and plan your future.
Remount is a charity that provides personnel of the Armed Forces of all ranks and status and their dependants with the tools, techniques and procedures for managing the dramatic change in cultures on making the transition into civilian life; it also provides training, support and guidance to them in how to take control of their lives and achieve their full potential.
We have worked with Remount to put together a special programme designed specifically for Army spouses at Tedworth House in Tidworth, Wiltshire. The four day course starts on Tues 20 March and ends on Fri 23 March. Each day will run from 9.30am until 3pm so that school runs and nursery drop offs can be accommodated, and we can promise you an experience that will make a real difference to your life. Run by men and women with extensive Service experience, this interactive and highly motivational programme will allow you to share experiences, explore key issues and plan how you can "take control" alongside like minded people in a confidential, supportive and non judgmental environment. The pace will be brisk and really fun with inputs from the facilitators, discussion groups, activities and planning time along the way (and of course plenty of tea, coffee and biscuits to keep our energy up!).
This is a really special opportunity to "do something positive for you" and we'd encourage you to seize it with both hands - contact Charlotte Hart, AFF Employment and Training Specialist on et@aff.org.uk or call 07799 045955.
We'll do the rest - but hurry, demand is expected to be high!
This is a four day non-residential course, accommodation is not provided. AFF recognises that it may only be convenient for Salisbury Plain residents but if this course is successful AFF and Remount hope to offer the course in many different locations. So please let Charlotte know where you are and we will consider other locations for the future.
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Recruit for Spouses launched
NATIONAL businesses are being invited to support the British Forces and their families, through the not-for-profit organisation, Recruit For Spouses, which launched on 17th January 2012.
Recruit For Spouses has been set up to bridge the gap between national employers and a growing band of service spouses who are seeking to re-enter the workplace, after subjugating their careers due to their partners’ numerous postings and frequent deployment.
The company has benefited from funding and support from the Women’s Section of the Royal British Legion and the web development skills of international digital agency, STEAK. The founder, Heledd Kendrick (herself an Army spouse and mother of two young children) who has been developing the concept for over two years, said that it had been “a long but worthwhile journey bringing the site to its launch this month”. She continued, “One of the hardest things about being married to a soldier, sailor or airman, is the constant moving around; rendering it almost impossible to find a job. Employers perceive service spouses as being too transient to make a worthwhile contribution to their organisations. However we’re here to prove otherwise – be it short term, contracts, flexi working, job-sharing, full-time employment or virtual (online) work”.
Kendrick will be introducing potential employers to over 400 registered candidates from a diverse background, and who count skills and trades such as accountancy, HR experts, lawyers and PAs among their numbers. STEAK has created a sleek web design, which makes it simple for employers and spouses to register their vacancies and CVs.
A nominal charge will be made to employers (significantly less than most recruitment agencies) and profits from the venture will be ploughed back into Service charities, fully embracing the much talked about Military Covenant.
Recruit for Spouses already has partnered with both British Telecom, Siemens and Golly Slater providing a range of opportunities for service wives and has established a meaningful dialogues with the regional Chambers of Commerce, resulting in the North East Chamber of Commerce advocating the initiative to their 4000 members.
AFF congratulates Heledd Kendrick and the team at Recruit for Spouses. Catherine Spencer, Director Communications, said "Army spouses face an enormous uphill battle to find meaningful and fairly paid employment every time they are posted – this company will assist all Forces spouses in demonstrating the range and quality of skills they offer. We hope that commercial companies will embrace the opportunity to support the Armed Forces by actively considering the employment of Forces spouses."
UPDATE - Please note:
Families Employment Advisory Team (FEAT) recommends that those seeking employment should not upload personal details to this site while they are resident in Northern Ireland, as they have no way of ensuring the security of this data.
In addition, this method of registering CV’s for future employment is contrary to Fair Employment legislation in Northern Ireland.
FEAT's recommendation is that anyone seeking employment in Northern Ireland should use the existing Families Employment Advisory Team facility, whose details are available through AFF NI.
If appropriate, anyone who tells FEAT they are leaving Northern Ireland will be told about Recruit for Spouses Ltd as a way of increasing their future employment opportunities.
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National Insurance Contribution Conditions for Employment and Support Allowance and Jobseeker’s Allowance: an easement for spouses and civil partners of Service personnel
The Department for Work and Pensions has carried out an equality impact assessment on the proposal to introduce an amendment to the National Insurance contribution conditions for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA). This amendment will create an easement for spouses and civil partners of Service personnel. The proposal has been assessed in-line with the current public sector equality duties.
The proposal is that provision will be made enabling spouses or civil partners of a member of Her Majesty’s forces to benefit from a relaxation of the first contribution conditions for claims for JSA and ESA. This will commence from 1 January 2012.
Click here to read the full report from the Department for Work and Pensions.
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BFRS Event Helps Armed Forces Leavers Make Transition to Life on Civvy Street
On 29th March 2012, the British Forces Resettlement Services, known as BFRS, will hold their fifth Career Transition Event in Catterick. It is estimated that 10,000 Service people from the RAF and Navy and 7,000 from the Army will lose their jobs due to the cuts made in the 2010 government Strategic Defence and Security Review. This event is being held to help them find a new career on Civvy Street.
Jo Pickard, BFRS Events Manager, comments: “The event gives Service leavers a head-start in making the transition back to civilian life. BFRS aims to help those connected to the Forces understand their options, identify their skills and make themselves as attractive as possible for their next steps into civilian life.”
With National Grid as the event’s corporate sponsor and the Northern Echo and BFBS Radio as media partners, it is anticipated that the event will be the most successful to date. Exhibitors include Civvy Street (Royal British Legion), Automatic Weapons Establishment, Makro, the Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust and Pitman Training Group. Additionally, the event includes practical sessions such as CV writing and interview skills. There will be training providers, recruitment firms, franchise opportunities, service providers and specialist advisers available at the event.
BFRS founder Harry Dean says: “Ex-Forces personnel possess a unique combination of highly developed skills and qualities. They go on to develop successful second careers, proving in the process to be tremendous assets to the organisations they join. However, the actual transition process from military to civilian life can be daunting. We are totally committed to ensuring that this transition process is effective, which is why we are investing in reaching Service leavers in a number of ways”.
If you are an employer and would like to exhibit, please email j.pickard@bfrss.org.uk or telephone 0845 308 2406.
If you would like to attend, please pre-register by emailing kirsty@bfrss.org.uk or telephoning 0845 308 2406.
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F & C Spouse of serving personnel in need of a National Insurance number in Germany?
If you would like to work for the GLSU in Germany you will need to have a National Insurance number for your deductions from your pay. How do you (as a Foreign and Commonwealth spouse) get a National Insurance number if you have not worked in the UK? If you are employed through the GLSU (Garrison Labour Support Unit) and you hold G1 status certificate you should speak directly to the GLSU HR staff who can help you with the process. In conjunction with the GLSU you will need to complete a form CA5407 which comes from the Department of Work and Pensions in such cases. These forms are not available directly from the DWP for members of the public, but for specific cases relating to employment with the GLSU only. Once the form is completed and signed by the GLSU it is returned to the DWP with certified copies of your passport. Once a NI number has been allocated it will only allow you to be employed through the GLSU in BFG. It does not contain an automatic right to employment in UK. You should request a new National Insurance number from the Department of Work and Pensions when you are subsequently posted to the UK subject to the appropriate visa and work permit requirements.
Please contact your local GLSU or AFF’s Foreign and Commonwealth Specialist at fc@aff.org.uk or Employment and Training Specialist at et@aff.org.uk for more information.
If you wish to apply for employment with organisations in BFG apart from the GLSU it is your responsibility to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements for employment such as work permits and National Insurance numbers before you make your application.
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Forces wives launch online directory in aid of charity
A new website called www.followtheflag.com to help Forces families promote their independent businesses was launched this year.
It was established by two army wives to enable Forces families to promote their businesses on a smart, easy to navigate website. The content is updated weekly, featuring interviews with members, offers, and items of general interest.
‘Follow the Flag’ advertises a broad range of services offered by families in the Forces, including bespoke presents, re-upholsterers, cake makers, tailors, personal solicitors, authors and military artists.
Members to the site receive their own login and are able to update any of their advert information including their region and contact details each time they move! All of the profits from the subscriptions are donated to three military charities.
If you are a forces wife or family member running your own businesses then get in touch with the follow the flag team contact@followtheflag.com to find out more.
Follow The Flag are very keen to encourage those considering starting their own business. They offer free advice and advertising to all start-ups.
Please support Follow The Flag on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
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Good news - An extra bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
The late May bank holiday is moving to 4th June 2012 and an extra day is being offered on 5th June. For more information please see www.direct.gov.uk.
For more information about bank holidays, click here.
Is the Service Families Taskforce Report working for you?
AFF's Chief Executive, Julie McCarthy, referred to the Service Families Employment and Skills Taskforce in our Spring 2010 edition of the Journal "The Army Families Federation is regularly asked to be involved in a number of projects as the voice of Army families, to present the families’ viewpoint. One of the most positive in recent months has been our involvement – as the Service families representative – in the Service Families Employment Taskforce. The aim is to ensure that Service families (spouses and teenage children not in full-time education) have fair and equal access to employment advice, benefits and associated resources".
Click here to read the Service Families Employment and Skills Taskforce Report March 2010. If you have any comments to make regarding any aspect of the report from your personal perspective please email et@aff.org.uk.
