Dependent AF spouse RN questions

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I have posted this on the International nursing site, but wanted to post here as well. It seems like mostly active duty RNs are here, but if there are any dependent spouse RNs, please let me know!

We just moved to the NATO base in GK, Germany. We are on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium. I was thinking I would be able to find a job here with no problem, however, when I arrived about a month ago, I was surprised! There is no hospital here at GK or at Schinnen, and the closest one is 1 1/2 hours at Spangdahlem and 3 hours to Ramstien/Landstuhl (the largest military hospital in Germany). Currently, neither of them have L&D positions open on usajobs.com.

I've learned that I cannot work in either community (NL or Germany) because I am not proficient in either language. I have applied for a nursing position with the DoD schools, but there is nothing available there currently either.

Does anyone have any leads for jobs in this area? Besides continuing to look at usajobs, cpol and afpc websites, I do not know where else to look or what other opportunites might be available to me.

My only other options, that I can see currently, is to either go back into the military OR go back to the States as a travel nurse.

Any ideas, suggestions, advice??

Thanks so much for your help!!!

Specializes in L&D, Research, Midwifery Student.

Oops... I didn't see your last post. I'm going to go through a travel agency and they provide a flat for you for each 13 week assignment. It's just like travel nursing in the US. I checked into the flight on Ryan Air. It might be a little different for me b/c we are more northern than Ramstein, but out of Dusseldorf the flight is 1 hour and only between 1 euro cent and 49 euros (depending on the day/season). They also give you travel money. But because the dollar is down, you make 26 pounds an hour which works out to be about 52 USD an hour (probably more now since I think the dollar has gone down even more!). So, that will help in paying off our debt, and I won't really need to "live" there as my home is in Germany. I'll just travel there and stay in their flat. I don't plan to set up a whole household or do anything besides eat and sleep and hopefully exercise!

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Specializes in L&D,Wound Care, SNC.
I was an Air Force dependant stationed at Ramstein. I started applying for a nursing jobs before I ever left the states. When I got to Germany I was extremely discouraged. I had heard alot of stories about dependants who were nurses who either went active duty or back to the states or got a job working at the BX. The best advice I could give you is for ANY spouse of ANY active duty person going overseas is PLAN on NOT working. If you get a job that's great but don't plan on it. Personally I would not take a job in another country, schedules are tough enough why make it tougher.

BUTT ( and there is always a butt ) one can get hired as a GS nurse. They hire based on points. FIRST OFF - VERY IMPORTANT - you get a spousal preference - but only ONCE. If you use your spousal preference and get that job you wanted at the BX or whereever and suddenly they call you for a nursing job at landstuhl - bummer - you lost your spousal preference. They now can give it to the next person. SO,,, don't use it if you don't want it. Dont' even apply. If there is a job you want - volunteer first. They will get to know you and vise versa. THAN - IF/WHEN a job comes open you have an inside scoop. The also give veteran preferance and extra preference if you were injured in a war and so forth. So if an injured veteran who is a spouse is competing against you, they can challenge it and get the job even if the manager wants you. Things can always change and rules are always "bent".

I am sure that is more than an earful. I hope that helps.

OH. They do have a reserve unit there. I don't know much about it. I had a friend of mine who was active reserve while her husband was active duty. It is something else to think about.

Good luck,

Pam

Oh that is very discouraging to hear :( Our house has been on the market for 3 months now and we have yet to receive an offer. We are looking to rent it out. I hope that things have changed since you have left. Working at the BX is not going to come close to covering childcare and mortgage if the house doesn't sell or rent.

The Reserves it out for me. I was in the Reserves and my enlistment was up and I think my dh's new unit is in the field frequently. I have a ADN so I can't go AD either.

I have not even applied anywhere. I was planning on doing that in person once we arrived in country.

Laura - I am glad to hear that you have been able to find something! Yes, we are going to Ramstein at the end of November.

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Specializes in L&D, Research, Midwifery Student.

Do a search on USAjobs.com and find nurse positions in Germany. There were 6 that mailed out to me this last week. Get your resume up on the resumix and start applying from there - that will give you a jump start on things. The jobs I looked at required a BSN, but I would check everything and see for yourself. You don't want to take our word for it here and just not explore every avenue. Many ppl said not to do travel nursing or I'd never get hired, but I have got picked up via the travel agency and now I'm waiting on a license. So... I say just try every route and see what happens yourself. I don't know for myself about the Ramstein area. I know that there are other jobs for RNs like a school nurse at the government schools, RN at the Bittburg clinic, RN at Landstuhl hospital, nurses for home visits, and other health promotion jobs that either require a RN or a dietician. So, I'd say keep your eyes open for everything and start doing some research now so that you are prepared. I wholly was NOT prepared and it all came as a shock to me that there are NO RN jobs here. I wish I would have started on my UK license BEFORE I moved here.

I really hope you can find something!!! It has been a struggle for me not to work. I was in mourning for all that I had lost including my job for a good couple months, and even now (we've only been here since June) I still have really low days. They say mourning takes a year to get past, so hopefully it will pass by then or I'll get a job before the year is out!!

Please let us know if/when you do get a job!

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Laura, It sounds like you have a plan. Good luck to you. I know it would not be any fun to be told I could not be a nurse. I am sure things will work out with England. Make sure you take the time to get to know Germany as well. You don't want to leave and realize you were never really there.

LDRNMommy,

Dont worry. It is possible to get a job, don't be too discouraged. (I did manage to get a nursing job ) It is just best if you plan on financially to have one income and be surprised when you have two verses require two and be surprised you can only get one. That is what is meant by anyone going overseas as a spouse, plan on not working. good luck with your house and your move.

Pam

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With Direct Hire there aren't supposed to be any preferences.

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I was there before 9/11 and they did not have direct hire. So getting a job there maybe a lot easier. :-) Do you know if direct hires get housing allowance? I do know that GS nurses have gotten a substantial raise since I was there.

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I don't know it it's easier. It only means they can hire who they want without ranking, or preferences. They are still required to post the vacancy. Yes, DH's still get housing allowance, etc. but, if the same code holds, it's who you know. If you have word or a converter you can take a look at this: http://www.opm.gov/employ/direct_hire/factsheet.asp

You can mail a resume without an announcement to the base you want to work at: https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/DirectHire-Healthcare.htm and you can check the list for positions that are open right now. https://ww2.afpc.randolph.af.mil/resweb/special_recruiting.htm I don't know anything about the actual process. I've sent off resumes but so far haven't heard anything, even though I did ask them to let me know if they got it. Certainly not like a civilian business who treats you with respect and tries to keep you informed. They act like they are doing you a favor if they contact you. Oh well, here I go again. The whole process makes me irritated.

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"Back in my day" :-) GS nurses did NOT get housing allowance if they were spouses, and most everyone I knew were spouses. I believe their rational was that they did not have to. Mil to mil - both get housing. Mil to GS - no. housing allowance makes a big differnce. I knew an xray tech who was not a spouse and got a housing allowance and he lived like a King. So I am guessing that they have done away with preferences that they have also done away with spousal preference??

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Don't forget this is just for jobs where they have a critical shortage, like nurses. Well, the housing allowance makes sense if your spouse if already collecting one. I was assured that as a single person I would get a housing allowance and commissary privileges. The student loan repayment is negotiable as well as a bonus. To leave a job paying $60,000 I'd have to get those things in order to be able to pay my bills.

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You are correct suezee. Also, as as GS civilian who takes a job overseas (especially in hard to fill positions), they do give you a housing allowance and commisary privileges, as well as access to the gym, library etc... Often if they do not have enough housing on base, they will pay for something comparable on the economy. I was a GS employee (civilian) for 19 years and was caught in a RIF (reduction in force) and decided to resign, since I didn't want to relocate at the time and decided to give it a go in private sector. Now I am trying to get back on with the govt. I was an employee with DOD Army. Best of luck to you in Germany. Have lots of civilian friends living on base in Ramstein. I have lived overseas too. As you said, there are pro's/con's, but there is so much to see & the travel is cheap once you are abroad.

Lizzie

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Specializes in L&D, Research, Midwifery Student.

Lizzie...

Well, it was cheap to travel. Right now the dollar is down - way down! We are on par with the Canadian dollar and we haven't been on par with them for 3 decades. So everything is WAY more expensive here. We're at 1.45 right now, so whatever you see in euros you X by 1.45 and that will give you the dollar amount you will pay for whatever. It is super hard right now. Not only is the dollar going down, but things in euros are going up. So it is definitely NOT cheap. And they reduced our COLA b/c of the war in Iraq, so last month we only got $400 in COLA! It would be nice if we could get paid in euros, at least where we are at b/c we live on the economy and all our bills are in euros. It's really hard getting paid in dollars and then transferring all that over to euros and watching it all be reduced almost in half! Hopefully things will get better soon. :o

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Lizzie...

Well, it was cheap to travel. Right now the dollar is down - way down! We are on par with the Canadian dollar and we haven't been on par with them for 3 decades. So everything is WAY more expensive here. We're at 1.45 right now, so whatever you see in euros you X by 1.45 and that will give you the dollar amount you will pay for whatever. It is super hard right now. Not only is the dollar going down, but things in euros are going up. So it is definitely NOT cheap. And they reduced our COLA b/c of the war in Iraq, so last month we only got $400 in COLA! It would be nice if we could get paid in euros, at least where we are at b/c we live on the economy and all our bills are in euros. It's really hard getting paid in dollars and then transferring all that over to euros and watching it all be reduced almost in half! Hopefully things will get better soon. :o

Hi. I read the paper daily & online news, aware of what the dollar is holding. What I meant is, once you are abroad, it is much cheaper to catch a flight or train to visit another country versus flying from the US, where it can cost you a fortune! So, if you can do any travelling while abroad, it is best to do over there vs paying for a ticket in the states. I have friends (civilians) who have been living in Germany for over 5 years, and we email regularly. Some are on base, others live on the economy how I did and you as well. Germany was never a cheap country to begin with. I lived in the Ramstein area for a while and eating meals out in restaurants was similar to home as well as doing the tourist attractions. Lived in Turkey for over a year, you could get your dollar's worth there! Best of luck to you! My husband (contractor) and I are hoping to live abroad again, we miss it.

Lizzie

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