Finding work for the military wives [Archive]

Al R

3rd Apr 2013, 20:40

So why wasn't the title "Finding work for the military partners", in the first place?

"And we're not just talking wives. These days, military spouses are also husbands and they can find it even more difficult because people think the man should be the breadwinner while wives can stay at home, as old-fashioned as that sounds."

Tashengurt

3rd Apr 2013, 20:52

So why wasn't the title "Finding work for the military partners", in the first place?

Quote:

"And we're not just talking wives. These days, military spouses are also husbands and they can find it even more difficult because people think the man should be the breadwinner while wives can stay at home, as old-fashioned as that sounds."

Because they're using the choirs name to grab the readers attention?

Posted from Pprune.org App for Android

November4

3rd Apr 2013, 20:54

Or even "Finding work for Spouses (http://www.recruitforspouses.co.uk/index.html)"

Al R

3rd Apr 2013, 21:27

Tash,

Thats because it is the BBC innit. And now we have social capital - elite and preceriat classes too, no less! Although you can anonymously admit to knowing a solicitor you aren't asked about socialising with those 'orrible servicemen and wimmin.

BBC News - The Great British class calculator: What class are you? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22000973)

Easy Street

3rd Apr 2013, 21:42

On top of shoddy housing, patchy schooling, and the tightening down of CEA, partners' employment prospects are yet another reason for families to live off camp, put down roots in a town and for the service person to become a weekend commuter... it won't be long before the majority do this, if they don't already. Patch life is on the wane and I'm not sure it will be missed...

Pontius Navigator

4th Apr 2013, 06:57

What about the 5 year tours?

At least most types are on a single base so aircrew don't move do they. except when the base moves, or they get posted to a staff job, or . . .

charliegolf

4th Apr 2013, 08:24

I am reminded of a seriously junior JP whose view was that,

"An officer's wife has a position to uphold, and should not, therefore work (on camp)".

His Boss's wife was a doctor in the Med Centre, and his spouse was a former camp telephonist. Cranwell did a hell of a job in those days- not a sign of the scar, even on baldies!:ok:

I allowed Mrs G to work, and she said I could say it was so.

CG

alwayslookingup

4th Apr 2013, 09:38

langleybaston

4th Apr 2013, 11:22

There was a substantial change of attitude between my two tours at JHQ.

Late 1970s ............... "officers' wives should not take paid employment [reason given that it takes bread from mouths of other ranks] but voluntary work is OK: Girl Guides, Thrift Shop, Wool Shop, Lay Adviser to Judge Adv ........"

Late 1980s .................."anything goes, especially clerking in JHQ because in some magic way no UK tax is paid".

With four children to bring up, and dad on shifts, mum was definitely needed AT HOME for the first stint. Made up for it later!

[as an aside, try the BBC class nonsense survey on line and tinker with your input ..... it is quite difficult to drop below elite despite confessing to knowing all sorts of undesirables, and the financial ar*e hanging out of your trousers.]

My daughter tells me there are only two classes : Boden wearers, and non- BW. That puts me in my place, and I thought it was Weber ownership that mattered.

Wander00

4th Apr 2013, 12:02

Brings back memories - married for second time in 84 as a recently promoted sqn ldr - Staish was Aunty Joan and very supportive of Mrs W working (as an accountant). Was not a problem at Br.....n, although the company car caused a few raised eyebrows, even more so when upgraded to a red BMW. However, wives still treated as cattle - Mrs W had a letter through the GPO to our MQ via Postman Pat - addressed solely to "Wife of Sqn Ldr W....". Resulted in my beginning the Toast to the Lasses at in following week's Burns Night "For those that do not know me, I come from the corner of the patch not known for attendance at Wives' Club or Flower arranging". Most neighbouring wives were working.

charliegolf

4th Apr 2013, 12:48

Wife of Sgt Golf.

That label lasted about 20 secs after my wife returned to the ward after Golf Minor's birth. Scary bird- thre were no challenges!

CG

airborne_artist

4th Apr 2013, 13:33

Luckily the MO at RAF Leeming in 1979 was married to a vet.

After a few too many sherberts at the leaving bash for the previous course (20 weeks long, each course overlapped 10 weeks onto the next) I found myself with a 4" cut in my forearm at 0330.

The MO declared himself unfit as he'd been enjoying himself. His wife, a civvy vet who had been on weekend call for work had driven him in, and did the suturing. :ok:

Pontius Navigator

4th Apr 2013, 13:39

Anyone remember LinPac at Horncastle in the seventies? Used to send a minibus to Coningsby to collect and return the wives, who were more than happy to work an evening for a bit of extra cash, as were LinPac to have them.

Might have changed now, but in my recollection there were always local employers willing to take on wives, fully cogniscent of the fact they'd only be there for a couple of years, but that there'd be plenty of willing and able replacements.

Some would even say that as many local economies relied on partners working off base as the serving one on base.

We bought son of LINPAC's house in the 80s.

Friend of ours used to run Leicesteralla in Tattershall in the 90s. He closed and moved production to Morocco as he couldn't get the staff. Foggatry's Feathers in Boston went. Gymflex, followed by Tayberry in Horncastle went too. Most recent one to go was Economine in Coningsby, but I think that was entirely recession and not lack of wives.

Then referring to LB's post, I seem to recall that almost all the civil servants at Coningsby were not wife's-of.

Duplo

4th Apr 2013, 18:20

I thought that singing in a choir was now useful employment?

Wander00

4th Apr 2013, 21:44

Duplo - wondered how long before that comment appeared

Wensleydale

5th Apr 2013, 07:20

"For those that do not know me, I come from the corner of the patch not known
for attendance at Wives' Club or Flower arranging".

Back in the day, the whole Sqn was called in for a late notice 3 line whip at 1600 on the Friday before a mess function. The Boss was in a bad mood - Mrs OC Sqn had "volunteered" the Sqn wives to decorate the tables with flowers, and only a handfull had turned up that afternoon. The Boss demanded to know why we had not sent our wives along to assist his other half. We were to send them along when they were needed. He was still not convinced - even when asked whether he would write a letter to the firm where one wife worked to ask whether she could be excused that afternoon. It later transpired that Mrs Stn Cdr had had a go at Mrs OC Sqn because of the lack of help.

Admittedly, this was back in the day when it was known that it was the wife who got you promoted....it was her career to smooth the path of yours. I stayed as a Flt Lt!

Fareastdriver

5th Apr 2013, 09:27

Up to 1970 or so an officer qualified for marriage allowance if he was over twenty five years old. She didn't have to work, she was paid by the goverment.

langleybaston

5th Apr 2013, 14:19

shades of the army:

subalterns may not marry, captains may marry, majors should marry, colonels ought to be married.

and the wifey dress code was certainly readable in the 1970s ........ pie-crust white blouse collar came in at Mrs major level, for example.

airborne_artist

5th Apr 2013, 14:24

Admittedly, this was back in the day when it was known that it was the wife who got you promoted....it was her career to smooth the path of yours.

My parents (Pere Artist was a Captain RN) split up just as he was offered his final appointment. It was made more than clear that my father could not go to Canberra as Head of the Military Mission as a single/separated man. He had to have a wife. He became DCOS at Northwood instead.

ShyTorque

5th Apr 2013, 14:57

Admittedly, this was back in the day when it was known that it was the wife who got you promoted....it was her career to smooth the path of yours. I stayed as a Flt Lt!

Indeed! Towards the end of my service, a new Boss arrived on the Sqn. At the due time, he called me in to his office to debrief me on my "Annual Confidential Report". Towards the end of the debrief he began to pass comment on my wife's contribution to the station.

I had never known this before in almost twenty years of service and said I thought it inappropriate to comment on my wife because hadn't joined the RAF. If he wanted to pass further comment, I should be allowed to fetch her in, to listen in person. He took a deep breath, shuffled his papers and passed no further comment in that respect. But from his set jaw I knew I wouldn't be getting promoted.

Another reason I knew it was time to go civvy. :rolleyes:

Pontius Navigator

5th Apr 2013, 15:26

Back in the day, the whole Sqn was called in for a late notice 3 line whip at 1600 on the Friday before a mess function. The Boss was in a bad mood - Mrs OC Sqn had "volunteered" the Sqn wives to decorate the tables with flowers, and only a handfull had turned up that afternoon. The Boss demanded to know why we had not sent our wives along to assist his other half.

Remember it well. Not sure, but possibly there and certainly at one unit, we were all dragooned in to decorate the mess. This we did with the least enthusiasm - few of us were attending the function.

ShyTorque

5th Apr 2013, 20:25

My wings parade coincided with a station royal visit. The wives, as was the custom, were "volunteered" to help decorate the Officers' Mess.

The royal personage presented us with our wings, was whisked away to be shepherded around the shinier parts of the station, then off to lunch, in the nicely decorated Mess. However, we were told the day before the Grad that there was no room at the inn for mere graduating students at such an important occasion (it was meant to be our graduation lunch, FFS). We had to find a local pub to get our families a plate of ham sandwiches and a shandy instead. My parents and other guests were not impressed, to say the least.

To rub salt in the wound a bit further, we later found a charge for the formal lunch on our mess bills. :rolleyes:

Wensleydale

6th Apr 2013, 08:36

To rub salt in the wound a bit further, we later found a charge for the
formal lunch on our mess bills

I'm surprized that there was not the bill for a practise lunch as well!

Charging for services that you had not received was nothing new for the Mess in the good old days - I remember being billed for a guest night that I had not attended. Apparantly, the list came round when I was deployed, and my name entered on the list by the squadron in case I wanted to go. Unfortunately, the squadron forgot to tell me and I went on leave instead. Next month, the charge of about £40 for the function appeared on my mess bill - this was rather high to pay for some damage that had been caused at the function. I rang the mess and told them that I was not there and could they remove the charge - they refused. Several formal letters followed with a few threats etc and a "final offer" not to charge me for the damage! I finally told them that I would see them in the small claims court with their proof that I had ordered the service that they were charging me for - otherwise they were committing fraud.

They backed down.

BlindWingy

6th Apr 2013, 08:53

Wensleydale,

So the Mess pre-paid for your food, wine and staffing because they were told you were coming by your squadron.

Was it really their fault? If not, who should have paid for the above? I would suggest your own squadron, not them.

Wensleydale

6th Apr 2013, 09:25

So the Mess pre-paid for your food, wine and staffing because they were told you
were coming by your squadron.

Was it really their fault? If not, who
should have paid for the above? I would suggest your own squadron, not them.

I agree! It was suggested that the Sqn cover the bill quite early in the affair but the Boss refused to get involved, claiming that they did not know who had entered my name onto the list. Their solution was for me to find out who did it and to make them pay. At this point it became too personal and I did not pursue this line - it's one thing to complain to an organisation but it is totally different when it comes to upsetting friends.

Tankertrashnav

6th Apr 2013, 14:43

Mention of the over 25 rule reminded me that when I was planning to marry, I not only had to write a formal leIter to my station commander requesting permission to get married as I was under 25, I also had to write to Mrs TTN's (as she was to become) matron as she was a QARANC sister at the time and ask her permission as well. Of course her service was terminated the day she got married - no married QA sisters in those days.

Mind you until we started a family she always worked, as those were the days when a nurse/midwife could turn up at the local hospital, ask if there were any jobs going, and be asked if she could start Monday. Somewhat different now.