December 2012
It’s just part of military life. Whether you’re a military member or married to one, you know it involves a great degree of uncertainty in terms of where you’ll live and for how long. Military families are uprooted and replanted in the span with very little notice. It’s all part of the intense demands placed on full-time service members, particularly when it comes to PCSing (permanent change of station).
Many military spouses choose to work to secure a second income for the family, or some just want to maintain fulfilling and meaningful careers while the spouses are working or deployed. But what kinds of jobs allow you to pack up and move anywhere on a moments notice? For many, cosmetology, barbering and other beauty trades come to mind.
In the past, countless military spouses have gotten their beauty licenses after attending cosmetology school, only to find out they’d have to start all over every time they move to a new station. According to the White House, more than 100,000 military spouses are affected by this very issue. Think you’re stressed about how you’re going to fit everything into boxes and get it on the truck in time with virtually no warning? Try figuring out when you arrive that you’ve got hoops to jump through to transfer your cosmetologist license. The trouble lies in the fact that each individual state determines their own guidelines for their minimum licensing requirements and which states offer licensure by reciprocity, endorsement or transfer.
But fortunately, things are taking a turn for the better. First Lady Michelle Obama and Second Lady Dr. Jill Biden have been urging states to relax on license transfer requirements for military spouses to allow them to rebuild – without taking a ton more classes, spending a ton more money or re-sitting for the entire board exams.
The deal is structured so that if the state requires that the licensee undergo the process again they will be given a temporary license with which to do businesses until they have satisfied the local requirement. The news is being met with enthusiasm and optimism by the fleet of military wives and husbands whose lives and cosmetology career paths have been directly altered by this unfortunate situation. At least 11 states have signed on so far. One such state is Colorado, where military spouses may work in the state for up to 1 year with a license from another state if they merely apply to transfer the license to Colorado.
It’s about time that military spouses trying to earn a living didn’t have to jump through rings of fire and spend additional time or money out-of-pocket to transfer their hard-earned cosmetology licenses to new states and contribute to the family income. I hope to see more states join the roster of those who have chosen to support military members and their families by making it possible for spouses to work in their chosen professions after the move.
Heather Physioc helps match aspiring students of the beauty disciplines with schools that fit their needs.
Her website, BeautySchoolsDirectory.com, helps 17,000 people on average to find a beauty school.
You can follow her on Twitter @BSDiva.