Reply to Trailing spouse in the Foreign Service when you already have an internationally focused career?

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[quote=Anonymous]Former FSO here. One thing you need to keep in mind, which one of the PPs alluded indirectly to, is that your spouse is not guaranteed a work visa or permission to work in all countries.  A number of developing countries have severely cracked down on hiring of expatriates for jobs that could be done by local staff.

What that means is the trailing spouse must have the ability to gain work on his/her own with an organization that has the ability to sponsor a work visa in that specific country.  Bottom line?  Unless you're very lucky, trailing spouse will have at least a few posts where he or she cannot find work except at the Embassy. As other PP noted, the jobs available are usually for nonprofessional spouses.

If you are USAID FS, there are also potential conflicts of interest for your spouse, which will require them to cross off some employers off their list.

The only way you are guaranteed that both spouses will have professional level employment at every post is to be a tandem couple, i.e. both in the foreign service.  Even then, one spouse may be underemployed or not exactly in their line of work at a given post.  
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