Pros and Cons working for an active duty Military Family?
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Anonymous
And this is why every person in the US should have to serve for a couple of years. 1) They'd see who is actually in the military, and 2) Perhaps change would come from more people of more views being within the military, and knowing what is really going on when they get out. |
Anonymous
PP here, and I am the one I think you are misquoting. What did I say, exactly that you "can't believe" about LGBT and immigrant families? First, we are LGBT and one half immigrant in my family, so you need to take a goddamn seat about any offense you think I levied. All I said, that you found so offensive, was that I don't see how it is okay to be stereotypical and bigotted against one half of my family (military), while decrying any bigotry that would impact the part of my family you think is so worthy (gay and immigrant). Second, we are also a proud military family, liberal, progressive and out and open and accepted by our military family. You know nothing of the military--we are not all pro-war stereotypes that you can use to feel good about yourself and your pseudo-liberal values. GTFOOH |
Anonymous
+100 |
Anonymous
Agree. Also, hardly anyone in the military is pro-war. Just FYI. And you're not a visitor if you're working here. You're either a resident, in which case you're taking advantage of the benefits of having a standing military, or you're working illegally, in which case you have no room to talk about - well, anything. |
Anonymous
| Canada has a military. They are your neighbor. Think about the differences for a second outside of your MERICA thinking for just one second and ask why a foreigner would not want to work for a family in the US military. Sweden, Norway, they have militaries too. It's about the way Americans go about things that are different. You don't get it because you are American and that's ok. The rest of us do. |
Anonymous
[b] My home country has a two year military service required for men. They are peacekeepers and do not go into other countries to be the world police or torture people or bomb churches and Doctors Without Borders. I stand by my statements that I do not want to work for a US military family. This is getting ugly so I won't be back to check further replies. You can and will think the way you want. But clearly you are. It well travelled or else you would know how the rest of the world feels about the us military. I'm not unique. |
Anonymous
| *not well travelled |
Anonymous
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To the original poster -- Apparently another thing you may have to deal with if you are a nanny to a military family is that some people will tell you that you are a "war supporter" and how that is a horrible thing.
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Anonymous
We do know how a lot of the world feels about the US military. A lot of us in the US would prefer the US military were less interventionist. However, we also know that a lot of the peaceful European countries that can spend all of their money on enhancing everyone's daily lives can do so because they are literally fearless because of the US Army's promises to maintain the necessary firepower to protect the world. |
Anonymous
This! You will be surprised how willing people are to slander a military family, in spite of the great diversity encompassed by our armed services members some are more than willing to stereotype and paint them all with a broad brush. Anyhoo... That said, there may be some (legitimate) drawbacks that others pointed out. The schedule can often be unpredictable. If you can't be flexible enough to accommodate occasional early mornings/late evenings, let the potential employer know because it might not be a good fit. Often, but not always, military families are a little more fixed on routine (beds made at a certain time, meals at a specific time, tables set a certain way, toys put away a specific) just as a function of habit--military training, above all else--imparts a sense of order and attention to detail that tends to creep into the home and personal lives of service members. This can drive some people crazy, and it is far from universal, but something to think about. One other thing, if this particular family is new to the area they might not have a lot of social and familial resources yet. They might depend on you quite a bit. Be clear if you are available for emergency care and things like that--just make sure the expectations and your availabity are known and agreed upon by both of you. During a tour I had separate from my spouse (dual military) I had to call an emergency sitter when one of my kids needed to go to the ER and I needed help with the other in the middle of the night (we had just relocated and really had no one else to call). She was amazing, helpful and gracious, but we had worked out her availability for this kind of thing in advance. Just find out if what they need and what you can offer are compatible. As to some of the nonsense that was posted here, there are conservative, liberal, christian, athiest, well-educated and hillbilly redneck military members, just like the rest of the world. Lots of diversity so go into it the same way you would any other job: personal, political views probably don't play a huge part in your ability to be professional if you have been doing this for a while. Best of luck! |
Anonymous
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22.57 here again.
I would take working with a military family over a non-military family in most circumstances. The families I have known are very organized (no springing appointments on me at the last minute), appreciative and flexible when they can be. Yes, there are things that some would see as drawbacks, but I don't think they are insurmountable. A nanny either already knows what activities are available in the area for children, or she can find out easily. As long as you're clear about the schedule, your employer is unlikely to have an issue (they are extremely likely to line up several back ups in case the schedule changes). They are more likely to be open-minded about suggestions or advice, and they are very unlikely to micromanage as long as the end result fits the household. Most military families also value getting the kids out and moving, so they understand the balance of managed risk to personal independence. |
Anonymous
Actually, since my husband is active duty military, I've met a lot of people from different armed forces. They are ALL THE SAME. You really have no clue what you're talking about. None. Perhaps you should ignore Hollywood's version of the military and actually talk to some actual servicemembers. Oh, but you're too good for that. |
Anonymous
Okay, so I bit. I spent about 3 hours today researching draft laws, even though PP said she wouldn't be back. PP is talking about how her country is so much better than we are, because the men who are required to serve for 2 years do it as peacekeepers, but I'll leave everyone to make up their own minds. I listed every country with conscription; many term lengths vary, are suspended or the person may be exempted based on final education degree, current education progress, marital status, number of children, existence of male siblings, parents' health and income, current job, home location, branch of military, etc. Algeria, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, Cambodia (unenforced?), Columbia (selective?), Cyprus, Denmark, El Salvador (unenforced?), Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Greece, Guinea-Bissau (selective), Kuwait (suspended?), Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Norway, Paraguay, Qatar, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey conscription lengths are under 2 years. Armenia, Angola, Cuba (men and women), Kazakhstan, Niger, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan have 2 years for compulsory service. Benin, Central African Republic, China, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal have 2 year terms, but selective conscription. Israel has 3 years for men, 2 years for women. Officers commit to 4 years, pilots commit to 9 years. Bermuda (selective) has 38 months. Bhutan has 3 years of spaced out training. Cabo Verde has conflicting sources listing 14 and 24 months. Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cote d'Ivore, Indonesia, Jordan (officially suspended as of 1999), have unenforced conscription of undetermined length. Egypt has 18-36 months, depending on education level. Eritrea has selective conscription, but it's open-ended and more akin to slavery than military service. Draft dodging, reasonably in my estimation, is quite high. Guatemala has selective conscription, 1-2 years. Iran is 20-24, based on where the man lives. North Korea is believed to be 2 years, but sources state ambiguity. South Korea is 21-24 months minimum, based on branch of service. Huge controversies over celebrities being given exemptions as disabled. Libyan law requires military training to all children as part of education, men and women are both liable for service, and the law stipulates 3 or 4 years service for men, based on branch of service. Burma/Myanmar has a conscription law, but it wasn't in effect as of last year. 2-3 years, depending on occupation. Russia is 1 or 2 years, depending on rank. Sao Tome and Principe has conscription, but I can't find any information on length or even whether it's enforced. Singapore has conscription, conflicting sources list 20 and 24 months. Slovakia had conscription; conflicting sources state that it was either it was abolished or peacetime suspension as of 2006. Somalia has conscription, but I can't figure out whether it's selective or all men, or how long term length is. Current conscription for Sudan and South Sudan is unclear. Taiwan is now a volunteer force, but if a man doesn't volunteer, he is conscripted for 3-4 months of training... That sounds like mandatory training to me, service is volunteer. One source says Togo has conscription, another says not, both say length of service is 2 years. Ukraine, Vietnam have conscription for 18-24 months, depending on branch of service. United Arab Emirates announced conscription in 2014, 9-24 months depending on education, but I can't find any sources on current conscription. Uzbekistan technically has conscription, 1 year; in practice, they have too many volunteers to accommodate them all, so competition for enlisting is similar to competition among high students who are all applying to the same colleges. Conflicting sources list Venezuelan length as 12 and 30 months. I'm having trouble pinpointing which country has mandatory service for men, two years in length, serving only as peacekeepers... Anyone see anything I missed? |
Anonymous
[b]
I see something you missed: A life. Go get one. |
Anonymous
| I guess you've never heard of Switzerland or Norway? Seriously military lady, you need therapy. |