through this website, AAFSW receives a small percentage to help fund out activities and services. AAFSW is also affiliated with 
Researching Spouse Employment Opportunities Overseas
Livelines members can access or add even more links at the Livelines Yahoo Groups page.
February 2008 Update: The Spousal Fellowships Program
Spousal employment is one of the thorniest issues for the Foreign Service. Over the years, FLO has designed a number of programs to assist spouses with employment and career development. The bad news is that one of the recent successful programs, the Spousal Fellowships Program, is in danger of losing all funding. The Cox Foundation has funded this successful and morale-enhancing program for three years, but despite a proven track record, with the budget shortfall, the Department is not able to fund it. The program is geared to posts where there are virtually no employment options for spouses, and was recently featured in the November issue of State Magazine. Grants of up to $2,000.00 were given to spouses for career development activities or starting up small businesses.
AAFSW, as a 501 (c) (3), will attempt to rescue this program by raising funds through donations from members of the Foreign Service community.
October 2007 Update: Tax Consequences for Employment Abroad
In 2007 the IRS initiated a new rule for Federal Income taxes which has adversely affected Foreign Service families who have a family member employed in the private sector overseas.
Formerly, the IRS excluded from Federal Income Tax that income earned abroad, up to a certain amount, of couples filing jointly (the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion). Under the new rule, all income is added together and the tax which would have been paid from the income earned abroad is deducted. This has resulted in a tax increase of several thousand dollars for some families.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) has established a core group of more than 50 Foreign Service families who have been affected by this new rule. It has guidelines of who to write, your Congressman, the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, and points to make in these letters. If you are affected by this rule, contact Ian Houston, AFSA Legislative Officer, at Houston@afsa.org.
State Department Resources
http://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/c6958.htm
The Career Transition Center (CTC) provides training, counseling, job leads, and other assistance to U.S. citizen employees of the Department of State and other federal foreign affairs agencies who are leaving USG service.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c1959.htm
Overseas employment resources from the Family Liaison Office at the Department of State.
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/63239.pdf
A 2006 survey resulted in these statistics regarding the number of State Department employees' family members working both in and out of the Embassy at posts overseas.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/7235.htm
Information regarding working in an Embassy as an EFM (Eligible Family Member.)
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/7236.htm
Information and regulations for family members who wish to work on the local economy while posted overseas.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/62696.htm
Information that family members should review before starting a home-based business at an overseas post.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/c21564.htm
GEI/SNAP: Global Employment Initiative/Strategic Networking Program is a Family Liaison Office program designed to help Foreign Service family members with career development and identification of employment opportunities overseas.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/7237.htm
Helpful information for spouses who have worked at Embassies overseas and wish to seek federal employment while posted to Washington, DC.
http://www.state.gov/m/dghr/flo/23064.htm
Retirement and the Foreign Service spouse: links and information regarding your rights and benefits as the spouse (or ex-spouse) of a retiring Foreign Service Officer.
Other Overseas Employment Resources
http://www.idealist.org
International clearing house for volunteer opportunities and jobs in the non-profit sector. Search by location, name, or mission in 153 countries.
http://www.career-in-your-suitcase.com
Author and career coach Jo Parfitt has an extensive website providing information about her book A Career in Your Suitcase, along with articles on on portable careers, self-assessment exercises, and hundreds of useful links for "trailing" spouses.
http://www.developmentex.com/
Clearing house for jobs in international development.
http://www.escapeartist.com/
Escape Artist is a quarterly publication on living and working abroad. The website contains information on overseas employment opportunities and a searchable database of U.S. and other embassies worldwide.
http://www.aportableidentity.com/
Authors of A Portable Identity: A Woman's Guide to Maintaining a Sense of Self While Moving Overseas have launched this website to bring together trailing spouses and expatriate women from around the world in a community of support.
U.S. Agencies with Overseas Personnel
http://www.fedbizopps.gov
To easily find potential government contract opportunities, visit this website. Click on "Find Business Opportunities" (top left). You can specify by agency, location, type of opportunity and so on.
http://www.state.gov
The U.S. State Department. Click here to go directly to employment information.
http://www.usajobs.opm.gov
USAJOBS is a clearinghouse for Federal government employment opportunities.
http://www.defenselink.mil
DefenseLink, a portal site for the Department of Defense. Click here to go directly to a page of information on civilian job opportunities.
http://www.army.mil/
The U.S. Army. They want YOU.
http://www.navy.mil/
The official U.S. Navy website.
http://www.cia.gov/
The Central Intelligence Agency.
http://www.dea.gov/
The Drug Enforcement Administration.
http://www.dss.mil/
The Defense Security Service.
http://www.dia.mil/
The Defense Intelligence Agency.
http://www.fbi.gov/
The Federal Bureau of Investigations.
http://www.mcc.gov/
Milennium Challenge Corporation is a U.S. Government corporation with employment opportunities in several developing countries.
http://www.rferl.org/
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S- funded broadcast service.
http://www.usaid.gov/
The U.S. Agency for International Development.
http://www.usda.gov/
The U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://www.peacecorps.gov/indexf.cfm
The Peace Corps. Not your average website!
http://www.voa.gov/
The Voice of America.