Being married to the military has a lot of advantages, but one big drawback is the potential unemployment a spouse can face. Regular duty station moves leave gaps on resumes, unfinished schooling and a lack of connections and references when starting a job search in a new area. In fact, a 2000 census showed that military spouses have a higher unemployment rate than civilians and in many cases even earn less for the same job.

Though it varies between sources, surveys show that 70 to 77 percent of military spouses either work or are currently looking for employment. Since approximately 250,000 of active duty service members are married, that number is hard to ignore. Luckily the government is taking steps to help.

In September, the Office of Personnel Management issued a hiring rule called the Noncompetitive Appointment of Certain Military Spouses that allows qualified military spouses to apply for federal jobs without going through the standard competitive process, which is often lengthy.

Another law is about to help military spouses develop careers that offer both a chance for advancement and hassle free relocation. Section 581 of the 2010 Defense Authorization Act, which was approved by Congress and is awaiting funding, will authorize the Department of Defense to establish an internship pilot program for military spouses to be hired by other federal agencies or departments.

Agencies such as the FBI and Homeland Security would be able to ask for a salary and expenses reimbursement from the Defense Department if a military spouse had been hired to work as a paid intern within the agency. Being a student is not a requirement. Spouses are eligible if they are not legally separated/divorced from a service member and if they are not actively serving in or retired from the military themselves.

One benefit to this type of program is the wide variety of career paths available, from accounting positions with the Environmental Protection Agency to communications jobs with the Public Health Service or legal internships with the Department of Commerce. Furthermore, these internships not only provide experience in the respective fields, but they can give military spouses a solid edge on landing a full-time job with the federal government when the internship ends.

The appropriation is expected to pass within the next few months, but as of now, the program has no start date. Once approved, the program will be active through Sept. 30, 2011.