WANTED: military wives and husbands. Good rates of pay
Heledd Kendrick remembers the exact moment she first saw her future husband. ‘We met through family friends in Wales,’ she explains. ‘He was on leave from Iraq and was wearing his desert kit, and I just thought to myself, “Oh no, no way.”’
Fortunately, Captain Neil Kendrick had other ideas and pursued her, keeping in touch with Heledd throughout his subsequent long months on tour. ‘He came back, we went out on a few dates and he said, “I want to marry you.”’
Heledd soon found herself living in Deepcut, Surrey, happy but with a husband who was often away. ‘You have absolutely no idea what you’re getting yourself into when you marry into the military,’ she explains. ‘You have to get used to it. Your husband isn’t around to introduce you to people, so you can either stay in your house and watch TV all day, or you can go out and make friends and make the most of it.’
One advantage was the instant network of new friends. ‘It’s amazing, the support network you get from other military wives. You have total strangers o ering to help you and do all sorts of things.’
But the itinerant demands of the army way of life meant that Heledd – previously an editor, and a PA to a racehorse trainer – found her career floundering. And she wasn’t alone.
‘I was meeting all these women and I thought, goodness me, they’re all so skilled. Doctors, surgeons, all sorts. But all of them had taken a back seat. A lot of the women used to have a career, but all of a sudden they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, usually with a young child, and finding it di cult to really use their brains.’
Many of the wives were being failed by the usual recruitment channels. ‘There is a real prejudice against military spouses,’ she states. ‘Businesses and agencies look upon us as being too transient. And they think that if our husband is away we could become unreliable, or upset.’
Frustrated by the situation, Heledd decided to set up her own employment agency specifically for the 100,000 military spouses in the UK – and so Recruit For Spouses was born.
The agency is spearheaded by Heledd and run by a band of volunteers, but she is keen to impress that it is not a charity. ‘There are already a lot of military charities out there. We are not a charity case – we want to be appreciated as professionals – which is why we came up with the idea of being a social enterprise.’
Heledd and her team have already placed thousands of wives, husbands and partners into rewarding employment, and are also working to educate businesses into altering their attitude. ‘We’re really getting in front of them and endeavouring to explain what we can offer and what we can do.’
Heledd does not shy away from admitting that life as a military wife can be testing (she recalls a time when a phone call from her husband in Iraq was suddenly cut off, and she didn’t hear anything more for a further three days) but points out that work is not a hindrance during these times – it’s a welcome distraction.
‘The overwhelming feeling that we’re getting from wives, husbands and partners when they do get work is just general relief,’ she reveals. ‘We explain to employers that they can help these people when their husbands are away on tour, really support them. We find that when they give to the spouses, the spouses give so much back because they are just so glad to be working.’
What’s more, the spouses can o ffer very strong skills gleaned from their way of life. ‘We’re used to being shoved into a room where we know absolutely nobody, and used to having to move at the drop of a hat. Basically, we’re used to sorting things out. These skills – adaptability and resourcefulness – are invaluable to any employer.’
The agency has the full support of the military, as well as personal appraisals from men and women who are serving. ‘We’ve had a lot of emails from soldiers in Afghanistan saying: “You’ve changed our lives. Now my wife is working she’s so much happier.”’ They also received a letter from the prime minister, expressing his admiration and pride.
‘Such positive feedback gives us a massive boost as we’re all volunteers,’ says Heledd. Recruit For Spouses often keeps Heledd working late, but she doesn’t begrudge the time or effort. She has found her vocation in helping others to find theirs. ‘What keeps me going is that it’s helping so many other people. Without wanting to sound sanctimonious, I know we’re making a difference.’
Her ultimate goal is to improve the attitudes not only of businesses, but of society as a whole. ‘I want people to change their perceptions of wives and partners and understand that we give up so much for our husbands to fight for this country. A lot of military wives despaired of looking for jobs because they felt so demoralised. We’re not asking for special treatment, just a level playing eld.
‘We support our military husbands, but effectively we are civilians. We want to be part of society. That’s a big thing for us.’
Recruit For Spouses: 020-3642 5659, www.recruitforspouses.co.uk
Fortunately, Captain Neil Kendrick had other ideas and pursued her, keeping in touch with Heledd throughout his subsequent long months on tour. ‘He came back, we went out on a few dates and he said, “I want to marry you.”’
Heledd soon found herself living in Deepcut, Surrey, happy but with a husband who was often away. ‘You have absolutely no idea what you’re getting yourself into when you marry into the military,’ she explains. ‘You have to get used to it. Your husband isn’t around to introduce you to people, so you can either stay in your house and watch TV all day, or you can go out and make friends and make the most of it.’
One advantage was the instant network of new friends. ‘It’s amazing, the support network you get from other military wives. You have total strangers o ering to help you and do all sorts of things.’
But the itinerant demands of the army way of life meant that Heledd – previously an editor, and a PA to a racehorse trainer – found her career floundering. And she wasn’t alone.
‘I was meeting all these women and I thought, goodness me, they’re all so skilled. Doctors, surgeons, all sorts. But all of them had taken a back seat. A lot of the women used to have a career, but all of a sudden they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, usually with a young child, and finding it di cult to really use their brains.’
Many of the wives were being failed by the usual recruitment channels. ‘There is a real prejudice against military spouses,’ she states. ‘Businesses and agencies look upon us as being too transient. And they think that if our husband is away we could become unreliable, or upset.’
Frustrated by the situation, Heledd decided to set up her own employment agency specifically for the 100,000 military spouses in the UK – and so Recruit For Spouses was born.
The agency is spearheaded by Heledd and run by a band of volunteers, but she is keen to impress that it is not a charity. ‘There are already a lot of military charities out there. We are not a charity case – we want to be appreciated as professionals – which is why we came up with the idea of being a social enterprise.’
Heledd and her team have already placed thousands of wives, husbands and partners into rewarding employment, and are also working to educate businesses into altering their attitude. ‘We’re really getting in front of them and endeavouring to explain what we can offer and what we can do.’
Heledd does not shy away from admitting that life as a military wife can be testing (she recalls a time when a phone call from her husband in Iraq was suddenly cut off, and she didn’t hear anything more for a further three days) but points out that work is not a hindrance during these times – it’s a welcome distraction.
‘The overwhelming feeling that we’re getting from wives, husbands and partners when they do get work is just general relief,’ she reveals. ‘We explain to employers that they can help these people when their husbands are away on tour, really support them. We find that when they give to the spouses, the spouses give so much back because they are just so glad to be working.’
What’s more, the spouses can o ffer very strong skills gleaned from their way of life. ‘We’re used to being shoved into a room where we know absolutely nobody, and used to having to move at the drop of a hat. Basically, we’re used to sorting things out. These skills – adaptability and resourcefulness – are invaluable to any employer.’
The agency has the full support of the military, as well as personal appraisals from men and women who are serving. ‘We’ve had a lot of emails from soldiers in Afghanistan saying: “You’ve changed our lives. Now my wife is working she’s so much happier.”’ They also received a letter from the prime minister, expressing his admiration and pride.
‘Such positive feedback gives us a massive boost as we’re all volunteers,’ says Heledd. Recruit For Spouses often keeps Heledd working late, but she doesn’t begrudge the time or effort. She has found her vocation in helping others to find theirs. ‘What keeps me going is that it’s helping so many other people. Without wanting to sound sanctimonious, I know we’re making a difference.’
Her ultimate goal is to improve the attitudes not only of businesses, but of society as a whole. ‘I want people to change their perceptions of wives and partners and understand that we give up so much for our husbands to fight for this country. A lot of military wives despaired of looking for jobs because they felt so demoralised. We’re not asking for special treatment, just a level playing eld.
‘We support our military husbands, but effectively we are civilians. We want to be part of society. That’s a big thing for us.’
Recruit For Spouses: 020-3642 5659, www.recruitforspouses.co.uk