The challenges faced by Service personnel are amplified for dual serving families; the suitability and timing of postings, taking leave at the same time, dual deployments, navigating the housing when you aren’t co-located and sourcing appropriate childcare.
While it’s great having a partner that understands the nature of service life, when it comes to balancing career progression and family life it can be a struggle.
Career management tips for dual serving couples
- Engage with your Career Manager(s) early – this is key!
- Ensure your PStat Cat 1s or 5s (see below information form JSP 464) and employee preferences for assignments are appropriately recorded on JPA
- Where possible, identify a posting solution and bring it to your Career Manager(s)
- Keep your Career manager updated on your spouse/partner’s situation, when managed by a different desk
- Be prepared to compromise
- Understand how other employment policies can complement your assignments, e.g. Alternative Working Arrangements, Flexible Service, Shared Parental Leave, Enhanced Leave, Wraparound Childcare, Career Intermissions, Remote Working, etc.
- Understand that at times the couple will have to decide whose career will ‘lead’ to gain co-location as career opportunities arise
Dual serving and long term relationships
If you are a dual serving couple in a long term relationship it is important you formally establish your long term relationship (LTR). To do this you complete and submit a form to the Authorising Officer along with the required documentary evidence of your relationship.
For dual serving couples living in SLA it may be difficult to provide the requisite evidence. If you are unable to provide the specified evidence but you believe you can provide compelling alternative evidence to demonstrate your LTR, you need to submit casework providing alternative evidence and justification – via Unit HR to the Chain of Command (CoC).
We strongly advise individuals engage with their HR Centre at the earliest point in the process to clarify what evidence would be acceptable to support their casework.
The JSP 464 (publishing.service.gov.uk) states:
Paragraph 0313. Both spouse/civil partners are serving members of the Armed Forces. When both spouse/civil partners are serving members of the Armed Forces either at the same or different duty stations, one spouse/civil partner is designated as PStatCat 1s and the other spouse/civil partner is designated as PStatCat5s (as defined in JSP 752 Chapter 2 Section 2):
- The spouse/civil partner designated as PStatCat1s has the entitlement to SFA which they may exercise at their duty station. The spouse/civil partner designated as PStatCat 5s has no entitlement to SFA (but is entitled to SLA if they declare their intention to serve unaccompanied at a different duty station).
- Where a Service couple have duty stations within 100 miles (travelling distance) of each other, the Cat 1s may apply on an eligible basis for surplus SFA at the midway point between the duty station of the Cat 1s and the Cat 5s when both of the following criteria are met:
- Surplus SFA is available at a location midway between the two duty stations (there is no entitlement to SSFA); and
- Where the location of the SFA at the Cat 1s duty station precludes the Cat 5s from commuting to their place of duty.
