Child and Youth Programs is Hiring
By: Rachel Autenreith
MWR Marketing
Published in The Bahrain Desert Times on 28 September, 2016
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, Bahrain -- Being a Military dependent is hard work. A big sacrifice most spouses have to make is leaving their job every time Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders pop. Many Military and Department of Defense (DoD) spouses arrive in Bahrain completely jobless and for some it can be financially devastating. Aside from a loss in secondary income, it can also lower a spouse’s quality of life. Living in Bahrain is challenging and being able to focus on your career keeps your mind off the summer heat, the frustrating traffic and uncomfortably high produce costs.
Morale, Welfare and Recreation has a wide variety of jobs that are currently filled by Military or DoD spouses including Warehouse Manager, Marketing Assistant and Special Events Coordinator. This is a rather transient base and families are constantly cycling in and out. This causes vacancies that need to be filled by incoming spouses or family members. A majority of the vacant positions are with Child and Youth Programs (CYP.)
CYP operates three facilities for the NSA Bahrain community: the Child Development Center (CDC,) School Age Care (SAC,) and the Teen Center. Children 6 weeks old to 12th Grade can attend the CYP facilities. No matter which facility a person works at, they will interact with the children on a daily basis. Those who are enamored by darling infants or even want to mentor some preteens and teens would be perfect for the job.
Ops Clerk Siobhan Medina has worked for CYP for an entire year. Before moving to Bahrain, she was a Department Manager for a major corporation.
“My favorite part about working here is parent relations and interactions with children,” Medina said. “ People are continually joining us and others are leaving, it is rewarding to be a part of so many peoples lives.”
Medina is a great example of a Military Spouse with a diverse work history. There are times when Bahrain does not offer opportunities in the same career fields available in the United States. Because of this, there are many spouses who branch out of their comfort zone and apply to positions they may not have considered previously. It is surprising how employees can utilize skills from past experience in seemingly unrelated fields.
For those spouses that have children eligible to attend CYP programs, working at one of the facilities can be very beneficial. Any CYP employees who are married to Active Duty Service Members are in the top priority category for childcare. Essentially, working for CYP moves your child to the top of the list, which is a big deal when there is a waiting list.
Most CYP jobs are open continuously throughout the year and applications are accepted at any time. There are Full Time, Part Time and Flex positions available. To see all Job Announcements, visit https://www.navymwrbahrain.com/more/job-opportunities or visit the MWR Administration Office on the 2nd Floor of the Freedom Souq.
