Aimed at military spouses who have difficulty finding a sustainable job as a result of frequent Permanent Change of Station (PCS) moves, CruiseOne and Dream Vacations have launched a contest in partnership with Military Spouse magazine where military spouses can launch a new career in the travel industry. The contest ends Tuesday, February 28.
"Military spouses are the perfect candidates to become travel franchise owners," said Tim Courtney, vice president of franchise development and ambassador of veteran affairs. "Owning a travel franchise such as CruiseOne/Dream Vacations affords military spouses the flexibility to start and keep a new career as they move around the world while using their personal travel experiences and connections as a foundation in growing their business."
According to the 2016 Military Lifestyle Survey conducted by the non-profit Blue Star Families, a military family engagement organization and support network, found that less than half of military families with a civilian spouse earned two incomes and that employment is one of the top issues of concern among active duty spouses.
"Active duty military spouses and veterans make up nearly 35 percent of our franchise system and we are honored to have the opportunity make a difference in their lives and contribute an employment solution for spouses,” said Courtney.
The CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchise contest is open to active-duty and former military spouses. Candidates will participate in two rounds of judging. First, they will participate in a phone interview with a CruiseOne/Dream Vacations franchise development specialist. Semi-finalists will be required to submit a 300-500 word essay describing why a owning a home-based travel franchise would be a valuable opportunity for their family. Twenty finalists will then be identified and one grand prize winner will be selected. To participate, candidates must complete an online entry form by Tuesday, February 28, 2017.
The form and all contest details can be found at www.CruiseOneFranchise.com/military-spouse.
The grand prize winner will be announced in May in celebration of Military Spouse Appreciation Day. The grand prize is valued at $12,700 and includes a complimentary CruiseOne / Dream Vacations franchise and weeklong franchise training at the CruiseOne/Dream Vacations' state-of-the-art world headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, FL. In addition to the waived $9,800 initial start-up fee and monthly service fees, the winner will be reimbursed up to $500 for travel and receive complimentary accommodations during the weeklong training. Following training, the winner will be able to take the business on the road if the spouse is relocated.
A member of the International Franchise Association's (IFA) VetFran initiative, CruiseOne/Dream Vacations said it is committed to giving back to the military community and offers many incentive programs including a 20 percent discount off the franchise fee and additional discounts for hiring former members of the U.S. military or active-duty military spouses as associates.