Kampala - Post Report Question and Answers
What types of jobs do most expatriate spouses/partners have? Locally based or telecommuting? Full-time or part-time? Can you comment on local salary scales?
Lots of EFM positions that cannot be filled due to the commute and traffic. I work remote for my company back home, thankfully. - Jan 2024
The embassy has a wide variety of jobs available for EFMS. - Jun 2022
Teaching, Embassy jobs, NGO, some do their own business, full time and part-time. I do not know the local salary for expats. For diplomatic mission EFMs, employment in a local job market may not be allowed. - Dec 2021
Seem to be many EFM opportunites, though of what quality, I'm not sure. Local salary seems relatively low, but I'm not speaking from a position of experience. Some people do telework here and the process to do so is pretty easy. - Aug 2020
Many work in EFM jobs in the Embassy or at the two international schools. - Nov 2019
Telecommuting is possible, but have redundancies for internet. - Oct 2019
You can get a job at the embassy, or local economy. Volunteer opportunities are definitely available. Local salaries are not great, though, and if you work on the local economy, you'll likely have to pay taxes (~30%). - Mar 2019
Not able to answer, but anecdotal evidence suggest partner employment is a major issue and/or source of tension. Local salaries are very low. An extremely high-ranking government official with several advanced degrees might officially earn as little as 700 USD a month. - Feb 2019
Folks have a very hard time. There's some volunteer stuff around but not much. Local economy doesn't pay anything worthwhile. - Jan 2019
There were no jobs for EFMS at the embassy when we arrived due to the hiring freeze. Now that it is over, several people have been hired and are actively working. The jobs are mainly administrative in nature. I have only heard of a handful of people that were able to find jobs on the local market as the salary is very low. Unless you have experience with development or NGOS or something of this nature, I suppose you can try your luck. - Oct 2018
Most people work at the embassy now that the hiring freeze is over. Local salaries make it so it isn't really worth it to work, but we do have a bilateral work agreement. If a spouse has experience in development or NGO work they might be able to find a decent or interesting job. - Sep 2018
Many spouses either stay home or work at the embassy. I work on the local economy and make $10 an hour part time at a dental office. - Sep 2018
Most eligible family members (EFMs) work in the Embassy. - Aug 2018
Any jobs - from EFM positions at the mission to local hire NGO jobs, or international/expat jobs in International Development or Private Sector. Some also do virtual jobs. Salary scales and benefit packages vary depending on type of job, and full-time or part-time assignment. Many are also involved in consultancies (either in country or elsewhere with travel to and from post) - Jun 2018
Some work as teachers at the international schools, some have jobs at the embassy, some work or volunteer with local organizations. Local salary is low compared to the US. - Jun 2018
Yes. I have never met so many entrepreneurs in my life. - Aug 2015
For teachers and people with backgrounds in development, possibly. Otherwise no. - Jun 2014
No, local law apply so you might work for a lot less than you would want to work for. - Oct 2013
I don't have first hand experience with this, but there are LOTS of NGOs here of all kinds. There are also lots of volunteer opportunities. - Mar 2013
Not really. You can be taken on by an NGO, but this is still hard. Trailing spouses can't work on the local economy and would need to be brought on as an international hire. The embassy does a good job at trying to create jobs for spouses, but many choose not to work. - Sep 2009
