Amazon announced plans to create more than 5,000 new part-time roles over the next year in Virtual Customer Service, a program in the company’s award-winning customer service organization that offers employees the flexibility to work from home as a customer service agent. In addition to competitive wages, virtually-located employees who work 20 hours per week or more receive benefits, including the company’s innovative Career Choice program that pre-pays 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether those skills are relevant to jobs at Amazon. These new Virtual Customer Service jobs are part of Amazon’s plans to hire more than 30,000 part-time roles over the next year, on top of more than 100,000 full-time, full-benefit jobs the company is creating in the U.S. over the next 18 months. See the experience of a military spouse and Amazonian working in Virtual Customer Service here.

“There are lots of people who want or need a flexible job—whether they’re a military spouse, a college student, or a parent—and we’re happy to empower these talented people no matter where they happen to live,” said Tom Weiland, Amazon Vice President for Worldwide Customer Service. “We’re finding that roles with Virtual Customer Service are particularly attractive to military spouses who want to continue working and parenting, even if their spouse is deployed or the family is relocated, as often happens with military families. Wounded, injured or ill military veterans and others with mobility challenges are also enjoying these opportunities to work from home with Amazon. Both active duty and retired service men and women support our country and we are happy to support them.”

Amazon Virtual Customer Service employee Sabrina Tierce relocated six years ago from central California to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State where her husband is stationed as an Army medic. “It’s amazing to have a job that offers me the flexibility to care for my child when needed and even to move around the country if we are relocated,” said Tierce. “My commute is about 15 paces. The worst part of my day is if there’s a Lego on the stairway, because that’s a rough commute to work.”

Amazon currently employs more than 10,000 military veterans, and last year pledged to hire an additional 25,000 veterans and military spouses during the next five years.

“Amazon’s commitment and taking an intentional step around military spouse employment truly shows that they do understand the challenges that the community faces and that they can be a part of the solution,” said Kylee Durant, USO Vice President for Transition Technology and Innovation Programs as well as a military spouse. “To have an innovator like Amazon recognize the need – the deep need – that military spouses have for employment says to me they are a catalyst for greater societal change in this country.”

Part-Time Opportunities in Amazon Customer Fulfillment

In addition to Virtual Customer Service roles, Amazon will create more than 25,000 part-time roles over the next year across its network of sortation and fulfillment centers where employees sort and consolidate customer packages. Amazon has nearly 40,000 part-time employees across the U.S. and has found the roles are especially appealing to students and stay-at-home parents looking to earn money during windows of availability in their schedules.

Part-Time Employment with Benefits

Over 70 percent of part-time employees in Amazon’s Virtual Customer Service and Customer Fulfillment work more than 20 hours per week, which means they receive benefits, including life and disability insurance, dental and vision insurance with premiums paid in full by Amazon, and funding towards medical insurance. These part-time employees can also take advantage of the company’s Career Choice program, an innovative benefit that helps train employees for in-demand jobs at Amazon or elsewhere so that they can take full advantage of the nation’s innovation economy. The program pre-pays 95 percent of tuition for courses related to in-demand fields, regardless of whether the skills are relevant to a future career at Amazon. More than 9,000 employees have participated in Career Choice and more are signing up every day. Amazon has open-sourced the program and is reaching out to companies to help them copy and adopt their own Career Choice programs.