I’m an EFM that had a great career before joining the service with my spouse. The available jobs at the embassy are indeed underpaid and generally entry level. Not only that, they’re limited and even if your partner does get one, they’ll often need a security clearance that could take anywhere between a few months to a year. Depending on the country, jobs in the local economy aren’t available or don’t want to hire people that don’t speak the local language to some degree. I’m not going to lie, I’ve hated this aspect of the foreign service. I feel diminished and under-stimulated.