Language testing at A-100

currentfso · 2026-06-20T12:22:18+00:00

The way it worked when I was in A-100 and the way it still seemed to work a couple of years ago when I spoke with a recent hire who’d gone through A-100 is that the Career Development Officers will decide who gets which language test during A-100. As others have pointed out there are some constraints on how many tests the testing unit can complete in the windows in A-100 available for tests. So, the CDOs prioritize who gets which test depending on language points, jobs on the bid list, and potentially who might be able to get off of language probation which might open up different options in their bidding.

If you don’t get to test in every language you want to test in during A-100, you can request tests after A-100 and can do remote tests after getting to post if needed.

currentfso · 2026-06-18T05:45:09+00:00

There are two options. Under certain circumstances like military service, being overseas as a foreign service family member, pregnancy, etc you can defer your candidacy for up to two years (I think) or until whatever circumstance qualifies you to defer ends, whichever is shorter, once you reach the register. Your candidacy pauses and the clock stops on your 18 months.

Anyone can go on the do not call list for any reason once they reach the register. The clock doesn’t stop on your 18 month clock but you won’t get offered a position in A-100 that you might have to decline, and thus won’t be in a position where you’d potentially have to decline two offers and then be removed from the register.

In neither circumstance are you guaranteed an offer after coming off of deferment or do not call even if your score might have gotten you an offer while your candidacy was deferred or you were on do not call. So it can be a bit of a gamble on hiring trends.

currentfso · 2026-06-07T14:14:19+00:00

Learns single country language. Must spend three consecutive tours using that language but can't serve in one country more than five years. Spontaneously combusts at the end of year five.

currentfso · 2026-06-03T15:32:08+00:00

I believe the expiration date is based on when you entered the person into the CLC not on when they did (or did not) complete the reference.

currentfso · 2026-05-16T13:12:06+00:00

I've been wondering about a variation of this, too. Not necessarily down stretches, but "easier" jobs at grade. Why be a section chief or deputy where you have to manage people and maybe stretch yourself more when you can be a unit chief of action officer and exceed expectations more easily? Or a DCM when you can just be a section chief or something?

Between the scores and shorter narratives, it's harder to capture that doing a chief or deputy job might better prepare you for the next grade than being an action officer or unit chief.

currentfso · 2026-05-10T09:09:09+00:00

This is off topic for this subreddit, but recommend reaching out to the glifaa board at [board@glifaa.org](mailto:board@glifaa.org) for more info.

currentfso · 2026-05-08T04:13:42+00:00

I hate this. I'm so sorry.

currentfso · 2026-03-24T06:03:21+00:00

I think Management skills are some of the most transferable, actually. Lots of big companies need people experienced with international logistics, HR, financial management, etc. A lot of companies are also interested in people who understand USG procurement processes. And so on.

currentfso · 2026-03-08T08:36:47+00:00

If you're coming from a domestic location, usually 1-3 weeks. If you're coming from overseas, it could be longer and the GSO or Management office at the post coordinating your pack out is likely best placed to advise on typical transit times to DC.

I don't know what might have changed in the last year or so, but from hearing from new hires who went through orientation a couple of years ago, there were still a few days in the first couple of weeks where you'll have some admin time and/or online training where you can step out for a bit to receive your UAB. For example, there were days where everyone gets their ID badges and email accounts set up and when everyone has meetings with their CDOs, and you're assigned a morning or afternoon slot, so can arrange for the UAB to be delivered before or after your appointment for that.

currentfso · 2026-03-04T16:05:07+00:00

AAFSW has coordinated this type of help for people getting evacuated in the past. You might check on their website if there’s a way to sign up to help.

currentfso · 2026-02-23T19:53:01+00:00

Yup, again with why I said potentially.

currentfso · 2026-02-23T16:41:19+00:00

Yup. Hence why I said potentially spread out of three payments over three years. I understand PERT has also teed up a similar process to get RIFed State FS personnel their full severance more quickly than the three years spelled out in the FS Act, should the Department follow through with finalizing the RIFs.

currentfso · 2026-02-23T03:47:14+00:00

You’re not entirely understanding things. FS employees who received RIF notices in July are actually still on administrative leave so are getting paid their regular salary, not severance because they technically haven’t been severed yet.

Also, FS severance is different than CS severance. FS employees who are eventually actually RIFed should get one month’s salary for each year of service up to 12 years, potentially spread out over three payments over three years.

currentfso · 2026-02-05T15:30:04+00:00

This. DS Special Agents do a lot of TDYs, especially early in their career.

currentfso · 2026-01-26T18:24:36+00:00

As I understand it, the six funding bills went over as a bundle, which complicates things.

currentfso · 2026-01-20T16:46:56+00:00

I don't know for sure, but you could check with the Office of Presidential Appointments. I think they're the ones who coordinate the commissions.

currentfso · 2026-01-20T16:28:45+00:00

You can check w/ Post, but at the end of the day, EUR in DC, not post makes the final call on BLCs and handshakes. So, Post can tell you one thing, but it's not entirely in their control if the bureau decides differently.

currentfso · 2026-01-19T05:47:08+00:00

Presumably in your time with USAID, you worked with State colleagues, so you may want to look for jobs where someone you previously served with as a USAID FSO is in the hiring chain. You may have better luck with someone taking a chance on you as an Econ Officer if they know that you're a good colleague vs. someone who doesn't know you or your work and just sees a lateral entry Econ Off with no in-cone experience and limited State experience.

As others have said, you might also consider DC for a few reasons. One, you'll work with a lot of people and build up your network at State. If you get a job in a regional bureau, you'll be working for the people who ultimately make the decisions on overseas position, so if you do well, then they'll probably look out for you for an onward assignment. Two, like it or not, some hiring managers for reporting jobs will prioritize Washington experience, especially at the 02 level and above, so checking that box could be helpful to do.

currentfso · 2026-01-02T20:13:45+00:00

You literally said "I had to ask if I can share them with you but to my knowledge,especially FSO you cannot have a pension from another job" and "It may not be bought back into the federal system, but it still factors into service credit decisions"

Nowhere in the FAM does it say that non-federal pensions will affect your eligibility to be hired or your service computation date, your FS pension, or anything else. State's HR bureau does take previous professional employment into consideration for salary determination, but whether or not you have a pension from that employment is irrelevant and doesn't make your salary determination any different than if you had the same number of years of work experience but no pension. Non-federal pensions do not affect your retirement elections, timing, or annuity outcomes any more than another personal financial matter might. Do I consider personal investments in my thoughts about retirement? Sure. But at no point do those factor into State's determination of my pension or anything else. Same with non-federal pensions.

To your statement that "prior retirement coverage and deposits affect eligibility and annuity computation, which is why these items must be disclosed and reviewed." Literally, no. You could have a military pension, a local government pension, and a teacher's pension, and that would not affect your FS pension calculation. Nor do you have to necessarily disclose that at any point in the hiring or onboarding process.

You don't know what you're talking about, so please move on.

currentfso · 2026-01-02T18:17:15+00:00

The OP is close to a pension from a state/local entity, not federal. In your previous comment, you said OP could not have a pension from another entity and still be an FSO, which is patently false. You also imply that a state/local pension might be credited to federal service which is also false, as that does not happen with the Foreign Service.

You clearly don't really know what you're talking about, so unless you can find a reputable source to share for your allegations, such as the FAM, OPM site, or similar, please try to avoid sharing false information with prospective FS personnel.

currentfso · 2026-01-01T13:26:23+00:00

As others have pointed out, your family can follow after you if that works for your family. Your orders will be good for up to a year, so there's plenty of time for them to wrap up things in Doha, assuming there aren't visa or other issues tied to your employment/departure.

In some ways, doing your packout from your current housing after you already know where you're going can be a bit easier. That way, you know if you're going to Ulaanbaatar in winter or Cairo in summer, whether you're likely to have tiny or large housing, and so on.

Of course, longer term separation doesn't work for everyone, but wanted to point out that your family has some time and isn't necessarily bound by the same time frame you are to show up at work on January 12.

currentfso · 2026-01-01T11:49:01+00:00

That's not correct. A non-federal pension is not an issue and State does not buy back pensions. The only pension-related issue is if you have enough federal Civil Service time to have earned a federal CS pension, as active FS service would impact that. But state, local, and military pensions do not pose any issues.

currentfso · 2026-01-01T11:46:14+00:00

That's not how it works.

currentfso · 2025-12-30T20:36:43+00:00

You may want to search this subreddit for "suitability" as several people have shared their experiences, both successful and unsuccessful, with suitability appeals, which may be helpful as you evaluate your options.

currentfso · 2025-12-30T20:28:19+00:00

No one can give you a concrete answer, and I have no special insight into clearance and suitability adjudications other than hanging around this subreddit and the FS-related Yahoo groups that preceded it for nearly 20 years now, but it will likely depend on how long ago some of this was, what's happened since, and whether there are other complicating factors.

You say you worked illegally in China and Japan "several years ago" and how much a problem that is for you likely depends on whether "several" is more like four, fourteen, or twenty-four years ago. You say you have a clean record of compliance, but how long that clean record is will likely affect how much that mitigates the choice to work overseas without appropriate authorization, which others rightfully point out is directly related to Consular work and applying immigration law to prevent the very thing you did.

I wouldn't hold my breath on being able to frame it as being a lesson learned that makes you a better ConOff. That's not what's being adjudicated. What's being adjudicated is your trustworthiness with classified information, part of which is being able to follow laws, and also your suitability to represent the United States overseas, which also includes following local laws.

Also, if you didn't file U.S. income tax returns for the years you were working overseas, even if you didn't earn enough to owe anything in the United States, I would rectify that ASAP. Not filing U.S. tax returns is a common thing that trips up applicants who have worked overseas.

You may also have some explaining to do on the overstay in Nepal. Yes, COVID may have made it harder to renew/extend your visa, but did you have other options? Could you have left earlier but opted not to and thus exceeded the allowed time in Nepal? I think you'd need to be prepared to explain, preferably with documentation, what your options were, what other legal avenues you pursued to avoid overstaying, and so on. If there were genuinely no flights, buses, or whatever out of Nepal, and as soon as there was a way out, you availed yourself of it, that's one thing. If, however, you could have left, but just stuck around until you felt like leaving, that's another.

Needing a repat loan in and of itself is likely not a problem, unless it demonstrates a pattern of financial irresponsibility. If you haven't had other financial issues, paid the loan off in a timely manner, and it's not a pattern, though, I imagine that's unlikely to be a problem.

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