Health Benefits Plans
Thrift Savings Plan
Life Insurance
Annual Leave
Sick Leave
Family Medical Leave
Student Loan Repayment Program
Ten paid holidays per year
Career Counseling and Development
Child Care Centers
Child Care Subsidy (based on income)
Credit Union, Fitness Facility and more
Employee Assistance Program
Employee Consultation Service
Employee Recognition through our Incentive Awards Program
Employee Recreation Association
Extensive Training Opportunities through our Foreign Service Institute (FSI)
Flexible Work Hours (alternative work schedules)
Global Career Mobility Opportunities (if desired)
IQ: INFORMATION QUEST
Managerial and Leadership Development
MetroChek Transit Subsidy
Periodic Performance-Based Pay Adjustments (within grade/step increases)
Shuttle Bus Service to State Annexes
Special Salary Rates (designated occupations)
Telework
Job Sharing and Part-Time Work
Voluntary Leave Transfer Program
Workers' Compensation Coverage for Work-Related Injuries/Conditions
Salary Determination
Health Benefits Plans
Choice of extensive array of Federal Employment Health Benefits Plans, with costs shared by the Government. Employees are eligible to enroll in a wide variety of health insurance plans, including fee-for-service plans and health maintenance organizations. The employee's portion is paid through payroll deductions.
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Thrift Savings Plan (equivalents to 401(K) with Government matching)
Foreign Service Specialists may participate in the Thrift Savings Plan; a long-term savings and investment program for federal employees designed to provide retirement income.
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Life Insurance
Foreign Service Specialists are eligible to participate in the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance plan (FEGLI). The FEGLI plan offers low rates that are paid through payroll deductions. The U.S. Government pays one-third of the cost of this insurance.
Participation in the FEGLI plan is voluntary. The plan is intended as a form of immediate protection against financial hardship or loss in the event of death. It is not offered as a form of term life insurance with a cash value, such as might be purchased through private insurance agents.
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Annual Leave
Vacation/Personal Leave; maximum ceiling or limitation of accrual is 30 days per leave year for employees assigned to the US; maximum ceiling or limitation of accrual is 45 days per leave year for employees assigned overseas.
- 4 hours per pay period or 13 days per leave year for less than 3 years of federal service
- 6 hours per pay period or 20 days per leave year after 3 years of federal service but less than 15 years
- 8 hours per pay period or 26 days per leave year after 15 years of federal service
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Sick Leave
Accrued at a rate of 4 hours per pay period, 13 days per leave year
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Family Medical Leave
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 provides Federal employees with an entitlement of up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for the following purposes:
- The birth of a son or daughter of the employee and the care of the newborn;
- The placement of a child with an employee for adoption or foster care;
- The care of a child, spouse or parent of the employee with a serious health condition; or
- A serious health condition of the employee that makes an employee unable to perform the major functions of the job.
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Student Loan Repayment Program
The State Department tops the list of federal agencies offering the Student Loan Repayment Program. Since the program's implementation in 2002, this recruitment and retention incentive has assisted more than a thousand Civil Service and Foreign Service employees pay down considerable student loan debt. The amount of this annual lump sum incentive is determined annually and is dependent on the level of agency funding and the potential number of qualifying employees. By law the maximum any federal agency can award is $10,000 a year, or $60,000 over a lifetime. In each of the first three years of our program the Department approved payments of $4,700. Foreign Service Specialists are eligible to apply when assigned to and encumbering positions at designated criteria hardship and/or danger pay posts around the world. For Foreign Service employees the purpose of the program is to encourage assignments to the more challenging U.S. Embassies and Consulates.
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Ten paid holidays per year
- New Year's Day
- Martin Luther King's Birthday
- President's Day
- Memorial Day
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Columbus Day
- Veteran's Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Christmas Day
(In addition to the above holidays, the U.S. Government also observes some local holidays celebrated at overseas posts of assignment.)
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Credit Union and Fitness Facility and a host of other on-site services such as a U.S. Post Office barber/beauty shops, dry cleaner and gift/card shops.
Employee Consultation Service - Staffed by licensed, clinical social workers to provide counseling and referrals for personal and family concerns.
Employee Recreation Association - Discount tickets to movies and sporting events.
IQ: INFORMATION QUEST - A counseling, education and referral service to help employees manage personal and professional responsibilities (e.g., adoption, adult care).
Voluntary Leave Transfer Program - A federal program that enables one federal civilian employee to transfer annual leave to another federal employee who faces a personal medical emergency or a medical emergency of a family member.
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Salary Determination for Foreign Service Specialists (v.2)
At current pay rates, new Foreign Service Specialists earn a basic annual salary depending upon the grade they enter. Normally, the entry salary is set at step one of the appropriate grade. Additional salary steps at entry may be awarded based on experience and market conditions. The Department matches the salary of specialists transferring from federal civilian agencies up to the top step of the appropriate grade.
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Equal Opportunity Employer.
