U.S. Department of State

In addition to the above benefits, Foreign Service Officers also enjoy additional benefits including:

• Allowances and Incentives
• IQ: Information and Referral Services
• Salary Determination
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Visit the Foreign Service Officer Benefits page for further information.

Foreign Service Specialists also have access to the following benefits in addition to those listed above. These benefits include:

• Allowances and Incentives
• Child Care Center
• Child Care Subsidy
• IQ: Information and Referral Services
• Salary Determination
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

Visit the Foreign Service Specialist Benefits page for further information.

Civil Service employees also have access to the following benefits:

• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Retirement Benefits
• Social Security
• Transit Benefits
• Inauguration Day
• 10 Paid Holidays

Visit the Civil Service Benefits page for further information.

The following benefits are specifically for Department of State employees working in Iraq.

• Annual Leave
• Family Medical Leave
• Family Employment Health Benefits Plans
• Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA)
• Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI)
• Life Insurance
• Sick Leave
• Consultation Trips
• Thrift Savings Plan
• Training
• Unaccompanied Air Baggage
• Other Benefits

Visit the Iraq Jobs Benefits page for further information.

The following benefits are specifically for Department of State employees working in Afghanistan.

• Training
• Annual Leave
• Family Medical Leave
• Family Employment Health Benefits Plans
• Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA)
• Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLI)
• Sick Leave
• Thrift Savings Plan
• Training
• Travel Benefits
• Other Benefits

Visit the Afghanistan Jobs Benefits page for more information.

U.S. missions compensate Locally Employed Staff based upon prevailing practice in that country. This means that the total compensation, which includes salary and benefits such as health insurance, life insurance, and allowances, is based upon comparable rates that local employers are paying their employees in jobs of similar scope and complexity.

As a result, Locally Employed Staff should receive pay packages and benefits that are competitive with local compensation scales. In addition, locally Employed Staff are traditionally paid in host country currency, unless the prevailing local practice is to compensate all Locally Employed Staff in U.S. dollars.

Our workforce must stay on the cutting edge through professional development and distance learning that fosters the diplomatic, technical, managerial, and leadership skills needed to meet the challenges of the future. The Foreign Service Institute (FSI) offers a wide variety of professional training classes for foreign language, leadership and management; as well as assistance for personnel (and their eligible family members) transiting between domestic and overseas assignments or into retirement.

Training helps to develop the competencies needed at each level of a career with the U.S. Department of State. Supervisors and employees work together to choose courses based on the skill set required to perform at the highest level in one's current position, as well as for advancement to the next stage. The Department has developed the following training continua available to employees:

Training Continuum is a roadmap to professional training and personal development

Training Continuum is a one-stop shop for employees seeking to develop their leadership and management skills.

The center provides career development assistance and counseling to the Department's Civil Service employees and Foreign Service family members. Professional counselors are available to provide individual and confidential counseling by appointment.

Civil Service employees are eligible to apply as protégés or mentors, with Foreign Service employees also eligible to apply as mentors. Ultimately, this program gives employees a chance to work one-on-one with senior employees to learn more about the Department and its career opportunities. Participants commit to meet with each other for two-four hours a month for one year.

These classes provide training for U.S. Department of State employees and their family members. The courses integrate information and theories from various disciplines, including accounting, economics, finance, marketing, production operations, and strategic management.

The Joint Military Intelligence College (JMIC) offers Department employees a free after-hours postgraduate intelligence program, which includes courses in Information Operations; Strategic Warning and Analysis; Graduate Research and Writing; Intelligence Collection: Evidence for Analysis; National Security Structure; and Policy and International Security Environment. Upon completion, students earn a Master of Science of Strategic Intelligence Degree, the only one of its kind in the United States.

This program is for talented Civil Service and Foreign Service Specialists vying for appointments as Entry-Level Foreign Service Generalists in any one of the five tracks: Consular, Economic, Management, Political or Public Diplomacy. The program also provides expedited entry for those who pass the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (FSOA) and who successfully update or obtain their security and medical clearances.

This annual exercise provides opportunities for Civil Service employees to work overseas in hard-to-fill positions at various embassies or consulates. The (CS) to (FS) (H-T-F) Program is designed to help meet critical overseas staffing needs, while providing a unique career opportunity for Civil Service personnel. Some program participants have even used it as a first step towards a career in the Foreign Service.

The Department provides one free copy of FIVE WISHES, an advance health care directive/living will document that is legally valid in 35 states, including DC, MD, and VA. This document is automatically provided to all newly hired employees, and to other employees who did not receive a copy upon hire.

The Department sponsors two child care centers, Diplotots at Columbia Plaza (SA-1) across from Main State, and another at the Foreign Service Institute's (FSI) George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia.

A separate childcare subsidy is available to Department employees meeting certain criteria. This program provides child care assistance for employees whose total family income does not exceed a specified amount, and care is provided in a licensed facility. Families who meet this and other eligibility requirements may receive subsidies of up to 50% of their total childcare expenses.

The Department offers monthly seminars on a wide variety of dependent care and personal health and well-being topics, such as Long-Distance Care Giving, Talking with Children,
Violence, and Medicare / Medicaid.

Information Quest (IQ) is a counseling, education and referral service that helps employees find the providers, information and resources needed to manage their personal and professional responsibilities. Although IQ services are free of charge to all Department of State employees, you are responsible for any fees or costs associated with the services you select.

The Foggy Bottom is located in the basement below the dining facility in Main State. It offers such services as a post office, a café, candy shop, barbershop, hair salon, and gift shops.

The State Department Federal Credit Union is located in Foggy Bottom. Department employees are eligible to join and members are offered a complete choice of low-cost financial services. There is also a Bank of America and ATM machine located in Foggy Bottom. The bank offers a full range of services to employees. ATM machines are also located in the Columbia Plaza (SA-1 Annex) on the first floor.

Transportation is available between Main State and State annexes. Anyone working for the Department is eligible to ride as long as he/she has a valid Department building pass.

Employees have several dining options available to them within the Department. Within the Harry S. Truman Building (Main State) there is a cafeteria located on the first floor, a café in
Foggy Bottom, and several dining rooms on the eighth floor. Columbia Plaza  (State
Annex 1) also has a small café.

FARA, which is also located in Foggy Bottom, is a private, nonprofit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Member agencies include the Department of State and agencies such as the Agency for International Development (AID), Peace Corps, and ACTION. Employees of these agencies may become active members for a nominal annual fee. Membership cards are issued and must be presented any time you use FARA services. While non-members can shop in the FARA gift shop, they will not receive the FARA discount.

FARA's monthly newsletter, the Spectrum, contains information on its recreational activities, store specials, and discounted services. Copies are available in all FARA service areas and at numerous locations in the Harry S Truman (Main State) building and State's annexes.

The FARA Fitness Center is located in "The Foggy Bottom" at Main State and is open 24/7. Contact FARA for more information at: www.recgov.org/state/webstate.html

The Ralph J. Bunche Library of the U.S. Department of State is the oldest Federal government library. Founded by the first Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, in 1789 it was dedicated to,
and renamed, the Ralph J. Bunche Library on May 5, 1997. Employees may borrow books and conduct research using a wealth of resource material from the library designed as a global initiative to bring the 21st Century resources of the First Federal Library to the desktops of all Department of State employees worldwide.