The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

arrivals be accepted or looked upon as negative when the OMS wants the language?” Nor is access to language instruction the only issue in this regard. One Information Management Officer who spoke on background says, “My concern with the criteria for promotion to the Senior Foreign Service concerns the mandatory senior training requirement. The only one that appears that you don’t have to be nominated and approved by Washington [to take] is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional certification. All the rest of the War College–type training and other college courses are long-term training, to be approved by the Bureau of Information Resource Management back in D.C. This has a hint of the old-boy network in it. We should have local access to mandatory training that does not have to be approved by the bureau.” Another IRM specialist who asked not to be identi- fied points out that while the career track “increases the requirements for promotion to the Senior Foreign Service, there is a reduction of incentives to achieve this. Now that SFS personnel lose their Skills Incentive Pay, this equates to a loss of about 9 percent in salary if you receive the 15-percent SIP and are then promoted to the Senior Foreign Service. It is hard to understand why someone who maintains certificates in specialized areas of knowledge should be disadvantaged by getting pro- moted and accepting greater responsibilities.” Office Management Specialists The chief bone of contention for OMSs is the fact that their Career Development Program forces even top performers to end their careers at the FS-3 level, while many highly successful specialists will end their careers as FS-4s. One OMS who asked not to be identified says, “Although I agree with the idea behind the new rules, I fear that the promotion rates for us will slow even more and cause many of us to leave the Foreign Service. Why should we serve 20 years and only reach the FS-5 or FS- 4 level? … I came into the Foreign Service four years F O C U S M A Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 25 Interim Accommodations for Corporate and Government Markets Apartments, Townhouses & Single Family Homes “FOR THE EXECUTIVE ON THE MOVE” h finder5@IX.netcom.com Locations throughout Northern Virginia and D.C. Units fully furnished, equipped and accessorized Many “Walk to Metro” locations Pet Friendly 5105-L Backlick Road, Annandale, Virginia Tel: (703) 354-4070 Fax: (703) 642-3619 Executive Lodging Alternatives