The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

ago with 11 OMS classmates. There are only four of us left.” Another widespread concern is the fact that for many specialties, language proficiency is an elective, not a mandatory requirement. The same OMS continues: “I agree that everyone should be able to learn a foreign lan- guage. Many OMSs today are the first line of communi- cation to the outside. In an emergency situation, how are we to communicate? … For my first tour, I was not allowed any language training, because everyone at FSI told me that ‘everyone [at post] speaks English.’ How untrue this statement was! I am now heading to yet another post where no one speaks English, and has a completely different alphabet, yet again I have been denied any form of language training. “The fact that we are only allowed training opportu- nities during post-to-post transfers and R&R means that training is heavily restricted. … Here’s what an OMS file may look like when being reviewed by the promotion panel: ‘Let’s see. Employee has been an OMS for six years, direct transfer twice due to needs of posts. Served hardship duty for needs of the Service. No training opportunity for six years. Bottom line: Not eligible for promotion at this time.’ Someone tell me why anyone should stay?” The Devil Is in the Details The implementation schedule for the 17 specialist Career Development Programs varies, but in general, specialists tenured after Jan. 1, 2006, must fulfill all mandatory requirements and a majority of the elective requirements in each section of their particular CDP. (The exact number of electives needed varies accord- ing to the specialty and the individual’s grade.) All those who reached a rank one level below the maxi- mum for their specialty by that date will continue to be covered by the previous rules. The Bureau of Human Resources is in the process of putting together a “Playbook” for each FS specialty, answering frequently asked questions and containing more detailed guidance about how to satisfy the various requirements. Fairly or not, judging from the initial feedback AFSA has received, there are a lot of skeptics out there about the program’s feasibility. But if, for example, the department does provide sufficient training opportunities for all specialists who desire them — both so they can do their jobs better and so they can compete effectively for promotion — that will go a long way toward convincing them that career development is no longer a contradiction in terms. n F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 6 1) OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: Mandatory requirement(s): Example: For most specialties, a tour in Washington following tenure. Elective requirement(s): Example: Serve tours at posts from at least two differ- ent regions within 10 years of service. 2) LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS: Leadership and management training at each grade. 3) TECHNICAL AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Mandatory requirement(s): Example: Maintain registration with a national certify- ing agency throughout his/her career. Elective requirement(s): Examples: FSI or commercial training to hone techni- cal/analytical skills. Note: Fluency in one foreign language at the 2/2 level, as tested by FSI, is mandatory for promotion in some specialties (e.g. DS agents) but is an elective in others (e.g., OMS). 4) SERVICE NEEDS: Mandatory requirement(s): Example: Service at a 15-percent or greater (hardship) differential/danger pay post (one tour, after tenure). Elective requirement(s): Example: One tour in an officially designated Critical Needs assignment, after tenure. A Specialist CDP Template