The Foreign Service Journal, June 2015

90 JUNE 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT E mployees of government agen- cies assigned overseas are granted allowances to help defray the cost of an education for their children in kindergarten through 12th grade. The allowances for a specific post are determined by the fees charged by a school identified as providing a basic U.S.-type education. Parents may use this allowance to send their children to a different school of their choice as long as the cost does not exceed that of the “base” school. If the alternative school is more expensive than the “base” school, the difference would be an out-of- pocket expense for the parents. There are several offices in the Department of State prepared to help you understand how the edu- cational allowances work, and what choices you have for your children. These include the Office of Over- seas Schools (www.state.gov/m/a/ os), the Office of Allowances (www. state.gov/m/a/als) and the Family Liaison Office (www.state.gov/m/ dghr/flo/c1958.htm). We hope that you will get in touch with us if you have any ques- tions about your situation. Although these offices are part of the Depart- ment of State, the same allow- ances apply to most civilian federal employees under chief-of-mission authority overseas. For information or assistance contact FLOAsk- Education@state.gov or call (20 2) 647-1076. Pamela Ward is a former regional education officer in the State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools. Her article, originally published in the June 2007 FSJ , has been updated to reflect develop- ments since then. From the FSJ Education Supplement December 2014 The ABCs of Education Allowances BY PAMELAWARD