The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2005

found the training useful. He also notes the challenge of running a course that includes people with considerable “real world” experience alongside recent college gradu- ates, especially when the focus is on management. He liked the fact that “a variety of teachers/experts were used and the coordinators made a great effort to use informa- tion from the field. There were a couple of site visits (Office of Building Operations; fire training; etc.) and the schedule encouraged and included time for consultations with colleagues throughout the department.” Area Studies: FSI’s Poor Relation? There seems to be a disconnect between the rhetoric and reality of area studies training. “The nature of Foreign Service work requires a solid knowledge of the social, political, cultural, economic, religious and govern- ment policy dimensions of the foreign countries and regions to which officers are assigned,” the FSI Training Continuum asserts. “Area studies should be considered essential training for an officer prior to every assignment to a country, region, geographic bureau or functional bureau position with a geographic portfolio where the officer has not previously served.” It goes on to note that area studies are especially important for officers traveling to their first assignments. The mid-level section of the same guide states that “Knowledge of the countries and regions of assignment continues to be important and area studies training should always be considered.” Senior-level officers are reminded that area studies “continues to be important for achieving greater knowledge of the countries or areas with which a senior officer will be concerned in the course of an assignment.” Yet most of the comments we received indicate that many students do not view area studies as essential, or even useful. This is particularly true of the segments integrated into language training (typically one afternoon every two weeks). In part, this is because area studies F O C U S J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 29 Don’t be a local hire. I was one of a handful of students in my A-100 class who were local hires and therefore did not qual- ify for per diem. That didn’t seem like a big problem — until I realized after Flag Day that I would be in training at FSI for approximately 50 weeks. Though the intention of the regulations (6 FAM 153.3), and presumably Congress, is clearly to have peo- ple who are working in Washington compensated for the higher cost of living here (either through “locality pay” or per diem/lodg- ing), it’s hard for me to believe that every year a handful of new officers in every class are cut out of receiving either. None of us join the Service for large salaries, but this is an inequity which is patently wrong, short-sighted, unjustified, and probably relative- ly easy to solve. In GSO training we heard great emphasis placed on establishing “equality in conditions and morale” at post (among agencies, singles and married officers, etc.); it seems to me the glaring disparity in pay between local hires and others is equally relevant to morale here in D.C., though felt by a small minority. Buy a car. People who don’t own a car are at a severe dis- advantage in commuting to FSI. The shuttle service offered from Rosslyn, while punctual and reliable, is insufficient, and often there are 40-minute gaps in the schedule without any trans- portation option. Any time there is a group using the shuttle (such as a new A-100 class, a large group from Main State, etc.), there is often not enough room for everyone to get on and many are forced to wait. The public buses are less reliable and more sporadic. The department says it encourages public ridership, but FSI has a $1/day parking fee — a charge so low it acts as an incentive for students to drive. Be prepared to motivate yourself. The flexible schedules and limited classroom time for language training were quite a shock for some of us who have been out of the university setting for a long time; it took us a while to learn to use the downtime productively and efficiently. Be flexible and patient. There is a shortage of space at FSI to accommodate its growing mandate and increased student body. While the long-term plans to address that seem well thought out, it’s clear that the next several years will require patience and accommodation from people. I know language stu- dents, for instance, who had to be in class by 7:40 a.m. and didn’t leave until 5 p.m. Language teachers sometimes complain that they couldn’t prepare materials because they share a com- puter with other teachers. Stetson Sanders, a member of the 121st A-100 class, is at FSI preparing for his August assignment to Dushanbe. Lessons Learned from Long-Term Training at FSI By Stetson Sanders