POST LANGUAGE PROGRAMS
(CT:FSIH-29; 11-10-2020)
(Office of Origin: FSI)
13 FAH-1 H-251 Instructional Purposes, Eligibility, Attendance, and Conduct
13 FAH-1 H-251.1 Purposes and Priorities of Instruction
(CT:FSIH-27; 09-25-2019)
(Uniform State/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
a. Posts may establish language classes only for one of the purposes shown below. These purposes are listed in order of priority. Training at a post must not be authorized for any of those purposes unless all requirements for training of higher priority have been met:
(1) Priority 1: To assist personnel occupying LDPs (see 13 FAM 201.2) in enhancing language proficiency;
(2) Priority 2: To assist other personnel in achieving job-level proficiency (see 13 FAH-1 H-251.1 paragraphs b and c);
(3) Priority 3: To assist officers with language limitation in achieving the qualifying level in a primary or primary-alternate language of the post. In unusual cases, officers with language limitation may receive instruction in a language not otherwise authorized at the post upon prior approval by FSI/Washington;
(4) Priority 4: To assist personnel in meeting general assignment-related needs by attaining a "courtesy" level of proficiency in a primary or primary-alternate language in accordance with the policies stated in 13 FAH-1 H-216 and with section 702 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended (22 U.S.C. 4023); and
(5) Priority 5: To assist adult family members of eligible employees, to the extent that funds permit, in attaining sufficient proficiency in a primary or primary-alternate language to enable them to participate in community and representational activities (see 13 FAH-1 H-251.3; see also section 704(c) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended (22 U.S.C. 4024(c)).
b. In general, priority will vary directly with the amount of time remaining in an employee's tenure at post; that is, recent arrivals have the highest priority and those approaching transfer will have the lowest priority. Normally, persons within six months of transfer will have lower priority.
c. There may be cases in which the employing agency has not established proficiency levels required for particular jobs, and it is necessary to apply the above priorities. The post language officer in consultation with local agency heads and section chiefs should determine the proficiency level required.
13 FAH-1 H-251.2 Employee Eligibility
(CT:FSIH-01; 12-20-2007)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
a. To be eligible for enrollment in post language programs, persons must be U.S. citizens assigned or detailed as direct payroll employees of the Department or of a U.S. Government agency with which the Department has a reimbursement agreement for language training. Unless otherwise notified, posts may assume that satisfactory agreements are in force for all agencies for which training is projected in the annual budget request.
b. Contract employees of the U.S. Government are eligible for enrollment in post language training programs only if the contract for their employment specifies that language training may be provided at U.S. Government expense. Adult family members of contract employees may receive language training only if so specified in the contract.
13 FAH-1 H-251.3 Eligible Family Member (EFM) Eligibility
(CT:FSIH-01; 12-20-2007)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
It is the intention of the Department, Commerce, USAID, and other participating agencies to meet the valid language training needs of adult members of eligible employees' families abroad. (For Commerce, see Foreign Service Personnel Manual.) Eligible members of families may participate on the same basis as employees subject to such limitation as may be applied by the funding agency and by the following provisions:
(1) When limitations of funds at the post make it necessary for the post to choose between providing instruction for eligible employees and for eligible family members, priority must be given to employed personnel, in accordance with the priorities stated in 13 FAH-1 H-251.1 paragraphs a and b above;
(2) All eligible family members who have no proficiency in an appropriate language upon arrival at post are encouraged to complete 100 hours of training in a primary language of the post of assignment subject to availability of funds;
(3) The post is authorized to extend training up to a total of 240 hours for those family members who have satisfactorily completed 100 hours of instruction, and who have a need for a higher proficiency in a primary language of the post to meet representational requirements and to participate in community activities; and
(4) Separate classes may be established for family members where it is impractical to combine them with employee students and where it is clearly in the interest of training effectiveness. However, training must not be authorized for the sole purpose of convenience or as a right associated with rank.
13 FAH-1 H-251.4 Attendance Requirements and Termination of Training
(CT:FSIH-06; 04-17-2012)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
a. Sustained effort and progress in language work are essential to maintenance of eligibility for further instruction. To remain eligible for instruction, personnel must maintain an average attendance of at least 90 percent of the scheduled hours of individual instruction, or at least 80 percent in the case of group instruction, excluding absences due to leave, official travel status, or sickness.
b. A scheduled hour of instruction is an hour for which an instructor is paid to teach the class. Personnel receiving individual instruction must notify instructors and/or post language officers not later than the day preceding a predictable absence, so that the time may be deleted from the instructor's work schedule or utilized otherwise in post language program activities.
c. When the number of eligible employees or family members actively participating in any class falls below three, the class should be discontinued or combined with other classes no later than the end of the quarter in which the shortage occurs. When, in consultation with the principal officer, heads of other participating agencies, or the post language officer, it is determined that instruction at U.S. Government expense for any student in the language training program does not clearly serve to satisfy a policy set forth herein, the participation of the student must be discontinued immediately.
13 FAH-1 H-251.5 Conduct of Training
(CT:FSIH-29; 11-10-2020)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees Only)
a. Size of classes: Normally, language instruction at field posts should be authorized only for groups comprising at least three eligible participants and not more than six in all. Up to eight may be enrolled temporarily to meet emergency situations.
b. Class frequency: A minimum of two class hours a week should normally be required, except at the intermediate and advanced levels, when a minimum of one hour a week may be scheduled.
c. Place and time of classes: Classes will be conducted at the location and time most convenient to the largest number of all eligible participants, regardless of their sponsoring agency. When this is impractical because of the location of activities at the post or because some personnel are stationed away from the post, separate classes may be organized at other locations under supervision of a local control officer. Classes should not be set up in private residences unless specific arrangements for time and attendance control and adequate supervision are assured by the post language officer.
d. When Individual Tutoring May be Authorized:
(1) When an employee with a job-related need for training or an officer with language limitation cannot be grouped with other students because of differences in language proficiency level, or because the employee's duties conflict with class schedules, principal officers may authorize individual instruction for as long as these conditions prevail. If instruction in classes or groups of two is feasible, it takes precedence over individual instruction;
(2) For personnel who are stationed away from the post who qualify for individual instruction, such training should be authorized, budgeted, and reported on the same basis as training at the post; and
(3) Individual tutoring may not be authorized solely for the convenience of the employee or as a right associated with rank.
e. Accelerated training for new arrivals—Sporadic class attendance seldom produces a worthwhile result. On-and-off attendance delays achievement of the purpose for which the training is authorized and, correspondingly, reduces the period during which the outcome is useful to the U.S. Government. To avoid conflicts between language training demands and the demands of other duties and to insure the prescribed minimum attendance (13 FAH-1 H-251.4 paragraph a), it is strongly recommended that training be concentrated at the beginning of the tour of duty.
NOTE: It is the desire of the Department and USAID that personnel assigned to foreign language posts achieve the minimum proficiency goals (see 13 FAH-1 H-242) as early as possible during their tours. Therefore, the Department and USAID encourage any schedule of accelerated training designed to assist newly-arrived personnel in achieving these goals expeditiously either during or outside of office hours without undue interference with other normal operations. Both strongly recommend a minimum of two hours of formal class a day until 100 hours of attendance are achieved. Where feasible, posts are authorized to accomplish an initial concentration of training on a full-time basis.
f. Which languages—Training in primary-A and primary-alternate languages will normally take precedence over training in primary-B languages. Training in secondary or any other non-primary languages is not authorized except with prior approval of the principal officer. Simultaneous training in more than one language must have prior approval of the principal officer.
g. Authorization—Expenditure of appropriated funds for language training is justifiable only when it is clearly demonstrable that the training meets a need of the U.S. Government and is otherwise legally authorized:
(1) Except for the specific purposes for which instruction may be authorized (see 13 FAM 201.1-1 and 13 FAH-1 H-251.1), no language may be studied at U.S. Government expense which is not useful at the post. Study of a non-primary language may precede attainment of the minimum proficiency goals in one of the primary or primary-alternate languages only in cases where personnel have an immediate need for a higher level of skill in that language to perform their jobs. Such study requires prior approval by the principal officer;
(2) Decisions pertaining to training assignment at post may be made by the principal officer or the chief representatives of other participating agencies where training is less than full-time or full-time for less than 12 weeks (see also 13 FAH-1 H-251.5 paragraph h below).
h. Full-time training—Designation of Department or USAID personnel for full-time language instruction for periods of 12 weeks or more at Foreign Service posts will be made only on personnel actions issued by the Department or USAID. Posts wishing to nominate personnel for full-time language instruction of 12 weeks or longer, at field posts, should address requests to the agency of the nominee showing a clear and immediate need and stating when the employee or employees can be relieved of other duties to participate in training.
i. Informal self-study and training materials— FSI has a variety of in-house produced and commercial courses products available for self-study language training. These may be accessed by staff and EFMs via registration procedures as described in FSI’s distance learning language courses and resources webpage. Formal distance learning courses usually are mentored and enrollees are expected to devote several hours a week to study time. Self-paced self-study language material (audio and text files) that are accessible via the FSiLearn (Internet and OpenNet) are also available. (Tuition charges apply to non-State personnel and their EFMs.)
13 FAH-1 H-252 Proficiency Goals
13 FAH-1 H-252.1 Minimum Goals
(CT:FSIH-01; 12-20-2007)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
The post language training policy of the Department and USAID is satisfied minimally when an employee reaches the level of language proficiency specified above for the employee's grade and position in a primary or primary-alternate language of the post.
13 FAH-1 H-252.2 Beyond Minimum Goals
(CT:FSIH-01; 12-20-2007)
(Uniform State/Commerce/USAID)
(Applies to Foreign Service Employees)
It is the intent of the Department and USAID that officers continue training in a primary or primary-alternate language at the post. The principal officer is urged to permit other personnel to continue language learning activities beyond minimum proficiency goals on a space-available basis and to the extent that work schedules and available funds permit.
13 FAH-1 H-253 through H-259 unassigned