Title 22—Foreign Relations--Volume 1
PART 501—APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS
§ 501.1   Policy.
It is the policy of the Broadcasting Board of Governors that Foreign Service Officers occupy positions in which there is a need and reasonable opportunity for interchangeability of personnel between the Board and posts abroad, and which are concerned with (a) the conduct, observation, or analysis of information and cultural activities, or (b) the executive management of, or administrative responsibility for, the overseas operations of the Board's program.
§ 501.2   Eligibility for appointment as Foreign Service Officer.
Cross-reference: The regulations governing eligibility for appointment as a Foreign Service Officer are codified in part 11 of this title.
§ 501.3   Noncompetitive interchange between Civil Service and Foreign Service.
(a) An agreement between the Office of Personnel Management and the Board under the provisions of Executive Order 11219 (3 CFR 1964-65 Comp. p. 303) provides for the noncompetitive appointment of present or former Foreign Service employees as career or career conditional Civil Service employees.
(b) Under this agreement former career personnel of the Board's Foreign Service (FSCR, FSRU, FSIO, FSS, FSO, or FP) and such present personnel desiring to transfer, are eligible, under certain conditions, for noncompetitive career or career-conditional appointment in any Federal agency that desires to appoint them. The President has authorized the Office of Personnel Management by executive order to waive the requirements for competitive examination and appointment for such Board career Foreign Service personnel.
(c) A present or former Civil Service employee may be appointed on a competitive basis in any Foreign Service class for which the employee has qualified under the provisions of section 3947 of title 22, United States Code.
§ 501.4   Junior Level Career Candidate Program (Class 6, 5, or 4).
Cross-reference: The regulations governing the junior level Career Candidate program are codified in part 11 of this title.
§ 501.5   Mid-level FSO Candidate Program (Class 3, 2, or 1).
(a) General. The mid-level FSO Candidate program, under the provisions of section 306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, supplements the junior-level Career Candidate program to meet total requirements for Foreign Service Officers at the mid-level in the Foreign Service. Foreign Service limited appointments of FSO Candidates are made to Class 3, 2, or 1 for a period not to exceed five years. Occasionally, appointments may be offered at the Class 4 level. The FSO Commissioning Board will determine whether FSO Candidates have performed at a satisfactory level and demonstrated the required level of growth potential and competence, and will make a recommendation on commissioning as Foreign Service Officers. FSO Candidates who are not recommended for commissioning prior to the expiration of their limited appointment will be separated from the mid-level program.
(b) Sources of applicants. (1) The Broadcasting Board of Governors draws a significant number of FSO Candidates from Board employees who apply, and are found qualified by the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service (BEX).
(2) The Board also draws Candidates from outside applicants who possess skills and abilities in short supply in the Foreign Service and who have capabilities, insights, techniques, experiences, and differences of outlook which would serve to enrich the Foreign Service and enable them to perform effectively in assignments both abroad and in the United States. Minority applicants are recruited for mid-level entry under the COMRAT program. Appointment from sources outside the Board is limited and based on intake levels established in accordance with total Broadcasting Board of Governors FSO workforce and functional requirements. Such appointments are based on successful completion of the examination process, and existing assignment vacancies.
(c) Eligibility requirement —(1) Broadcasting Board of Governors Employees. On the date of application, employees must have at least three years of Federal Government service in a position of responsibility in the Board. A position of responsibility is defined as service as an Overseas Specialist at Class 4 or above or as a Domestic Specialist at GS-11 or above within the Board. The duties and responsibilities of the position occupied by the applicant must have been similar or closely related to those of a Foreign Service Officer in terms of knowledge, skills, abilities, and overseas experience. Board Domestic and Overseas Specialists must be no more than 58 years of age on the date of redesignation or appointment as an FSO Candidate.
(2) Applicants Under Special Recruitment Programs. Minority and women applicants must be no more than 58 years of age, must have approximately nine years of education or experience relevant to work performed in Broadcasting Board of Governors, must be knowledgeable in the social, political and cultural history of the U.S. and be able to analyze and interpret this in relation to U.S. Government policy and American life.
(3) Outside Applicants. On the date of appointment, applicants must be no more than 58 years of age, with nine years of relevant work experience and/or education, or proficiency in a language for which the Board has a need, or substantial management expertise. Relevant work experience is defined as public relations work, supervisory or managerial positions in communications media, program director for a museum or university-level teacher of political science, history, English or other relevant disciplines. Appointments from these sources for the limited vacancies available are made on a competitive basis to fill specific Service needs after ensuring that the vacancies cannot be filled by Foreign Service Officers already in the Foreign Service Officer Corps.
(d) Application Procedures. (1) Applicants must complete Standard Form 171, Application for Federal Employment; Form DSP-34, Supplement to Application for Federal Employment; a 1,000 word autobiography; a statement affirming willingness and capacity to serve at any post worldwide; and transcripts of all graduate and undergraduate course work and forward them to the Special Recruitment Branch, Office of Personnel (M/PDSE).
(2) The filing of an application for the Foreign Service does not in itself entitle an applicant to examination. The decision to proceed with an oral examination is made by a Qualifications Evaluation Panel after determining the applicant's eligibility for appointment and reviewing the applicant's qualifications including his/her performance, and administrative files (or equivalents), claimed language proficiency and other background or factors which may be related to the work performed by FSOs. An oral examination is given only in those cases where the applicant is found to possess superior qualifications, proven ability, and high potential for success in the Foreign Service.
(e) Examination process —(1) Written Examination. A written examination will not normally be required of applicants for FSO Candidate appointments. However, if the volume of applications for a given class or classes is such as to make it infeasible to examine applicants orally within a reasonable time, such applicants may be required to take an appropriate written examination prescribed by the Board of Examiners. Those who meet or exceed the passing level set by the Board of Examiners on the written examination will be eligible for selection for the oral examination.
(2) Oral examination. (i) Applicants approved by the Qualifications Evaluation Panel for examination will be given an oral examination by a panel of Deputy Examiners approved by the Board of Examiners. The oral examination is designed to enable the Board of Examiners to determine whether applicants are functionally qualified for work in the Foreign Service at the mid-level, whether they would be suitable representatives abroad of the United States, whether they have the potential to advance in the Foreign Service, and whether they have the background and experience to make a contribution to the Foreign Service. The oral examination is individually scheduled throughout the year and is normally given in Washington, D.C. At the discretion of the Board of Examiners, it may be given in other American cities, or at Foreign Service posts, selected by the Board.
(ii) The panel will orally examine each applicant through questioning and discussion. There will also be a writing exercise and an in-basket test. Applicants taking the oral examination will be graded according to the standards established by the Board of Examiners. The application of anyone whose score is at or above the passing level set by the Board will be continued. The application of anyone whose score is below the passing level will be terminated. The applicant may, however, reapply in 12 months by submitting a new application.
(3) Foreign language requirement. All applicants who pass the oral examination will be required to take a subsequent test to measure their fluency in foreign languages, or their aptitude for learning them (MLAT) for which a score of 50 points (on a scale of zero to eighty) is necessary to qualify for further processing. No applicant will be recommended for career appointment who has not demonstrated such a proficiency or aptitude. An applicant may be selected, appointed and assigned without first having demonstrated required proficiency in a foreign language, but the appointment will be subject to the condition that the employee may not receive more than one promotion and may not be commissioned as an FSO until proficiency in one foreign language is achieved.
(4) Medical examination. Those applicants recommended by the Board of Examiners for an FSO candidacy, and their dependents who will reside with them overseas, are required to pass a physical examination at the Department of State Medical Division.
(5) Security and suitability considerations. A background investigation or appropriate security clearance update will be conducted on each applicant, and no application may be continued until a security clearance has been granted.
(6) Class of appointment. The Board of Examiners fixes the entry level for appointment as an FSO candidate.
(7) Certification for appointment. After completion of all aspects of the examination, the Board of Examiners certifies to the Board successful candidates for appointment as FSO Candidates. Determinations of duly constituted panels of examiners and deputy examiners are final, unless modified by specific action of the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service.
(8) FSO Candidate registers. (i) After approval by the Board of Examiners, and certification as to suitability and security clearance by the Board's Director of Security, successful applicants will have their names placed on a register for the class for which they have been found qualified. Appointments to available openings will be made from the applicants entered on the register for the class of the position to be filled. Inclusion on the register does not guarantee eventual assignment and appointment as an FSO Candidate. Applicants who have qualified but have not been appointed because of lack of openings will be dropped from the register 18 months after the date of placement on it (or the completion of an inside applicant's current overseas tour, whichever is longer). Such applicants may reapply for the program, but will be required to repeat the entire application process, including BEX testing.
(ii) Any applicant on the register who refuses an assignment offer will be removed from the Register and will not be eligible to reapply for the program for seven years.
(iii) The Board of Examiners may extend the eligibility period when such extension is in its judgment justified in the interest of the Foreign Service.
(f) Appointment as an FSO Candidate. (1) An FSO Candidate will be given a four-year Foreign Service limited appointment. Board Career Overseas Specialists will be redesignated as FSO Candidates for a period of four years. The appointment or redesignation may be extended for one year, but must be terminated at the end of the fifth year. The purpose of the FSO Candidacy is to permit on-the-job evaluation of an individual's suitability and capacity for effective service as a Foreign Service Officer.
(2) FSO Candidates will be assigned to Generalist positions overseas, and will compete for promotion with other Generalist officers under the Annual Generalist Selection Boards. FSO Candidates at the Class 1 level may not compete for promotion into the Senior Foreign Service prior to commissioning as an FSO.
(3) The FSO Candidacy may be terminated during the four-year period for unsatisfactory performance (22 U.S.C. 4011) or for such other cause as will promote the efficiency of the Service (22 U.S.C. 4010).
(g) Commissioning as a Foreign Service Officer. (1) Upon completion of three years' service (most of which will have been overseas), the FSO Candidate will be eligible for commissioning as a Foreign Service Officer. The FSO Commissioning Board will review all FSO Candidates appointed on or after March 1, 1980 and will recommend on tenure.
(2) The criterion used for deciding whether to recommend commissioning of FSO Candidates is the Candidate's demonstrated potential to perform effectively as a Foreign Service Officer in a normal range of generalist assignments up through the Class 1 level. No quota or numerical limit is placed on the number of affirmative decisions.
(3) If recommended for commissioning, and having satisfied the language proficiency requirements, the name of the FSO Candidate will be forwarded to the President and the Senate and, upon approval, the FSO Candidate will be commissioned as an FSO.
(4) If the FSO Commissioning Board does not recommend commissioning of the FSO Candidate during its review, it may recommend extension of the FSO Candidacy to allow for a future review. Under no circumstances will an FSO Candidacy be extended to a total of more than five years.
(5) Candidates not recommended for commissioning or who have not satisfied the language proficiency requirement will be separated from the Service at the expiration of their appointment. However, FSO Candidates who were appointed from within the Board with career status as a Domestic or Overseas Specialist may exercise reappointment rights to their previous category in lieu of separation.
§ 501.6   Appointment of Overseas Specialists.
(a) General. Members of the Board's Foreign Service appointed as Overseas Specialists serve on rotational U.S.-overseas assignments in the following types of positions: General Administration; Publication Writers and Editors; Exhibit Managers; Printing Specialists; English Teaching Specialists; Correspondents; Engineers for the Voice of America; Regional Librarian Consultants; and Secretaries. Appointees serve a trial period of service as Specialist Candidates under Foreign Service limited appointments (or redesignation) for a period not to exceed five years. Appointments are made to F.S. classes 8 through 1. Specialist Candidates are given career appointments as Overseas Specialists based on the recommendations of Specialist Selection Boards. Specialist candidates not recommended for tenuring will be separated from the Foreign Service, or reinstated in the Civil Service.
(b) Sources of applicants. Qualified Broadcasting Board of Governors domestic employees comprise a significant recruitment source for Overseas Specialist appointments. Such employees will be given priority consideration over outside applicants when applying for Overseas Specialist positions, when qualifications are otherwise equal.
(c) Eligibility requirements. All applicant must be citizens of the United States, and must be at least 21 years of age and no more than 58 years of age at the time of appointment. The 21-year age requirement may be waived by the Director, Office of Personnel (M/P or VOA/P) when she or he determines that the applicant's services are urgently needed. Broadcasting Board of Governors employee applicants must also have at least three years of Federal government experience and occupy a position at the GS-11 level (or equivalent) or above (GS-10 for Electronic Technicians in the Voice of America). All applicants must be available for worldwide assignment to positions in their occupational category.
(d) Application procedures. (1) Applications for all specialties except secretarial should include a current SF-171, Application for Federal Employment; a DSP-34, Supplement to Application for Federal Employment; university transcripts; a 1,000 word autobiographical statement which should include mention of the qualifications the applicant would bring to the job and reason for desiring to work for the Board; and a statement affirming willingness and capacity to serve at any post worldwide.
(2) Special requirements for Foreign Service Secretaries. Secretarial applicants must submit a current SF-171, Application for Federal Employment, and a 250 word essay on a commonly understood subject to demonstrate grammatical competence. The following specific requirements must be met by applicants: Ability to type accurately at 60 words per minute; four years of secretarial or administrative experience (business school or college training may be substituted for up to two years of required work experience); and attainment of an acceptable score in verbal ability and spelling tests. Applicants will subsequently be given a written examination to measure administrative aptitude.
(e) Examination process —(1) Application review. All applications are to be sent to the Special Recruitment Staff, Office of Personnel (M/PDSE), or to the Foreign Personnel Advisor (VOA/PF) for Voice of America positions.
(2) Qualifications Evaluation Panel. A Qualifications Evaluation Panel will evaluate the applicant's qualifications including his/her performance and administrative files (or equivalent), claimed language proficiency and other background or factors which may be related to the work performed by an Overseas Specialist Officer in the relevant specialty.
(3) Oral examination. (i) Applicants who are passed on by the Qualifications Evaluation Panel to the Board of Examiners will be given an oral examination to evaluate the applicant's total qualifications for service as an Overseas Specialist in the desired functional specialty.
(ii) The Board panel examining all candidates except those of the Voice of America will consist of one Broadcasting Board of Governors Overseas Specialist and two BEX Deputy Examiners. For VOA candidates, the panel will consist of the Foreign Personnel Advisor, a BEX Deputy Examiner assigned to the Voice of America, and a Deputy Examiner assigned to the Board of Examiners.
(iii) The panel will examine each applicant through questioning and discussion. Hypothetical problem-solving exercises, a writing exercise and an in-basket test may also be required. The panel will also recommend the F.S. entry level for appointment. If the panel's recommendation is unfavorable, the application process will be discontinued. An unsuccessful applicant may apply again in 12 months.
(4) The same medical and security requirements applicable to FSO Candidates pertain to Specialist Candidates.
(5) Overseas Specialist Candidate register. If an applicant is successful in the examination, and medical and security clearances have been successfuly completed, his/her name will be added to the appropriate Overseas Specialist register for a period of 18 months, or completion of an inside candidate's current tour of duty overseas, whichever is longer, at the Foreign Service class determined in the examination process and based on previous experience. Inclusion on the register does not guarantee eventual assignment and appointment as an Overseas Specialist Candidate.
(f) Appointment as a Specialist Candidate. (1) When the Office of Personnel identifies an overseas vacancy which cannot be filled from the existing ranks of Overseas Specialists, applicants on the Overseas Specialist register will be considered for the assignment. An applicant will not be appointed unless an overseas position has been identified and a need for the individual in the Foreign Service has been certified by the Director, Office of Personnel (M/P or VOA/P). Any applicant selected from the register who refuses an assignment offer will be dropped from the register and precluded from reapplying for a period of seven years.
(2) Applicants will be given a Foreign Service limited appointment (or redesignation) for a period of four years at the Foreign Service Class determined in the examination process. The purpose of this untenured appointment is to allow the Board to evaluate and assess the Specialist Candidate's abilities and future potential prior to offering career appointment as an Overseas Specialist. The limited appointment may be extended for one additional year, but must be terminated at the end of the fifth year if the Candidate does not obtain career tenure.
(3) The Candidate will receive the orientation and training necessary to serve overseas and will be assigned overseas in a position in his or her specialty. Broadcasting Board of Governors Civil Service employees selected as Overseas Specialist Candidates will be appointed only if the Board element to which they are currently assigned is willing to affirm in writing that a position at the appropriate level will be made available for the employee should the candidacy end unsuccessfully. Broadcasting Board of Governors Civil Service applicants will be appointed as Overseas Specialist Candidates on or about the date of their departure for post of assignment or upon assumption of an assignment (which has been identified and will follow a period of orientation in Washington). The Board may also assign a Candidate to a U.S.-based position for an initial assignment of up to 24 months when the Candidate will spend the majority of his/her time traveling overseas and will, except for the U.S. basing, be fully functioning as an Overseas Specialist. Specialist Candidates will compete for promotion by the Annual Overseas Specialist Selection Board with other officers in the same specialty and at the same class level. Specialist Candidates at the Class 1 level are ineligible for promotion into the Senior Foreign Service.
(4) The Specialist candidacy may be terminated at any time for unsatisfactory performance (22 U.S.C. 4011) or for such cause as will promote the efficiency of the Service (22 U.S.C. 4010).
(g) Career appointment as an Overseas Specialist. In accordance with section 3946 of title 22 United States Code, the decision to offer a Specialist Candidate a career appointment will be based on the recommendation made by the Annual Overseas Specialist Selection Board which reviews all employees in the Candidate's occupational category and class level.
(1) Eligibility. Specialist Candidates who have performed at least two years of overseas service will be eligible for review for career status at the time of the Candidate's third Board review. Candidates serving an initial tour in the U.S. but spending the majority of time working overseas will be credited with up to one year's overseas service, but no more than half of the time based in the U.S. If a Specialist Candidate is not recommended for career status during the initial review, the Candidate may be reviewed again when the next Annual Overseas Specialist Selection Board convenes if the initial Board so recommends.
(2) Selection Board Review. The Selection Board(s) will review the official performance file of the eligible Specialist Candidates and in accordance with established precepts, will determine whether the Candidates should be recommended for career appointment as Overseas Specialists. Recommendations by the Board will be based on the Candidate's demonstrated aptitude and fitness for a career in the Foreign Service in their occupational specialties. No quota or numerical limit is placed on the number of positive career status decisions that can be made by Selection Boards. The Specialist candidacy will be terminated if the Candidate fails to be recommended for career status after a second Board review for tenuring. Candidates may be terminated earlier than the expiration of their limited appointment if so recommended by the Board and approved by the Director, Office of Personnel (M/P or VOA/P). Specialist Candidates recommended for career status by the Selection Board will be given Foreign Service career appointments (or redesignation) as Overseas Specialist, to take effect within one month of the Board's recommendation.
§ 501.7   Appointment as Chief of Mission.
(a) Appointment by President. Chiefs of mission are appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. They may be career members of the Foreign Service or they may be appointed from outside the Service.
(b) Recommendation of Foreign Service career members. On the basis of recommendations made by the Director of Broadcasting Board of Governors, the Secretary of State from time to time furnishes the President with the names of Foreign Service career members qualified for appointment as chiefs of mission. The names of these officers, together with pertinent information concerning them, are given to the President to assist him in selecting qualified candidates for appointment as chiefs of mission.
(c) Status of Foreign Service career members appointed as Chiefs of Mission. Foreign Service career members who are appointed as chiefs of mission retain their career status as Foreign Service career members.
§ 501.8   Reappointment of Foreign Service Officers and Career Overseas Specialists.
The President may, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, reappoint to the Service a former Foreign Service Officer who is separated from the Service. The Director (Broadcasting Board of Governors) may reappoint to the Service a former career Overseas Specialist.
(a) Requirements for reappointment. (1) On the date of application, each applicant must be a citizen of the United States.
(2) No applicant will be considered who has previously been separated from the Foreign Service pursuant to section 608 or 610 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (or predecessor section 633, 635, or 637 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended); or who resigned or retired in lieu of selection out or separation for cause.
This requirement will not apply where it has been determined by the Foreign Service Grievance Board under 3 FAM 660 or by the Director, Office of Personnel, that the separation or the resignation or retirement in lieu of selection out or separation for cause was wrongful; where reappointment is determined by the Director, Office of Personnel, as an appropriate means to settle a grievance or complaint of a former Foreign Service career member on a mutually satisfactory basis; or where reappointment is the indicated redress in a proceeding under 3 FAM 130 “Equal Employment Opportunity.”
(b) Application. Apply by letter addressed to the Director, Office of Personnel. Include the standard application forms, SF-171, Application for Federal Employment; and DSP-34, Supplement to Application for Federal Employment; and a brief resume of work and other experience since resignation from the Foreign Service. Whenever the Director, Office of Personnel, finds that the reappointment of one or more former Foreign Service Career Members may be in the best interest of the Service, all application forms, along with the available personnel files, will be referred as appropriate to the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service which will conduct an advisory evaluation of the qualifications of each applicant.
(c) Nature of evaluation. (1) The Board of Examiners' advisory qualifications evaluation of FSO applicants (i) will be based on a review of all pertinent information relating to the applicant's record of employment in the Foreign Service and to subsequent experience, as well, and (ii) will take into consideration among other factors, the rank of the applicant's contemporaries in the Service in recommending the class in which the applicant will be reappointed under section 308 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980.
(2) In consultation with the Foreign Service Personnel Division (M/PF or VOA/PF) and officials from the pertinent Board elements, the Overseas Specialist applicant's total qualifications and experience will be evaluated based on the application and an interview. On the basis of this review and the recommendations of the appropriate officials, the personnel office will determine whether the application should be continued and, if so, will recommend the appointment class.
(d) Medical examination and security investigation. Qualified applicants and their dependents who will accompany them overseas will be given a physical examination. A security investigation will also be conducted. The reappointment action is subject to completion of a satisfactory security investigation and satisfactory medical examination of the applicant and his/her dependents.
(e) Selection for reappointment. The Director, Office or Personnel (M/P or VOA/P), taking into consideration (1) the qualifications and experience of each applicant as outlined in the qualifications evaluation performed by the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service or the personnel office, (2) future placement and growth potential, and (3) the needs of the Service for the applicant's skills determines which applicant, or applicants, are qualified for reappointment and the appointment class that is considered to be appropriate. An Overseas Specialist may not be reappointed until and unless an overseas assignment has been identified. The Director, Office of Personnel (M/P or VOA/P) is responsible for initiating appointment action. Any voluntary applicant who refuses an offer of reappointment will not be considered for reappointment again.
§ 501.9   Interchange of FSOs between Broadcasting Board of Governors and other Foreign Affairs Agencies.
Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) desiring transfer from one agency to another may apply under the following provisions:
(a) Applications. Applications for interchange appointments should be sent to the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520.
(b) Certification and approval. (1) When a Foreign Service Officer of another Foreign Affairs Agency wishes to transfer to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, a certification of need is required from the Director, Office of Personnel, Broadcasting Board of Governors, and approval is required by the Director of Personnel for the other agency for the officer's release to Broadcasting Board of Governors.
(2) When a Broadcasting Board of Governors FSO wishes to transfer to another Foreign Affairs Agency, a certification of need is required from the Director of Personnel of the other Agency, and approval is required by the Director, Office of Personnel, Broadcasting Board of Governors, for the officer's release to that Agency.
(3) A review by the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service will certify the eligibility of candidates for exchange. BEX will notify the Office of Personnel, Broadcasting Board of Governors when a Foreign Service Officer of another Agency has been approved for transfer and Broadcasting Board of Governors will process the necessary employment papers.
(4) A new FSO appointment for officers transferring between another Foreign Affairs Agency and Broadcasting Board of Governors is not required.