Register Now!

Upcoming Job Fair for

Eligible Family Members

Registration for the May 2nd GO-TO Job Fair is now open. If you are interested in attending, please visit the registration page. This registration process is password protected and is open only to the eligible family members (EFMs) of the Foreign Affairs community. The event password is: overseas.

Although there is no cost to register or attend this event, you will need to obtain a ticket from the registration site.

The virtual ticket category is for our EFMs who are currently residing overseas and are unable to physically attend. The in-person ticket category is for EFMs in the Washington, DC area.

Once you have registered, please seriously consider creating or updating a LinkedIn profile. You will receive an invitation to join the GO-TO Job Fair group on LinkedIn as soon as your registration is received. This LinkedIn group will also be open to all participating employers. The sooner you join the group, the sooner prospective employers will be able to learn about you and consider you for their openings.

In next week's edition of the GO-TO Job Fair newsletter, we will include many tips on making your LinkedIn profile as effective as possible.

10:00am – 3:00pm

Who should attend?

Any eligible family member of the Foreign Affairs community interested in working on the local economy while residing overseas.

Where and when?

The GO-TO Job Fair is being held at the Foreign Service Institute in Arlington, VA, on Friday, May 2nd.

Questions?

If you have any questions, contact Debbie Thompson, the GO-TO Job Fair coordinator, at gotojobfair@gmail.com.

Sponsored by the Family Liaison Office and the Transition Center.

Go-To Job Fair!

         Save the Date!

The U.S. Department of State’s Family Liaison Office (FLO) and Foreign Service Institute’s Transition Center are sponsoring the Global Opportunities - Talent Optimization (GO-TO) Job Fair on May 2, 2014. This special event is open to all adult foreign affairs Eligible Family Members (EFM) and Members of Household (MOH).

Featuring: 

•     Large number of international employers

•     Career advisors

•     Entrepreneurial experts

•     Foreign Service tax expert

•     Volunteer family members telling their personal success stories

•     Work permit information

•     Teleworking information

•     Internet connectivity for employers and job seekers

•     Printing capability

•     Refreshments

    EFM/MOHs located overseas can register as virtual participants with access to:

•     Telephone appointments with the employers

•     Streaming connection for real-time questions to employers

When: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Where: Foreign Service Institute

4000 Arlington Boulevard

 Arlington, Virginia

Pre-registration will begin on March 15th.  We highly encourage all interested candidates to create a LinkedIn profile because all employers will have access to a special group: GO-TO Job Fair.  If you have any questions concerning the GO-TO Job Fair please contact Debbie Thompson at gotojobfair@gmail.com.

FSI Announces:

 Going Overseas

Classes for the whole family

 4 Classes from which to choose 

Saturday, March 15 OR May 17, 2014

Going overseas involves both psychological and practical preparation for adults as well as children. Interactive presentations in these four courses introduce all ages to the impact and logistics of an impending international move.

Morning Options: 9:00am -12:00pm

Going Overseas for Families (MQ210)

This workshop designed for families, addresses the concerns and excitement around the coming international move and makes them think about how they plan to prepare for it. Specific sessions focus on making transitions and dealing with stress. Children in grades 2-12 attend this class along with their parents.

Going Overseas for Singles and Couples without Children (MQ200)

In this interactive workshop, individuals and couples discuss the four stages of moving and brainstorm methods to manage stress and communicate effectively through the transition.

Afternoon Options: 1:00pm -3:30pm

Going Overseas: Logistics for Adults (MQ220)

Adult participants attend this session to receive invaluable information on the logistics of moving overseas and learn the "nuts and bolts" of making an international move.

Going Overseas: Logistics for Children (MQ230)

Children in grades 2-12 will be introduced to the logistics planning necessary for their international move. The children engage in thinking about the impending packout and prioritize what they would like to take with them.

Who May Attend: 

Open to Foreign Affairs agency employees, adult eligible family members (EFMs), and children in grades 2-12.

Where and When:

At the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Foreign Service Institute, Arlington, VA on Saturday March 15 OR May 17, 2014.  See above for course times.

How to Register:

To register please indicate which course options you are interested in attending and include the name of participant(s), agency affiliation, and preferred email contact to FSITCTraining@state.gov .  

Tuition: No Charge

QUESTIONS:

For questions about these courses please email FSITCTraining@state.gov.

For more information about Transition Center programs and training classes for personnel, family members and members of household, see our website at http://fsi.state.gov//fsi/tc/.

FSI Announces 2014

Protocol and U.S. Representation (MQ116)

This hands-on course helps participants gain practical knowledge of diplomatic protocol and U.S. representational responsibilities pertinent to Foreign Service life. 

Upon completion participants will have gained confidence to attend receptions, make introductions, plan seating arrangements for a formal dinner, and adhere to formal dining etiquette. This course is well worth your Saturday!

This course will include:

·         A mock reception complete with a receiving line

·         Modern seating arrangement activity

·         All New! Hands-on formal dining etiquette simulation

2014 Course Dates:

March 1, 2014 

May 3, 2014

June 7, 2014

July 12, 2014

August 9, 2014

September 13, 2014

Who May Attend: 

Open to Foreign Affairs agency employees and adult eligible family members (EFMs).

Where:

At the Foreign Service Institute, George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center, Arlington, VA.

How to Register:

State Department EFMs register through the employee’s CDO/Training Officer or by following the “Apply Now” link here: http://reg.fsi.state.gov/CourseCatalog.aspx?EventId=MQ116   

All other USG EFMs must submit a SF-182. 

Tuition: $225

QUESTIONS:

For questions about this workshop please contact coordinators at FSITCTraining@state.gov .

For more information other Transition Center programs and training classes for personnel, family members and members of household, see our website at http://fsi.state.gov//fsi/tc/ .

Holiday Party at the State Department

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will host Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays, a reception for family members of unaccompanied tour employees this December at the Department of State. This is a wonderful opportunity for family members in the Washington D.C. area to get into the holiday spirit and to honor the work, service and sacrifice of State Department men and women that are currently on unaccompanied tours.

In order to receive an official invitation, please contact FLOaskUT@state.gov for details within the next week.  Please note that ‘Family’ is defined broadly to include spouse, partner, fiancé, parent, sibling, and children of anyone under Chief of Mission at an unaccompanied tour posting.

The Wandering Drays...United.

Fellow Foreign Service blogger, Heather, eloquently describes all her anticipation and excitement as her husband returns from a year long tour in Iraq...

"Finally. Just One Week.

I'm feeling melancholy tonight, thinking back over my husband's unaccompanied Baghdad assignment.  It's been nearly 1 1/2 years since Jason started the seemingly never-ending journey to Iraq.  Six months in D.C. for training; nearly a year in Baghdad.  And now, we have just a week. 
One teensy weensy week.  But the longest week.  Ever.  To get through.

In just one week...Jason will be home.  And I won't have to look forward to NOT looking forward to him heading back to Iraq.

Come to think about it, in just one week...

I alone won't have to bandage up boo-boos and wipe away tears when the kids fall and get hurt.  And I alone won't fail at mending broken hearts when friends hurt the kids' feelings.

There will be a real cook in the house.  One who makes meals.  That actually taste good.

Someone else will be here to carry the never-ending mountains of laundry down two flights of stairs to the basement.

I won't have to eat lunch alone in a restaurant reading a newspaper.

I won't have to walk through the house with the cell phone hoping for great reception in a room that won't dump our call into the black hole abyss of dropped calls.  Or hold my free hand over one ear while squishing the cell phone up to my other ear as tightly as possible so I can hear him better.  Because even a call that I can barely hear him is better than no call at all.

I'll be able to get mad at someone else, other than the kids, for using up all the hot water just before my shower.  Or for using my towel.  Or for forgetting to put a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom on the dispenser.



We'll watch the kids as they catch fireflies with the sun drifting off into the horizon.  We'll both hear the baby as he tries to say new words and watch as he climbs into things he has no business climbing into.

We'll stay up late and talk about our dreams and plans.  And listen to the kids giggling upstairs as they pretend to fall asleep.

I won't go to sleep every night feeling all alone in a house full of sleeping children.



We'll be a family again.  All together, as we should be.  What a journey we've made to get back to exactly where we belong."

Thank you, Heather, for letting us share this on our blog.  

To follow Heather's blog and read more about her experiences during the UT, click here.  

Mark your calendars...

We will be meeting for coffee again on Thursday, April 28th at 10:30 at Ballston Mall Starbucks.  We have changed the time in hopes that more people will be able to join us!  Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov if you have any questions.

Thanks!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our monthly coffee event.  Hope to see everyone again next time. :)

Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays

Thank you to everyone who attended the December 14th event!  We were so happy to have the opportunity to meet everyone in person and we so appreciate your support.  Here are a few photos from the event.  :) Enjoy!

Happy Holidays from UT!

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will host Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays, a reception for family members of unaccompanied tour employees on Tuesday, December 14^th at the Department of State. This is a wonderful opportunity for family members in the Washington, DC area to get into the holiday spirit and to honor the work, service and sacrifice of State Department men and women that are currently on unaccompanied tours.

In order to receive an official invitation, please email CeremonialsRSVP@state.gov. Official invitations with more details on the reception will be sent out in the following weeks - at that time you will be able to provide your RSVP.

Please note that ‘Family’ is defined broadly to include spouse, partner, fiancé, parent, sibling, and children of anyone under Chief of Mission at an unaccompanied tour posting.

This week!!!

           UT Coffee Club Inauguration Event

Are you separated from your loved one by an unaccompanied tour (UT)?

Do you live in the D.C. area? 
Want to meet some new people?

Join our UT Coffee Club!  We will meet monthly with fellow

UT family members.  Join us to chat and enjoy a cup of coffee.

 

     When: October 27th, 2:30pm

     Why:  To have fun!  Meet new people and

     relate to fellow UTers

     Who is invited:  UT families and friends

 Please email us at FLOaskUT@state.gov for the location of the event! 

  See you there!

  “Because a cup of coffee shared with a friend

    is happiness tasted and time well spent.”

   Please RSVP to FLOaskUT@state.gov