The FSFRC, in and of itself, will not create additional employment opportunities or positions overseas, nor will it provide an independent pathway to gain a security clearance. Being a member of the FSFRC does not guarantee employment. FSFRC applicants without a clearance will be required to submit a SF-85 upon acceptance of their application. Once they receive a Low Risk/Non-Sensitive (LRNS) determination they will be appointed into the FSFRC. If they are selected for an overseas position that requires access to classified information, they will be required to obtain the required security clearance prior to being appointed to that position. Members will remain in the FSFRC in an unpaid reserve status when they are not working in a local position at post.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a low risk non-sensitive determination.
• U.S. Citizenship is required.
• Incumbent will be subject to random drug testing.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check.

An individual who meets all the following criteria is eligible to apply for membership in the FSFRC: 1. Is a U.S. citizen; and 2. Is the spouse or domestic partner (as defined in 3 FAM 1610) of a sponsoring employee (i.e., a direct-hire Foreign Service, Civil Service, or uniformed service member); and 3. Is either: a). Listed on a GTM/EX approved OF-126, Foreign Service Residence and Dependency Report (or Foreign Affairs Agency equivalent), of a sponsoring employee; or b). Listed on the current travel orders (TMFOUR or agency equivalent) of a sponsoring employee for a post abroad at a U.S. mission under Chief of Mission authority including an office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT); or c). Has a letter from the sponsoring employee's agency's executive office stating that you are their spouse or domestic partner, that the sponsoring employee is expected to serve at an overseas post under Chief of Mission authority including an office of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) within the next 12 months, and that you will accompany the sponsoring employee. NOTE: The Chief of Mission is in charge of all Executive Branch activities and operations and is fully responsible for the direction, coordination, and supervision of all U.S. Executive Branch employees, regardless of their employment categories or location, except those under command of a U.S. area military commander or on the staff of an international organization. Family Members whose sponsoring employee is under the command of a U.S. area military commander are not eligible for the FSFRC. 4. Does not receive a U.S. Government retirement annuity or pension from a career in the U.S. Foreign Service or Civil Service; and 5. Is not a Foreign Service Officer in Leave Without Pay (LWOP) status. NOTE: Currently, eligible family members currently employed on a Personal Services Agreement (PSA) will be unable to apply for membership due to limitations of the current pay system. 6. Is not a Civil Service employee with re-employment rights to their agency or bureau. NOTE: U.S. citizen spouses/domestic partners who are on approved Voluntary Separate Maintenance Allowance (VSMA) or Involuntary Separate Maintenance Allowance (ISMA) and are temporarily residing apart from the sponsoring employee are also eligible to join the FSFRC in non-paid status. However, they may begin working in a local assignment only when they resume residing with the sponsoring employee.

Qualifications

Applicants will be evaluated based solely on FSFRC Program eligibility requirements using agency-developed standards. Applicants who meet the program requirements will be accepted as members into the FSFRC. NOTE: If it is determined that you do not meet program eligibility requirements or if you fail to submit proper documentation in a timely manner, you will be removed from consideration. FSFRC Members in Categories One or Two will be required to complete a recertification process on an annual basis when not actively working in a local position at post. All members will be required to recertify for the program every five (5) years. The FSFRC member will be required to respond to security reinvestigation requests from Diplomatic Security (DS). The FSFRC appointment will terminate if the member no longer qualifies for the FSFRC or does not respond to the Talent Services' (GTM/TS) recertification query within the required timeline. FSFRC members must notify TS of any event (such as divorce, etc.) which may result in a loss of eligibility for the program.

Education

Additional information

For reasonable accommodation at the U.S. Department of State, please contact the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations at OAA@state.gov.

GCLO and Talent Services have created an informative video and slide deck to assist in the application process; you can access these tools at: https://www.state.gov/global-community-liaison-office/family-member-employment-in-the-d-c-area/foreign-service-family-reserve-corps/.

EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROGRAM (E-Verify) - U.S. law requires organizations to employ only individuals who may legally work in the United States - either U.S. citizens, or foreign citizens who have the necessary authorization. This agency utilizes E-Verify to compare information from the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to data from U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) records to confirm employment eligibility. If the employee's information does not match DHS and/or SSA records, the employee is given an opportunity to resolve the problem. If eligibility cannot be verified, employment will be terminated.

• Benefits
  
  While in reserve status, you are not eligible to enroll in benefits, such as the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) Program, Federal Employee Group Life Insurance (FEGLI), Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP), or the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS). Time spent in reserve status is NOT considered creditable for retirement, leave accrual, or Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) vesting purposes. You will be eligible to enroll in these programs once you have been selected for and begin working in a local position at a post abroad that conveys benefits eligibility. If you have prior civil service or military service, please submit documentation of the prior service along with your Entry On Duty (EOD) documents to ensure that we update your records accordingly.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Family members who meet the eligibility requirements stated above will be able to apply for FSFRC membership. Family members who join the FSFRC will have their FSFRC membership category verified by Diplomatic Security (DS) and will be appointed by Talent Services (GTM/TS) to one of three categories based on their current or most recent security clearance:

Category One for those with a current Top Secret clearance or those eligible for reciprocity consideration for a recent Top Secret clearance;

Category Two for those with a current Secret clearance or those eligible for reciprocity consideration for a recent Secret clearance; or

Category Three for those with a Low Risk/Non-Sensitive (LRNS), Moderate Risk Public Trust (MRPT), or High Risk Public Trust (HRPT) determination -- members in this category do not hold a valid security clearance or are not eligible for reciprocity consideration for a previous clearance. This includes those who are not currently employed by the Department or those who are working in non-sensitive positions.

Regardless of category, FSFRC members will be eligible to apply for local assignments overseas where the sponsoring employee is assigned. If selected for a local assignment that requires access to classified information, FSFRC members who do not already hold the required level of clearance will begin the security clearance process.

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