Foreign Language Consideration

It is not required to speak a foreign language to join the Foreign Service, but having a limited working proficiency can earn you points that will raise your rank on the Register. The higher you are on a career track's register the more likely you are to be employed.

Language proficiency is determined by a telephone test, scoring a 2/5 is enough to earn points. Limited working proficiency is defined by the International Language Roundtable as being:

"Able to satisfy routine social demands and limited work requirements. Can handle routine work-related interactions that are limited in scope. In more complex and sophisticated work-related tasks, language usage generally disturbs the native speaker." govtilr.org

The Foreign Service has a greater need for certain languages:

Scoring 2/5 or better on the telephone test for any of the above languages will grant you 0.4 points towards your ranking on the Register. Super Critical level Arabic is particularly needed and grants 0.5 points.

This doesn't mean that knowing Spanish, French, or any other more common languages is worthless. Any language not listed here can still earn you 0.17 points, but you need to score 3/5.

I highly recommend you take the self test to determine if you are already at a limited working proficiency or to see what you need to learn to get to that level.

Is is worth learning a new language?

If you claim knowledge of a Super Critical language you will be phone tested before the Qualifications Evaluation Panel. The QEP determines whether or not to invite you to the oral exam. It's sort of a foot in the door.

Critical and other languages aren't tested until after you pass the oral exam, so they will have no affect until the Register.

A passing grade on the oral exam is around 5.0-5.7 out of 7 depending on the cone. When you look at it like that 0.4 isn't as small as you think.

The "drawback" is that if you take advantage of the Super Critical or Critical language points you must serve in a country that speaks that language two times. Once during your first two tours and once after tenure.

I say "drawback" because if you study a language enough to pass the phone test I can't see why you wouldn't want to serve in a country that uses it. It may limit your choice of country, but that can be used to your advantage as well. If you want to serve in China, learn Chinese.

Personally I am going to learn Modern Standard Arabic, despite having studied Spanish in school. I almost picked Mandarin because I lived in China for a month with a friend fluent in it. But having been to China I know I'd rather not be sent there and the few words I do know took a while to learn.

Language Training

Speaking a language helps your score because you actually use it on the job. As Americans we often travel to places where English is widely spoken. Assignments in the Foreign Service are often in locations where learning English is just not an option available to most people.

The State Department will pay you to learn the language you need to operate in the country you are assigned to. Having a proficiency of 3/5 in some language is also required to gain tenure.

Resources and Further Reading

Last modified: November 12, 2009
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