An Intro to ConGen: There's Good News, and There's Bad News.

[But before I get to either, a quick RoundUp note:  Many thanks to Sara at Wife-Mommy-Woman for her RoundUp about Kitchens in the Foreign Service!  Next week: Sadie at Sadie Abroad will be hosting on the topic of Collections in the Foreign Service:  What do you collect, what do you want to collect, what do you wish you didn't collect, etc. Thank you for volunteering, ladies!)


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Okay, so, the good news is that I have officially made it through the first two (out of a total of four? Or five?) tests in my ConGen class without flunking out of ConGen. 


This is a big deal, actually, because on the very first day of ConGen we were told all about what the expectations were.*  (I'm really, REALLY glad ConGen does this, because language departments don't, and they end up with people behaving worse than kindergartners, which is really sad, and which may end up being a different blog post someday.  We'll see. I actually have never blogged about this because I'm still so hopping mad over a lot of what I saw go down in language training.  Some people need to grow the hell up.)


[* For example, and I'm not making this up, you will not eat full/hot/noisy meals in ConGen class.  Nor will you play video games on your handheld, fun electronic device (during class).  Nor will you take phone calls, nor will you text message in class.  Nor will you be more than just a couple of minutes late to class.  Nor will you ALWAYS be HABITUALLY late to class.  Etc., etc., etc.  Sounds like basic stuff, right?  Well, you'd be surprised... I saw some truly egregious stuff go down in language training and if I wrote about it, I don't know that you folks would even believe me!  Anyway... ]


And while we were being told what ConGen expects of us, we were informed that spouses/EFMs will be tossed out of ConGen for not passing the tests.  If I remember correctly, if officers fail tests, they get recycled.  If spouses/EFMs fail tests, though, they get tossed out on their fannies.  Not that I have a historical habit of failing tests, mind you... it's just an extra layer of terror, is all.


So the fact that I have now survived two tests makes me happy.  That's the good news. 


The bad news is that as of Monday I'm starting the part of the course that is the most difficult.  But before I talk about that, let me catch you up.


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                                        ConGen:  An Introduction


For those of you who have not (yet?) had the pleasure of attending ConGen, I'd like to help give you a brief introduction.  In fact, how's about you keep up with me and we learn it together!  Sure, you'll miss out on some of the finer nuances, maybe, but actually you can at least get a good idea of what James and I are up to these six weeks or so. 


Ready?





The first many days go something like this:  A baby is born at some point in time in some random place on the Earth.  Is that baby a U.S. citizen?


Hmmmm....  well, that question could potentially be easy to answer (the baby is born this evening in Idaho = probably YES!), and could potentially be harder to answer (the baby is born outside of the US and has only one biological U.S. citizen parent).  YOU KNOW THIS WHOLE SCENARIO SOUNDS WICKED FASCINATING, DON'T YOU!  In fact, you are DYING to go here and learn all about it!  And when you're done with that, you want to learn all about passports! 


Aren't YOU just the self-teaching wonder!


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(The above graphic is totally awesome and can be found here.)


The next many days of ConGen address the following:  A non-US-citizen living in any country other than the US wants to come and live forever and ever in America.  Do we let them?  (Translation:  Immigration stuff).


Well, you know.  This is all totally complicated.


Someone interested in addressing that question might want to read about jobs or read about families or even go read that cartoon-thingee, shown above, if you haven't already. 


In fact, if you want to self-teach a lot of the ConGen that you're missing, you can basically go here and learn that whole, entire website, and then go here and learn THAT whole, entire website (complete with the plethora of documents that would need to be filed in all scenarios *and* their filing fees).


[Also:  No joke - I sorta kinda wish I'd reviewed those websites before starting ConGen.  I think it would have been really helpful for me, as my background was in federal law but not immigration/citizenship/visa/passport/etc. law.  So I walked in without any foundation, and spent a lot of time playing catch-up. Not. Fun.]


So, there you have it.  What you've missed so far in ConGen. 


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So.  What's left now is what awaits me next week when I tackle the question:  A non-US-citizen wants to come to the US to visit.  Do we let them?  (Translation: Non-Immigrant stuff).


Why do all the students I've spoken to who have already gone through ConGen universally state that this topic is the most difficult?  That this topic's TEST is the most difficult?


Um, go here and look at that freaking long LIST.  A nightmare of letters and numbers, my friends, and James and I get to learn them all in a frighteningly small period of time.  (Complete with documents to be filed and filing fees for such.)


Hold me.


So if I'm not online much, it's because the frighteningly long list of letters and numbers is winning.  And did I mention that I'm STILL not getting paid to do any of this?!  It's the EFM's curse. 


I swear to you guys, after being in training for almost the last YEAR without getting paid a DIME, my first State Department pay stub (assuming I can convince someone at post to hire me?) is going up on my wall, FRAMED, and in my scrapbook and probably even up on my blog.  Because after all this time in training without even either of us being on per diem or in Oakwood or anything, I'm ready to send State a letter.  Which would read, in pertinent part: 


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Dear State Department,


FREAKING PAY ME ALREADY. 


Sincerely,

A Daring Adventure


p.s. Please?  PRETTY PLEASE???

Comments

[Camille]

So, if Mo' Money = Mo' Problems then you don't have any problems, right? Just trying to look on the bright side here...

Also (don't kill me), Phil's CDO totally set me up with language training. I don't know if that's normal or not, but yeah. He did it all for me...

[pl]

I really enjoy reading your blog, and I've always appreciated your points of view. However, do you really think you deserve to be paid for being in ConGen or language training? US taxpayers paid for you to learn a language for FREE. You were not entitled to this benefit, but you were fortunate enough to receive it. Not all spouses and partners are as lucky. You are also getting ConGen for free, in preparation for a job that you are not yet qualified to do and that you were not yet hired for, all to assist you in getting a job at post. The US gov is providing this training to you for free.

I do agree with you about the lack of equity in your family not receiving per diem.

While I appreciate yours and your family's sacrifices to join your husband on his tour, I think your complaint about not getting paid while you receive free training is a bit much.

[Jill]

As a fellow blogger and EFM (who is nowhere near as smart or dedicated as A Daring Adventure is to tackle a fast track HARD language course OR Con Gen), I am ABSOLUTELY appalled at ANYONE who leaves a comment here on her blog (or any other FS blogger) that is negative AND anonymous Get over yourselves people!

Kolbi is NOT complaining about not getting paid. Do you understand sarcasm people? Do you understand that blogging is often a way to light heartedly write about experiences and even frustrations?

Again and again and again I come here to see people writing hurtful comments or threatening words about/to her. That's not what this community is about. And frankly, I'm saddened.

Kolbi isn't looking for sunshine to be blown up her a** here. But as someone who appreciates her honesty about difficult classes or enjoys HER experiences at FSI and Con Gen, or who knows she's going to be met with obstacles when it comes time to pack out and move, I'm going to be upset when she starts sensoring her blogging because she's feeling attacked.

If you can't say something nice. Don't write it. This comment section is NOT meant to be a place to challenge her or her thoughts (sarcastic as many of them can be). If you have your own opinions - start your own blog.

[Donna]

I took ConGen, way back when (also unpaid, in the hope that I would eventually find gainful employment). I look back on those days of hot lunches and video games with such joy....

Don't worry about the tests.. They can't kick Daring Adventure out or the whole blogosphere will turn on them. (well, except for that one guy in Mexico City....).

[A Daring Adventure]

US taxpayers paid for me to go through the training I've gone through?!

Wrong.

DEAD WRONG.

[Ker-bear]

I totally loved the graphic pertaining to Immigration, sure wish that had been around when I had some questions.. in fact I think most DS agents should go thru ConGen before they graduate BSAC, especially if they are headed to a very crim heavy oriented field office. I felt very unknowledgable about the whole immigration process and hello for what our investigations entail.. but then again that might make too much sense and we do work for the US Govt after all :)

[bfiles]

great post. I have often wanted to blog about it, but just couldn't figure out how. You always sum up these complicated topics so well and in such an entertaining way! Please stop worrying, ok? You don't have to memorize the classifications of visas. Just know where to look. You will do great! And imo, it's only slightly more complicated than IV, but not really, bec it builds on IV, rather than starting anew.

[Daniela]

OMG - I love that graphic too. I have to print that and hang it on my wall.

As far as that comment. I am also an EFM in ConGen, I try not to get upset but I will take this opportunity to remind that person that we, EFMS, have to take a test to qualify for ConGen and can get in the class if all the employees that need to take a class are already in one and there's space available. Otherwise, we are out of luck. Does the tax payer foot the bill for our employees spouses to be in class? Yes, because they do important work protecting US interests abroad. They are smart and they more than earn their keep. We, the EFMs, may or may not be quite as smart but we certainly make sacrifices to support them in what they do. And let's not forget that when we go out there in the world, we often have to kiss our careers good bye. For a variety of reasons, there just aren't very many jobs opportunities for us abroad. And when we do get a job at the embassy/consulate, we have to qualify for it just like everyone else and guess what? The tax payer gets a deal on us because we get paid less than an FSO, don't need additional housing, insurance, etc. So, yeah, if you think EFMs are a burden on the tax payer, think again.

[A Daring Adventure]

Thank you so much for the support, ladies!

And Daniela - I know you totally understand exactly where I'm coming from in terms of being an EFM and the difficulties EFMs face. First hand.

But on top of all of that... really, truly, US taxpayer money does NOT fund *ANY* of the training that I/we have been taking for this last (almost) year. None of it. Not language, and not CERTAINLY not ConGen. None of it is funded with US taxpayer money. That's just one of the many reasons (you explained some of the others) I went off on that guy.

[tom]

@a daring adventure = where does the money for EFM training come from if not from taxpayer dollars? not saying taxpayers shouldn't pay for it but i don't see how you can argue that they don't.

[A Daring Adventure]

Hey, Tom,

Technical discussions of exact methods and ways that State funds this or that really are above my pay grade. (Which isn't hard, being as that I'm just an EFM right now and *have* no pay grade.)

In the end, if there are no other ways to verify what I'm saying is true (I haven't searched online so I don't know what's out there on this topic), then I guess all you can do is decide whether or not you find me to be credible.

[TG]

Hubby is NIV chief right now. . . to be honest, from what I see, consular is on the front lines of US safety and defense -- right up there with the US military. I have a lot of respect for those working on the CON lines and discerning people's truth from BS.