The last you heard, this blog's deeply flawed and extremely neurotic female protagonist (me) was hyperventilating over her approaching final progress test in her FSI Chinese class.
The good news is that my progress test went very well.
The bad news is that my progress test went very well.
How could this possibly be bad news? you may ask. Well, I am now butting my head up against some extremely difficult EFM issues.
Not that I haven't butted my head up against extremely difficult EFM issues in the past, of course. I just haven't blogged about them much. For example, when James was first assigned to China a year ago or so, I tried to get into ConGen.
(For those of you who may not know, ConGen is a class that all Consular folks have to take about Visa laws and such. EFMs who want to have jobs in the Consular area of post have to take the class, also, but only get leftover seats. Which there usually are between none and very few of.)
This was a most unpleasant experience, as the State contractor with whom EFMs had to interact in order to get into the class actually laughed at me when I said I wanted to take the class. I'm assuming this had to do with lack of ConGen space, etc. He was also rather obnoxious and insinuated that most EFMs can't pass the basic English skills tests that an EFM has to pass in order to even QUALIFY to even be PUT ON THE WAITING LIST to take ConGen.* Jerk.
[* FYI, I have heard, though I do not know for sure, that any EFM that does not pass the English pre-screening exam(s) has to wait two years before being allowed to attempt it/them again. That's a long time!]
Back then, between hearing how deep the waiting list was for ConGen, how unlikely it was for any certain EFM to get in, and how I had to go down to Main State to take all manner of tests and whatnot, I didn't even try to get in.
However, today I'm in a completely different place. This is because I'm on track, within a month or so, to get my 2/1 in Chinese, or so says the Chinese Department. This could actually translate itself into a job at post for me, but I MUST (and I mean MUST) also take ConGen in order to qualify for and get the job I have had my eye on for a long time (it's in the Consular section...more on this later). Without ConGen, my 2/1 is useless. Without my 2/1, ConGen would be useless. I must have both. Keep this in mind for later.
[Insert short discussion of how much my family and I have given up just for me to take Chinese. An eternity of paying huge sums of rent and utilities just to be near FSI, since we're not on per diem. An eternity of my homeschooling sons spinning their wheels without their mother/teacher. An eternity of crying because Chinese is Just. That. Hard. and having no life. An eternity of working and not getting paid a single cent (or having either of us on per diem). You get the picture.]
Thus, the task at hand is: Getting me into ConGen. This is harder than it looks, and it don't look too easy.
The ConGen class that would naturally fit into my training schedule and James' training schedule will most likely not have any seats left over for me. [Again, EFMs get only leftover seats.] This means that I have two possible ConGen class choices, neither of which are very palatable.
Bad Choice #1: I can try to take the Chinese test a week and a half early. But the only testing slots open are at 7:30 am. I can't even speak ENGLISH well at 7:30 am, let alone Chinese.
Other downsides to Bad Choice #1 include the fact that people are encouraged by the Chinese Department to push their tests BACK rather than forward (because Chinese is Just. That. Hard.), and the really bad news that if I take the Chinese test early but then fail it, all hope of the job goes out the window because if you fail a test while in language training, you must stay in the language a minimum of another SIX WEEKS of full time language training until you can try testing again, which means that I would have no time to take ConGen before going to post.
Which leaves us with...
Bad Choice #2: I wait until a much later ConGen class, which makes us stay in Virginia roughly another month. Another month of rent/utilities. My husband's training would have long been over. Post wants him there, like, YESTERDAY anyway. My children would be missing even more school at post. So the really late ConGen class would mess over our finances, my husband, and my children. Not. Good.
Faced with those two really awful scenarios (and did I mention that I have long since gone down to Main State TWICE to take and pass those English proficiency exams that the Contractor Jerk long ago told me most EFMs failed?), I am at a loss as to how to proceed.
And now I will introduce you to how State broke my heart.
Up until last week, I have quietly accepted (not happily, but quietly) the truth that EFMs are given only the crumbs from the table. We are, after all, not employees, I have continually reminded myself. As an EFM, I have served as my own advocate, hunting down people that know schedules for training and such, and being a royal pest in trying to figure out how best to squeeze myself into the leftover spaces, should any become available.
But then, last week, State came out with this. They Tweeted it and posted it and trumpeted it from the skies. Friends of mine emailed it to me. State bloggers more interesting than I have talked about it here (Muttering Behind the Hardlines) and here (Consul-At-Arms II).
That job is an official, codified edition (now open to the Universe at Large) of the job that I have been aiming for ever since last fall, that used to be aimed at only EFMs. The job that I have to have a 2/1 in Chinese for and ConGen for. The job that I have been sacrificing my family for for many, many months.
[UPDATE: Just to be clear on something, the EFM job I'm discussing - it's called the PAS, or Professional Adjudication Specialist position, is still being used in China and some other high-Visa-demand posts. For more information on this issue, go here.]
Did you catch the part about how this particular job used to be only for EFMs? And now is newly-titled and open to The Universe at Large? And EFMs aren't given any preference for the newly-titled job? So.
Why does this new job announcement break your heart? you might ask. Many reasons.
I suppose that the need in China for Consular help is so very, very great that State was forced to put out this set of jobs and trumpet it far and wide. But look what they are doing!
They will be PAYING SOMEONE to go through ConGen. They will be PAYING to hire them and move them to train at FSI. They will be GIVING THEM PER DIEM through the training. They will be FURNISHING THEM WITH SET CONGEN CLASSES. Then they will be MOVING THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES OVERSEAS. They will be PAYING FOR THEIR HOUSING, and probably even paying to send their children to school, etc.
On top of that, they will be giving them all sorts of additional pay that an EFM would not have been otherwise entitled to, and additional benefits.
Do you see what I'm saying? They're so desperate to fill Consular adjudicator spots in China that they have to create brand-new positions... but they can't find a single seat in a ConGen class for me. And they wouldn't have to pay me a salary during ConGen! And they wouldn't have to pay me per diem! And they're already moving us over to China! And when I get there, they don't pay me a single penny above the base salary!
Post even wants me. I'm also the WAY cheapest source of labor.
And I don't know that I can even get into ConGen.
Why don't you apply for that job they just announced? you might ask me.
Because I'm not going to move to China, put my children in school (hopefully), and then turn around and fly all the way back to the US, be away from my family for two months, by myself, all in order to take ConGen. Also, I don't know if there would be any guarantee that I would get assigned to Chengdu when it was all over. I could actually just picture it now: I would get hired for that job and then assigned to Beijing or something.
Why don't you just wait until the ConGen class off season and come back to the US and take ConGen?
This question is referring to the fact that ConGen classes are very heavily attended in the summer, and usually less attended in the winter. The way this works is, an EFM will PAY TO FLY THEMSELVES from post during the off-season, PAY to PUT THEMSELVES UP IN A HOTEL OR SOMETHING during the many weeks of ConGen, stay by themselves, etc., and then PAY TO FLY THEMSELVES BACK TO POST when ConGen is over. The financial outlay for this is huge, but some spouses do it because it will hopefully get them a job at post when all is said and done.
I will not be doing this. I REFUSE TO DO THIS. We have been in DC for I can't even count how long. I tried to get into ConGen a year ago and got laughed at. I have proven myself able to pass the English exams, able to take (and hopefully pass?) Chinese, and I have paid rent in this place for long enough. I will not pay a SINGLE PENNY MORE to take ConGen. State either gives it to me while I'm here, or I take that as a sign from God that it's not meant to be.
Why don't you just take ConGen over a future R&R?
In this scenario, I would presumably use an R&R plane ticket that would fly us from Chengdu to Florida (our home of record) and then go out of pocket to get myself to DC, put myself up somewhere, and get through ConGen. It would cost less than paying all of those costs PLUS a plane ticket back and forth from China, but it would still cost a ton of money, separate me from my family for a long period of time, etc. Then I would ostensibly have to fly by myself back to China or whatever. Bottom line? NOT. DOING. IT.
You sound really ticked off!
You have no idea. Granted, it may all work out in the end. I may either take the Hail Mary and try to take the test early (at 7:30 am), or the ConGen class time I most need might become available at the last minute, or I might strand my family in Virginia and pay tons more money just to take the late ConGen class. Who knows?
But, in the end, you know what's the worst part? The really, really worst part?
It dawned on me that the last eight months of my life... the whole time in Chinese... the taking the qualifying ConGen exams and submitting applications to Post... the stressing about trying to get into ConGen against all odds...
Is just for ONE JOB at ONE POST for only TWO YEARS.
Just think about that.
Once my husband leaves Chengdu, I have to start All. Over. Again.
Each and every EFM... we have to start All. Over. Again. at each and every post.
Why don't you apply as an FSO so you guys can go tandem? If you get your 2/1, you can even get SCNL points! Then you don't have to start all over again at every post!
I graduated magna cum laude (missed summa by .01, darn it all) with a B.S. in Political Science (with an emphasis in International Affairs) and a minor in Criminal Justice. I feel like I would at least have a shot in the FSO process, especially with SCNL points. But, as of right now at least, I have no and I mean NO desire to do this. AT. ALL.
I've seen what happens to tandems sometimes. I mean, sure, sometimes it works out. The birds sing, the unicorns dance over happy rainbows, and the couple stays together. But, really? I don't know that that's the majority of the time. And I'm sure as heck not going to be split apart, let alone over and over again. It's not worth it to me.
I apologize to anyone to whom I owe emails. In the past, I was really good about picking up the pom-poms and helping people who reached out to me with questions about State and such. But, honestly, between Chinese eating my lunch, worrying about moving, and going through these really difficult/painful EFM issues, I've sort of lost my pom-poms along the way. Forgive me for being incommunicative, but I'm starting to know that I honestly have no wisdom to give. I dare not help anyone make decisions when I can't even make them for myself.
Forgive me.
Ok a few things - I speak English very well and know you do too. Welcome to the Foreign Service. And I think there is also glitter involved when the tandem thing works out.
Posted by: Amy | 05/30/2011 at 07:19 AM
The dark side of the Foreign Service. Hang in there, it will all work out. Just when I thought I had problems...It will get better.
Posted by: Heidi | 05/30/2011 at 08:45 AM
Rolling my eyes in frustration with you... and sending you a personal note later today!
As a side note - never apologize for what you can or can't give to everyone out there in the blogsosphere... you can't be everything to everyone one. Just be who YOU need to be for your family - they're the important ones!
xx
Posted by: Jill | 05/30/2011 at 09:02 AM
Don't take no for an answer about the ConGen registration stuff. My ConGen class had I think five or six EFMs in a class of less than 30 people. So... it's just baloney that there's no room for EFMs. There is. Yes, you have to take a test to apply, but as long as English is your primary language it's basically a formality. My new theory as I fight my own logistical battles is that everyone's first response to everything is "no" simply because they hope you'll go away and their job will be easier, even if "no" isn't actually the true or right answer. Be your own advocate, and keep asking, as frustrating as it is that that's necessary.
Posted by: alex | 05/30/2011 at 09:28 AM
It took me almost 2 years just to find a job in Beijing. But you speak Chinese (better than I did after 3 years there, go you!), so they will find a place to use you. Maybe not consular, and in which case - their loss! But someone there at post will be smart enough to realize they can hire you (for a pittance) to relieve their work load. Write to the HR director if you haven't yet and tell them you're coming and planning to work. Write to the PD person too - they might need someone with your computer skills. When you get to post, introduce yourself to everyone as "hi I'm Daring Adventure and I have 2/1 Chinese and I can't wait to get a job here at the Consulate!" Something will turn up. Meanwhile, the bright side: you can spend the first few months making friends, taking pictures and exploring your new home town - something you won't be able to do once you are gainfully employed. Heck, you might even find time to update your blog more than once every 90 days (hint, hint...).
Ahhh, but welcome to the world of the EFM. It doesn't matter if you have more education than your potential bosses - you'll still be doing the grunt work in many cases.
Posted by: Donna | 05/30/2011 at 09:54 AM
Donna is right.. oh, I don't have her experience looking for work at post as an EFM, I just meant the part where she says "THEIR LOSS"! Emphasis, mine.
Posted by: Connie | 05/30/2011 at 11:20 AM
Oh Kolbi! State just makes it so hard on EFMs sometimes. I agree go for it and if it doesn't work out then it is a sigh that it wasn't meant to be and there is something else out there waiting for you, at least that is the way I would have to look at it to keep from driving myself nuts. The not being able to have a long term career unless you want to go tandem (and I soooo don't!) is one of the most prevalent complaints among spouses.
On a different note did you get the email about vehicles I sent last time you posted? I couldn't post a comment (stupid Malawi internet) so I finally just e-mailed you, but my e-mail seems to be as wonky as anything else internet connected here so I just wanted to make sure you got it, if not I will send again. There is absolutely nothing to forgive! I have no idea how you are doing it all. I am sadly sinking here with just one homeschool kid and no language lessons and a maid. You are a better woman than me!
Posted by: Shannon Mullins | 05/30/2011 at 11:23 AM
Thanks for the mention.
The timing, and the unhelpfulness of that un-named contract employee, just sucks (if you'll excuse my lapsing into technical jargon).
I quite appreciate your reasoned reluctance to become a tandem couple. That sort of life presents precisely the challenges you recognize. It's not for everyone. I'm fortunate in having as my FS spouse someone who grew up as a FS brat and remembered enough about her mother's experiences to help me make an informed decision about whether to accept my FS appointment in the first place.
It doesn't seem like the Consular adjudicator/associate option is going to work for China this time around, but I (as a consular manager) beseech you please to not give up on the idea for future posts. As a young(er) J.O., I worked side-by-side with EFM Consular Associates who did great work, and I was pleased to see them resurrect this career field a few years ago.
Posted by: Consul-At-Arms | 05/30/2011 at 01:44 PM
The contractor who laughed at you was a dick of the highest order, first of all. Secondly, even if the ConGen thing doesn't work out, a 2/1 in Chinese isn't going to be useless. You're still going to be living in China, whether you're doing Consular interviews or not, and believe me when I say that you're going to be very, very glad indeed to have some Mandarin under your belt when you get here. Seriously. My post is in a relatively cosmopolitan city, and I'm hugely relieved to have even my half-assed Mandarin. It makes traveling easier, it makes shopping easier, it makes everything easier. I suspect that that will only be more the case in Chengdu, which is more remote and less likely to have hundreds of fluent English speakers wandering around. So no, learning Chinese, job prospects or no, will not have been useless, IMHO.
And I'm with those who are saying that whether the consular thing works out or not, you'll find a job at post. As far as I can tell here, most (all?) of the EFMs who want to work have found something. So I wouldn't despair yet of ever finding work at post. Sure, some of the ConGen people are being douchebags (has post contacted them an emphasized that they want you, BTW?), but screw those guys. Consular work isn't necessarily the only gig at post, at least not at mine, and I'd be surprised if it was at yours. We have EFMs working in PD, Pol/Econ, all over the place. Something else could come up, and even if it's not what you originally planned on doing, it might actually be better.
Posted by: Diplogeek | 05/30/2011 at 03:23 PM
Wow. I'm glad you picked up on this subject. That indeed is not cool. But I agree with others on here who say to keep the faith. You will end up with a job in China, I am quite sure. And you are learning a very valuable lesson about how freaking frustrating -- and counter-intuitive --life in the Foreign Service can be....
Posted by: NDS | 05/30/2011 at 03:57 PM
You poor thing, that sounds soooo frustrating. I don't know if this will make you feel any better but...
1. When you say Post wants you, they really do. Some contractor might have been a huge jerk and insulted your intelligence just because your an EFM but I know the Consular section would be so happy to have ou if they could.
2.Like other people are saying, having 2-1 Chinese will be an IMMENSE help here in Chengdu. You will feel much more comfortable right out the gate exploring, getting things done, finding your way around.
3. Working at Post, while a great opportunity to pull down a salary and interact with grown-ups all day (err well in Consular section grown ups, school kids and grandmas) is not the be all, end all. I feel like I learned much more Chinese and had a much deeper experience of China while I was not working here. That might not be what you want, but there is a silver lining.
4. There are other jobs at post, mine actually! :) Shoot me an email and I can give you the full scoop. It might be worth applying for while you wait to see if ConGen works out. Best part? no security clearance needed!
Posted by: Danielle | 05/30/2011 at 04:42 PM
If post wants you, then they need to be your advocate to get into CONGEN. Make them send a front channel cable to FSI saying you are slotted for a consular assistant/associate position and it is imperative that you receive the training. It works. My wife got in that way. While they can be bad about listening to an EFM, they will rarely ignore a Consul General or a section at a HTF post asking for help.
On the consular adjudicator job, why not apply for it? There are plenty of tandem couples in the FS (and they are not all officer-officer tandems), and if they know you are going to Chengdu they will certainly have an incentive to send you as well to save on housing and shipping costs. Plus, we're talking about 10 positions in China, all that require a 2/1 Mandarin score. That's a high number, especially considering the salary, benefits, and uncertain length involved with the jobs. Of course they have to train, pay, and fly these people to post, to do anything else would not be fair to them at all as State does that with every other direct hire. As EFM positions are hired from post, it is up to post to take care of travel and expenses. So you're comparing apples and oranges.
We've been doing this FS thing for 11 years now, and we've put up with our fair share of EFM bs. I sympathize, especially as my wife has experienced as bad and worse. But that being said the biggest lesson we've learned is to be your own advocate, find and exploit allies, and never take the first (or second or third) no as an answer.
Finally (and I know that this post is getting really long), if you are hired by post to the consular position, they will pay to fly you back to ConGen, and cover hotel and M&IE. I suppose if you are going back at your own initiative in hopes of getting a future position, that might be the case, but I would say that's a foolish thing to do. If you are at post, then get them to hire you and eat the cost.
Posted by: 11 years on | 05/30/2011 at 04:56 PM
so sorry Kolbi that you are struggling. I do believe it will work out. I will be sending good thoughts your way.
And I had no idea that those positions involve moving families abroad and all. What on earth? I thought they were just hiring people who live in country...very odd.
But regardless, you are awesome and you will figure this out. And your Chinese will definitely be useful, no matter what, but you just don't know how yet.
Posted by: bfiles | 05/30/2011 at 05:39 PM
If you do go through ConGen, remember you only have to go through it once. So the process doesn't really restart at next post. Just the bureaucracy does...
Heck, here in Manila there are plenty of jobs for EFMs, but then I see a HR benefits specialist job posted -- something I have years of experience on -- with a "nursing degree required" There's nothing about nursing that makes you experienced in HR (and vice-versa). Was this job written for someone in particular or what? I'm still not an US Citizen, so not eligible anyway, but why even bother?
Posted by: Carla @ I Run, You Run | 05/30/2011 at 06:01 PM
I am sorry you are having such a hard time getting both ConGen and Chinese down before you guys leave. I am trying to do the same thing with ConGen and Hindi and it's not looking very promising so far but I haven't given up. I will keep trying and hope you will too. If we are lucky, one day, we'll laugh about this over a glass of whine...
Posted by: Daniela | 05/30/2011 at 06:13 PM
"Finally (and I know that this post is getting really long), if you are hired by post to the consular position, they will pay to fly you back to ConGen, and cover hotel and M&IE."
That depends on the post; I know that my former post definitely would not have (I asked our Management Officer).
And I have run into the same brick wall as far as taking ConGen this time around (despite the suggestion that I might want to drop out of language to take it at a less over-subscribed time). Remember that Consular Assistant jobs don't require ConGen, only Consular Associate/Professional Adjudicator.
Good luck, I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this.
Posted by: Lisa Mishkin | 05/30/2011 at 07:09 PM
I just came from Guangzhou and none of the 6 EFMs I worked with had taken Congen (I worked in the Consular Section). It won't be a dealbreaker to getting an EFM job.
Posted by: Brooke | 06/01/2011 at 01:40 PM
DA,
Sorry I came to this late.
The two programs are completely unrelated, and AFSA has been asured that EFM jobs will not be affected. EFMs who are qualified should still be hired into Consular Associate and other jobs. The problem is that some countries (the so called BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China) now need much more help than EFMs can provide, and the employees involved have to be fully language qualified. There are EFMs who have Chinese, Russian, portuguese and Hindi, but not enough. I will get out a cablke on this soon, explaining more.
Best regards,
Daniel Hirsch
Posted by: Daniel Hirsch | 06/03/2011 at 05:08 AM
Wow. And :(
I hope this resolves for you, and well, for all of us.
Posted by: Spectrummy Mummy | 06/03/2011 at 09:02 AM
Beyond frustrating! Like everyone has said though, something will work out. Also, re: China to Fla. to D.C.: Your R&R trip doesn't have to be to your home of record and then cost-constructed; it can be to anywhere in the U.S. or its territories (!), or cost-constructed abroad from your R&R Point. You probably know that but just mentioning it so you don't think you have to cost-construct in the U.S. from Florida when the time comes to take your first, well deserved, va-cay!! :)
Posted by: Megan | 06/03/2011 at 04:10 PM
OH NO! Leave it to State to do something that makes absolutely no sense and screws over those of us who are incredibly supportive of our spouses. The politics of this business never cease to amaze me! Good luck and hang in there!
Posted by: Melissa | 06/04/2011 at 09:40 PM
I'm a PAS in China... There are 5 or 6 of us in Mission China right now, I believe. Don't stress about ConGen! After Chinese, it was a walk in the park. Although there were a few people who didn't make it through, at least 2 of them were non-native English speakers. You'll need to study for ConGen, of course, but it'll be manageable. Good Luck! Just keep your head up, keep moving forward and don't take no for answer.
Posted by: PAS | 09/04/2011 at 02:35 AM