Your HR representative should reach out directly to your current agency’s HR to initiate the required transfer paperwork.  Contact your HR representative for any specific questions.  Detailed information about transferring health benefits is available on the OPM website.  

If you transfer to another agency, your FEHB enrollment and coverage continue without change when you transfer from one payroll office to another without a break in service of more than three days. Your employing office will promptly take action to transfer your enrollment. 

Joining the Foreign Service is NOT a qualifying event that will allow you to switch plans; however, moving overseas is.  

If you have dental/vision benefits, you must notify BENEFEDS at 1-877-888-FEDS (3337) of the change in payroll office. Contact your HR representative before calling to get the new payroll office code.  

If you are currently enrolled in FSAFEDS and going to another agency, you must call FSAFEDS at 1-877-FSAFEDS (372-3337) to notify them of the change. Note that your bi-weekly allotment towards an FSA might be adjusted if you skip a payment.  

We recommend obtaining a copy of your SF-50, final earnings and leave statement, leave balance, and any other relevant documents from your previous job(s). Although they will eventually be transferred to DOS, this process might take a while.  

Your leave will eventually be transferred to DOS, but this process will take some time. 

Relax! As long as you fill out all the required forms in the GTM Next portal and accept the salary offer, you will be starting orientation as expected. You can refer to the Day One page for how to prepare for your first day. There are also the local hire and non-local hire checklists for your reference. 

Your class will receive bid lists during the first week of orientation (perhaps even at the end of your first day). Carefully review your bid list and consider your priorities when ranking the locations among your highs, mediums, and lows. Take advantage of the Diplo-Buddies mentorship program to ask a member of the prior class about any useful tips!

The Sneak Peak page provides an overview of what to expect during orientation. You will get a more detailed schedule on your first day, but please be aware that the schedule is subject to change. You can expect to have several free blocks of time each week that are meant for self-study and other administrative tasks (e.g., time to get your badge or take required online trainings). The days will be a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, with an average of 3-4 in-person days each week. 

This will depend entirely on your post assignment. Some of you with the required language skills may be going abroad within weeks of the end of orientation. Others may need intensive language and technical training that keeps them at FSI for another year. 

You will receive your first paycheck within 4-6 weeks of the start of training. You are paid starting Day One, but deposits are not made until the second pay period after you start.  

For health insurance, if you are coming from another federal agency, please follow HR instructions. You should be able to continue the coverage of your current plan without any interruption. Please note that this is not considered a qualifying event that allows you to change insurance at this time; you will have that opportunity when you move to post.

For those new to the federal workforce, if you complete your health forms (SF-2809) in the GTM Next portal, your insurance will take effect approximately 2-3 weeks after you start training. You will not be covered for health care that occurs prior to that effective date, so please make appropriate arrangements. 

Refer to the Shuttle and Transportation section. For folks living in DC, the most practical way to get to FSI is to commute to either HST (Main State) or Rosslyn and take the shuttle from there.  Double-check that the shuttle is going to your intended destination before boarding.   

You will attend a presentation during orientation explaining this, but the short answer is, at the end of the month, you will have to log into a portal through your State account and manually request the M&I per diem, which will then be deposited into your bank account. PowerPoint slides will be shared with you detailing the steps. You will not be able to obtain this per diem until the end of your first month.  

You will likely be provided with a laptop and cell phone as part of the Tech4Life program. It is recommended you use these devices in case problems arise with your personal device. Using a personal laptop is acceptable, but depending on your laptop, you may need to purchase an USB-C to USB adapter since you will need to insert a card reader. The provided laptops have built-in card readers. 

As for accessing your State email through your personal phone, note there are certain privacy considerations and rules. For example, if you have TikTok on your personal phone, you will be asked to delete the application if you wish to log into your State account on that same device.  

Not really. There are online courses that you must take by law, but you are given many days to get through them and given time during the day to make progress on them. There will usually be happy hours or other opportunities to socialize after some workdays.