Grad/Undergrad internships with State Dept

[Jerry Ervin]

On 7 January AATSEEL received a fax from the US Dept of State about the FASCELL
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM, with a pointer to the following Web page:

http://www.state.gov/www/careers/rfascell.html

The deadline for applying for the Fascell Fellowships for 1997-98 is 15 January.
Since not everyone on email also has access to the Web, I've gone to the State
Department page and am placing pertinent Fascell text here.  You might want to
share this information with your students, either for this competition or to get
them thinking early about next year's competition.

My apologies for not cleaning up the line feeds/carriage returns.

--Jerry Ervin

*  *  *  *  *
Gerard L. Ervin
Executive Director, AATSEEL
1933 N. Fountain Park Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85715 USA
phone/fax:  520/885-2663
email:  76703.2063 at compuserve.com

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              Fascell Fellowship Program 1997-98

There are a limited number of temporary service appointments (1-2 years) for
Undergraduate or
Graduate Students or other individuals with emphasis in International Affairs or
Foreign
Languages/Area Studies and working knowledge of the following countries: Slovak
Republic,
Kazakstan, Romanian, Hungary, St. Petersburg, Russia, Czech Republic, Poland and
Uzbekistan.

In 1986 Congress authorized the Department of State (DOS) to establish a limited
number of
Fellowship opportunities for service at United States diplomatic or consular
missions in Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union. Although this authority was expanded in 1990
to offer
Fellowships worldwide, due to limited funding, the program continues to be
restricted to the above
mentioned geographic areas. The purpose of the legislation, which is referred to
as the "Fascell
Fellowship Act" is to allow Fellows to serve on a short-term basis at United
States diplomatic or
consular missions in order to obtain firsthand exposure to the culture-including
(as appropriate)
independent area and/or language study-of those countries selected for
participation in this
program. Fellowships are intended for undergraduate and graduate students or
other individuals
who are interested in foreign affairs and who have acquired country-specific
expertise in one or
more of the countries listed under participating posts.

Fellows selected for the program will occupy positions in U.S. embassies or
consulates, which
require a high level of language proficiency. The majority of the positions are
staff support
positions, such as: administrative assistant, consular assistant, or GSO
(General Services
Operations) assistant. Specific positions vary from year to year, as do the
number of Fellowships
available.

Due to lengthy selection and clearance process (which may take 9-12 months),
applications are
solicited well in advance of the Fellowship opportunity. After selection by a
specially established
Fellowship Board, employment will be offered to Fellows upon successful
completion of security
and medical clearances.

Eligibility

To be considered for the Fascell Fellowship Program, you must meet the following
minimum
requirements:

       U.S. citizenship, 21 years of age (at closing date of application
deadline).
       A working knowledge of the country (countries) in which you wish to be
considered for a
       Fellowship appointment. Language competency may be verified by DOS
language
       training/testing staff.
       Current enrollment in or recent completion of an academic program focused
on languages
       and/or area studies, or related professional experience.
       Ability to obtain a Department of State Top Secret clearance and to meet
Department of
       State medical standards.

Application Procedures

Applications should be requested from and submitted to the:

U.S. Department of State
Fascell Fellowship Program
Recruitment Division (PER/REE) - WWW
P.O. Box 9317
Rosslyn Station
Arlington, VA 22219

Applications consist of the following (one original and two copies of
each item listed below)

       A Completed Application for Federal Employment (DS-1950).
       Resume. Please include honors, awards, special certificates, licenses;
computer skills;
       special interests/accomplishments, publications, memberships in
professional/honor
       societies, leadership activities, public speaking, and performance
awards.
       Brief statement (no less than 250 words) outlining your reasons for
pursuing a
       Fellowship.
       Official college and university transcripts, including language report,
GRE scores (if
       applicable), and cumulative GPA (Grade Point Average) for each degree
received.
       (Transcripts are required for each institution attended).
       Two letters of recommendation from individuals who know your academic
qualifications
       and/or your related professional experience. At least one of the
recommendation letters
       must specifically address your language skills for the country or
countries in which you
       wish to work. (In commenting on your language proficiency, the college or
university
       faculty member should address the following criteria: aural
comprehension, and speaking,
       reading, and writing abilities).

Applications are rated on the above criteria.

Only originals are required of the following two forms:

       Employment Data Form.
       Self-Identification Handicap Form.

Application Deadline: January 15, 1997 (postmark).

Selection and Clearance Process

All applications are evaluated and selections are made by the Fascell Fellowship
Board. Non-select
letters are sent to unsuccessful candidates. Those individuals selected as
finalists and alternates will
be asked to complete forms providing information necessary to conduct a security
clearance
investigation. Having close relatives, personal contacts, lived or worked in the
country for which
the Fellowship application is made, may affect the length of time of the
security process.

Terms of Appointment

Fellowships are granted for a period of 1 to 2 years. This period may include
training, orientation,
and briefings prior to beginning the assignment abroad. Accompanying family
members are not
eligible for training, but may be included in orientation and/or briefing
sessions, if appropriate.

Fellows are given temporary Federal appointments, and are Federal Government
employees during
this period. Therefore, they are required to adhere to the standards and ethics
applicable to Foreign
Service personnel, including strict compliance with post policies governing
contact with host
country nationals, which vary from one country to another.

       Compensation is at the rate of $19,801 per year (equivalent to the FP-09
salary level), paid
       in 26 equal installments.
       U.S. Government-furnished housing will be supplied at no expense.
       Health insurance coverage is not included under the Fellowship. Although
Fellows will
       have access to the Department of State medical program at post, they will
be asked to
       purchase outside health insurance to provide for complete coverage.
       Travel and transportation costs to and from post of assignment incidental
to the Fellow's
       and any accompanying family members will be paid by the government. (See
note below
       for exception.) All family members must hold passports consistent with
U.S. Government
       and host government policies.
       Where applicable, Fellows will be entitled to an airfreight shipment, a
surface shipment, a
       consumables shipment, post allowance and post differential.
       Educational allowances payable to dependents of Foreign Service personnel
are payable to
       dependents of Fascell Fellows, if dependents accompany the Fascell Fellow
to post.

Participating posts designated as unaccompanied posts, i.e. dependents
may not accompany the Fellow:

       Almaty, Kazakhstan
       Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Participating posts designated as accompanied posts, i.e. dependents
may accompany the Fellow:

       Bratislava, Slovak Republic
       Bucharest, Romania
       Budapest, Hungary
       Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia
       Prague, Czech Republic
       Warsaw, Poland