The Foreign Service Journal - December 2017

100 DECEMBER 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT M any Foreign Service parents spend an enormous amount of time determining which posts have the best schools for their children. These are delicate decisions that have a large impact on family life. Parents serving overseas may be eligible to receive an education allowance to help cover the cost of their chil- dren’s education. The education allowance is designed to assist in defraying education costs at post that would normally be provided free of charge by public schools in the United States. Think about what is normally provided in a public school in America, and this will give you a reasonably accurate idea of what you can expect to have reimbursed under the education allowance. Tuition and books, yes. Afterschool activities or band instruments, no. To understand a bit more about education allowances, and find out about recent allowance updates, the family Liaison Office spoke with the Department of State’s Office of Allowances. FLO: Which government employees are eligible for an education allowance? Do all agencies follow the Department of State education allowance regulations ? DOS Office of Allowances: Any U.S. direct-hire employee serving overseas with school-aged children may be eligible to receive an education allowance under the Department of State Standardized Regulations, Section 270. All federal government agencies follow these regulations, although each agency may have its own supplemental regulations that further clarify or restrict the allowance. … Marybeth Hunter is the education and youth officer in the State Department’s Family Liaison Office. Read her full interview with the State Department’s Office of Allowances at bit.ly/ UpdateEducationAllowances. FROM THE JUNE 2017 FSJ EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Facts and Updates: Making Sense of the Department of State Education Allowance BYMARYBETH HUNTER

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