Urgently needed Family of overseas employees 2025

Job Description

Family of Overseas Employees

Eligibility

Hiring opportunities depend on whether you are currently employed overseas and planning to return to the United States or if you are preparing to move overseas with a family member who has been assigned to an official overseas position.

Are You Working Overseas and Moving Back to the United States?

If you are presently overseas with a family member and are returning to the United States, you may qualify for a competitive service job without competing with the public, provided you meet all of the following criteria:

• You are living overseas with a family member who has an official overseas duty station assignment.
• You are the spouse, domestic partner, or an unmarried child under the age of 23 of the assigned family member.
• You have worked for at least 52 weeks in an appropriated fund position under a local hire appointment.
• You have received a successful or equivalent performance rating during your tenure.

If eligible, you can:

• Apply for competitive service jobs in the United States, allowing agencies to hire you directly without requiring public competition.
• Apply for merit promotion jobs, provided the job application includes the designation “open to family of overseas employees.”

Family of overseas Are You Moving Overseas with Your Family Member?

If you are relocating overseas due to a Family of overseas official duty assignment, you may qualify to apply for federal government jobs abroad. There are two primary options available:

1. Department of Defense’s Overseas Family Member Preference (FMP)

You may qualify for an overseas job under this program if you meet the following criteria:

• You are residing overseas with a family member who is either a U.S. Armed Forces member or a U.S. federal employee officially assigned to an overseas duty station.
• You are the spouse, domestic partner, or an unmarried child under 23 of the assigned family member.
• You have not accepted or declined a permanent or temporary position of one year or longer at your family member’s new duty station.
• You are applying for a job within the same commuting area as your family member’s permanent duty station.

2. Department of State’s Family Member Appointment (FMA)

If you are a family member of someone employed by the Department of State, you may qualify for overseas jobs if you meet the following criteria:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You are included in the travel orders accompanying a career Foreign Service, Civil Service employee, or uniformed service member stationed at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad, or you are listed on the OF 126 (Automated Foreign Service Residency and Dependency Report).
• You are the spouse, same-sex domestic partner (who has filed an affidavit), or an unmarried child aged 18 to under 21 of the assigned family member.

Family of overseas What About Annuitants?

• If you are a military annuitant and meet the above qualifications, you are eligible to apply under FMA.
• If you are a civil service annuitant, you are not eligible under this program.

Important: Eligibility does not guarantee employment in the federal government. You must still apply for positions and meet qualification standards, along with additional requirements such as a background investigation.

How Do I Know if a Job Is Open to Family of Overseas Employees?

To determine if a job is open to family members of overseas employees, look for the “This job is open to” section in the job announcement. If a position is open to family members of overseas employees, you will see the relevant icon displayed. Other eligible groups may also be listed.

It is essential to read the full job announcement to verify if the position falls under either the Department of Defense or Department of State hiring programs. These programs have specific requirements, and you may encounter terms like Family Member Preference (FMP) or Family Member Appointment (FMA) in the job listing.

You can also use the Family of Overseas Employees filter while searching for jobs. This will display all available positions open to family members of overseas employees.