Global Employment Initiative (GEI)
- Established by the Family Liaison Office (FLO) to help family members explore employment and professional development options while posted overseas.
- Global Employment Advisors (GEAs) provide on-site and virtual employment coaching sessions, training workshops, and career development services at no cost to eligible family members and members of household.
- Helps international employers fill vacancies by utilizing out capable family members already overseas.
GEI Information:
GEI is not a job placement service; instead, it support family members in their job search by providing resources, guidance, and facilitating skills development. Currently, there are 20 Global Employment Advisors (GEAs) covering all of the over 200 posts, creating a worldwide network of employment coaches who understand the challenges of working overseas.
Services Available for Foreign Service Family Members
The Family Liaison Office’s Global Employment Initiative (GEI) helps family members explore employment and professional development options overseas and when returning to the U.S.
The following services are offered at post via webinars and one-on-one meetings both in person and remotely:
- Advice on both inside and outside the mission employment
- Preparation of culturally appropriate resumes
- Tips and practice for interviews
- Briefings on cross-cultural workplace issues
- Self-employment, telework, and strategic volunteer options
- Networking Guidance
- Long-term employment planning and strategy
Questions: GEI@state.gov
Global Employment Advisors (GEAs)
Global Employment Advisors (GEAs) provide on-site and virtual job coaching sessions, training workshops, and career development services at no cost to family members of U.S. government employees who will serve, are currently serving, or have recently returned from serving overseas under Chief of Mission authority.
| Region | Supported Posts | Contact |
| Africa (AF) | Botswana, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe | GEIAFEast@state.gov |
| Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Congo (Dem. Rep. of), Cote D’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, and Tunisia | GEIAFWest@state.gov | |
| East Asia Pacific (EAP) | Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam | GEIEAPCentral@state.gov |
| China, Fiji, Japan, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Palau, and Taiwan | GEIEAPNorth@state.gov | |
| Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, and Timor-Leste | GEIEAPSouth@state.gov | |
| South Korea | GEISeoul@state.gov | |
| Europe (EUR) | Austria, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine | GEIEURCentral@state.gov |
| Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Russia, Serbia, and Turkey | GEIEUREast@state.gov | |
| Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden | GEIEURNorth@state.gov | |
| France, Italy, and Switzerland | GEIEURSouth@state.gov | |
| Iceland, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom | GEIEURWest@state.gov | |
| Near East Asia (NEA) | Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates | GEINEA@state.gov |
| Egypt | GEIEgypt@state.gov | |
| Kuwait | GEIKuwait@state.gov | |
| South and Central Asia (SCA) | Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan | GEISCA@state.gov |
| United States | Supports adult family members returning to the United States and those preparing for their first/next tour overseas. | GEIUSA@state.gov |
| Western Hemisphere (WHA) | Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico | GEIWHACentral@state.gov |
| Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Canada, Jamaica, Netherland Antilles, and Trinidad and Tobago | GEIWHANorth@state.gov | |
| Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Suriname | GEIWHASouth@state.gov | |
| Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Nicaragua, Panama, and Venezuela | GEIWHASouth2@state.gov |
GEI Services for Employers
Since 2002, the Global Employment Initiative (GEI) has helped prospective employers, including Fortune 500 companies, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and a wide range of other local and international organizations, to fill hundreds of job vacancies by tapping into the talent pool of Foreign Service family members overseas.
Many of our candidates are highly educated and multi-lingual. They have extensive experience in a variety of fields and are ready to work in the countries* where you do business. Our Global Employment Advisors (GEAs) can help you recruit the best mobile talent at no cost to you.
Advantages To Your Organization
- Our professionals are available full-time, part-time, or contractually.
- Our candidates do not require funding for relocation or housing as they are already in-country.*
- Our professionals can often obtain local work permits through diplomatic channels at no cost to your organization.
- FLO’s Global Employment Advisors do not charge any overhead or placement fees.
* Please see Bilateral Work Agreement/de Facto Work Arrangements for a list of countries where Foreign Service family members may seek employment.