---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 4026"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "4026"
heading: "Career counseling"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/4026"
units:
  - "Chapter 52 — Foreign Service"
  - "Subchapter VII — Career Development, Training, and Orientation"
---

# §4026. Career counseling

- (a) **Facilitation of transition from Service—** In order to facilitate their transition from the Service, the [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) may provide (by contract or otherwise, subject to the availability of appropriations) professional career counseling, advice, and placement assistance to members of the Service, and to former members of the Service who were assigned to receive counseling and assistance under this subsection before they were separated from the Service, other than those separated for cause. Career counseling and related services provided pursuant to this chapter shall not be construed to permit an assignment that consists primarily of paid time to conduct a job search and without other substantive duties for more than one month.
- (b) **Facilitation of employment of spouses of members; establishment of family liaison office—**
  - (1) The [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) shall implement such measures as the [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) considers necessary to facilitate the employment of spouses and members of the Service. The measures may include—
    - (A) providing regular career counseling for such spouses;
    - (B) maintaining a centralized [system](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=10) for cataloging their skills and the various governmental and nongovernmental employment opportunities available to them; and
    - (D) [^1] otherwise assisting them in obtaining employment.
  - (2) The [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) may prescribe regulations—
    - (A) to provide preference to eligible family members in hiring for any civilian position in the [Department](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4), notwithstanding the prohibition on marital discrimination found in [5 U.S.C. 2302(b)(1)(E)](/usc/5/2302.md?p=b-1-E), if—
      - (i) the eligible family member is among persons determined to be best qualified for the position; and
      - (ii) the position is located in the overseas country of assignment of their sponsoring employee;
    - (B) to ensure that notice of any vacant position in the [Department](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4) is provided in a manner reasonably designed to reach eligible family members of sponsoring employees whose permanent duty stations are in the same country as that in which the position is located; and
    - (C) to ensure that an eligible family member who applies for a vacant position in the [Department](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4) shall, to the extent practicable, be considered for any such position located in the same country as the permanent duty station of their sponsoring employee.
  - (3) Nothing in this section may be construed to provide an eligible family member with entitlement or preference in hiring over an individual who is preference eligible.
  - (4) Under regulations prescribed by the [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10), a [chief of mission](/usc/22/3902.md?p=3) may, consistent with all applicable laws and regulations pertaining to the ICASS [system](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=10), make available to an eligible family member and a non-[Department](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4) entity space in an embassy or consulate for the purpose of the non-[Department](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4) entity providing employment-related training for eligible family members.
  - (5) The [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) may work with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the heads of other Federal [departments](/usc/22/3902.md?p=4) and [agencies](/usc/22/3902.md?p=2) to expand and facilitate the use of existing Federal programs and resources in [support](/usc/22/7432.md?p=12) of eligible family member employment.
  - (6) The [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) shall establish a family liaison office to carry out this subsection and such other [functions](/usc/22/3902.md?p=6) as the [Secretary](/usc/22/3902.md?p=10) may determine.
  - (7) In this subsection, the term “eligible family member” refers to family members of [government](/usc/22/3902.md?p=7) employees assigned [abroad](/usc/22/3902.md?p=1) or hired for service at their post of residence who are appointed by the Secretary of State or the [Administrator](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=1) of the United States [Agency](/usc/22/3902.md?p=2) for International Development pursuant to sections [3902](/usc/22/3902.md), [3922](/usc/22/3922.md), [3943](/usc/22/3943.md), and [3951](/usc/22/3951.md) of this title.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original. There is no subpar. (C).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–465, title I, § 706, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2101; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. B, title XXIII, § 2314(a), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–827; Pub. L. 117–81, div. F, title LXII, § 6203, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2389.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2021—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(1)(A), which directed substitution of “The Secretary shall implement such measures as the Secretary considers necessary to facilitate the employment of spouses and members of the Service. The measures may include—” for “The Secretary may facilitate the employment of spouses of members of the Foreign Service by—” in introductory provisions, was executed by making the substitution for “The Secretary may facilitate the employment of spouses of members of the Service by—”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

Subsec. (b)(1)(C). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(1)(C), which directed amendment of subpar. (C) to read as follows: “establishing a program for assisting eligible family members in accessing employment and education opportunities, as appropriate, including by exercising the authorities, in relevant part, under sections 1784 and 1784a of title 10 and subject to such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe modeled after those prescribed pursuant to subsection (b) of such section 1784;”, could not be executed because of the prior redesignation of subpar. (C) as (D) by Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(1)(B). See below.

Subsec. (b)(1)(D). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(1)(B), redesignated subpar. (C) as (D).

Subsec. (b)(2) to (5). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(3), added pars. (2) to (5). Former par. (2) redesignated (6).

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(2), redesignated par. (2) as (6).

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 117–81, § 6203(4), added par. (7).

1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–277 inserted at end “Career counseling and related services provided pursuant to this chapter shall not be construed to permit an assignment that consists primarily of paid time to conduct a job search and without other substantive duties for more than one month.”

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. B, title XXIII, § 2314(b), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–828, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall be effective 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 21, 1998].”

### Authority of Secretary of State

Except as otherwise provided, Secretary of State to have and exercise any authority vested by law in any official or office of Department of State and references to such officials or offices deemed to refer to Secretary of State or Department of State, as appropriate, see section 2651a of this title and section 161(d) of Pub. L. 103–236, set out as a note under section 2651a of this title.