Language and Culture Instructor II - Washington Language Center - Arlington, VA

Employer: The Washington Language Center is a Small, Veteran Owned Business (SVOB) that provides US Government, military, and multi-national corporations with high quality language and cultural training, testing, translation and interpreting services. WLC operates over 80 global and minority languages. WLC delivers tailored and cost-effective language training to client needs through agile practices. Training services are adaptable to one-on-one, small to large group learning, as well as virtual distance learning. WLC instructors and cultural presenters are native speakers who are highly trained in communicative teaching methods, multi-lingual, and multi-culturally competent. We match client training needs with our instructors’ expertise so that complex subject matter can be covered with confidence.

Languages Needed: Arabic, Albanian, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, German, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Icelandic, Khmer, Macedonian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Tagalog, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Job Summary: Language and Culture Instructor II will work onsite at the School of Language Studies (SLS) at the US Department of State’s (DOS) Foreign Service Institute (FSI) in Arlington, VA. FSI provides foreign language training, testing and other language support services to DOS employees and other government agencies in over 70 foreign languages. Enrollments in the school surpass 2000 students annually including up to 1000 distance learning enrollments.SLS consists of approximately 450 technical and professional personnel with expertise in the field of foreign language teaching, culture, and applied linguistics. Successful candidates for the posted position may join existing teaching, testing, or program management staff composed of government employees and contractors. The settings within which the work is conducted include large- and small-group classrooms, most of which are equipped with interactive SmartPanels or Smart Boards; facilities for video and audio recording; multimedia and innovation labs; distance learning mentoring rooms; testing rooms; standard offices; and an information center.
Job Description: Language and Culture Instructor II The Contractor will:

• With minimal direction from the COR, ACOR, or GTM, propose, plan and conduct evaluation tasks or projects leading groups or executing single-handedly. Tasks and projects include but are not limited to instructional research and institutional (management) data handling and analysis.


• With minimal direction from the COR, ACOR, or GTM, perform assigned tasks for the development, editing, and review of SLS-relevant evaluation reports, proposal drafts, SLS-specific evaluation policies and procedures, and reference materials on request. All materials become the property of the United States Government, and the Contractor may not copy or reproduce them in any way for use outside of FSI, share them by any means outside of FSI, or publish them in any way without the express permission of the Government.


• Adhere to all copyright guidelines and restrictions and follow FSI and SLS procedures regarding copyright.


• With minimal direction from the COR, ACOR, or GTM, provide expert advisory services to SLS staff and lead teams as needed in determining research objectives, creating evaluation plans, designing and delivering evaluative instruments, and analyzing, interpreting, and determining implications of evaluation results.


• Review evaluation plans for proposed projects for effectiveness and provide recommendations as needed.


• As directed, design and/or maintain a database for tracking evaluation project timelines and completion.


• With minimal direction from the COR, ACOR, or GTM, research evaluation models and systems for potential implementation in SLS and draft proposals for improving evaluation models and systems in SLS.


• Develop and deliver SLS-relevant in-service staff development workshops designed to build skills in effective training evaluation and data analysis.


• With minimal direction from the COR, ACOR, or GTM, develop and deliver oral briefings on SLS evaluation projects and results.


• Collaborate with staff in the Learning Consultation Service (LCS) in whatever way deemed appropriate by the COR, ACOR, or GTM. The LCS is a unit in SLS with specialists who assist language students with their learning by providing counseling and administering and interpreting diagnostic instruments which assess learning styles and preferences.


• With pre-approval by the COR, ACOR, or GTM, plan and/or participate in non-classroom activities in the Washington area. Participation is strictly voluntary. Activities may include visits to foreign embassies, local community organizations, community centers, neighborhoods, shopping areas, and restaurants where heritage speakers live and congregate, and often involve pre-visit training and after-action follow up.


• Participate in the planning and delivery of language immersions. Participation is strictly voluntary. Immersions may consist of one or more days of activities that take place outside of the Washington area, either domestically the United States or overseas, and contain substantial non-classroom-like activities that foster practical, natural use of the language.


• As required by the COR, ACOR, or GTM, follow techniques, methodologies, and approaches used by the office/section.


• As required by the COR, ACOR, or GTM, maintain attendance records for students.

Materials and Curriculum Development (If Needed)

• Collaborate with the COR, ACOR, or GTM to participate in and support, on a part-time basis, the development of language training materials or SLS-relevant reference materials, including but not limited to text, audio,video, and technology-based media. All materials become the property of the United States Government, and the Contractor may not copy or reproduce them in any way for use outside of an FSI class, share them by any means outside of FSI, or publish them in any way without the express permission of the Government.


• Assist with the creation and field-testing of new teaching, study, student advisory, and/or testing materials.


• Assist with the recording of audio or video materials to be used in conjunction with established language training curricula or as ancillary resources for student self-directed study.


• Assist in in-service staff development and orientation activities, including giving presentations or facilitating a workshop sponsored by FSI.


• As needed, assist with the development of SLS-relevant research and development projects, including but not limited to instructional research and development and institutional (management) data handling and analysis.


• As needed, assist with reviewing and editing foreign language and/or English in instructional materials.


• Adhere to all copyright guidelines and restrictions and follow FSI and SLS procedures regarding copyright.


• As needed, assist with drafting required documents in the curriculum development project approval process as well as provide status updates on approved projects on request.

Testing (If Needed)

• As needed and on a part-time basis, assist with testing for language proficiency examinations, interacting with the examinee in the instructor’s native language or language in which the instructor has near-native proficiency.


• Support for proficiency tests may be face-to-face or by telephone or other technology-based medium (recorded audio, recorded video, videoconferencing). The instructor may support testing by providing information to an examiner about the examinee’s performance on various parts of the test and about the content of the texts used in the test, and assists with the selection and/or preparation of reading test materials.


• On a strictly voluntary basis, may have the opportunity to become a certified tester by the FSI Language Testing Unit (LTU). Duties of the tester are defined by documentation in the LTU (provided post-award). FSI/


• SLS/LTU provides all training required for attaining FSI Tester certification. The training process takes approximately one year to complete and includes a 40-hour introductory workshop, approximately 25 hours of review classes and mentoring meetings with a Testing Mentor, a written assessment on testing processes, observations of at least three official exams, conducting mock practice exams, and conducting official exams observed by the Testing Mentor or LTU Operations Manager to complete certification. (To become a certified tester the contractor must submit a request to their PM and the PM is to then send the request to the COR/ACOR for approval).


• Assist with the creation and testing of new reading kits to be used in face-to-face, telephone or field testing.


• Participate in producing audio or video materials for use in conjunction with LTU testing training.


• May be requested to conduct end of training tests at one of FSI’s field schools overseas.


• Adhere to all guidelines and follow all procedures regarding testing material security and safeguarding test data.

Primary duties for all levels of instructors will be that which fall under the Language Instruction portion of this position description. Duties that fall under _Materials and Curriculum Development or Testing_ , will be to support those positions actually performing these services in a full time capacity, under the appropriate CLIN. These should be extra, infrequent supporting duties that shall not be a majority of the duties provided by the Language Instructor CLINs.

Required Qualifications: The Contractor must have:

• A minimum of three (3) years of experience teaching adult learners the foreign language they will be providing to FSI in a classroom setting (2 or more students).


• BA/BS, MA/MS, or Ph.D., or foreign equivalent degree(s) in any field.


• A minimum of three (3) years of experience teaching foreign language with proficiency-based or task based curricula.


• A minimum of one (1) year of experience administering proficiency-based assessments (i.e., DLPT, ACTFL OPI, etc.).


• A minimum English proficiency level of a 2:2 on the ILR proficiency scale.


• Possess independently-obtained work authorization with a minimum of one year remaining in US employment eligibility.

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• BS/BA or MS/MA or foreign equivalent degree in relevant language education field preferred.


• Experience developing foreign language instructional materials and/or curricula preferred.


• Experience teaching with the communicative approach preferred.


• Experience incorporating a variety of educational technology in teaching preferred.


• Experience teaching blending learning activities valued.


• Experience integrating social media applications for educational purposes valued.


• Experience administering proficiency-based assessments valued.


• Experience teaching with vocabulary-based language learning materials valued.


• Experience delivering training targeted to needs of diplomatic community valued.

Clearance: National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI), background check Location: The School of Language Studies (SLS) at the U.S. Department of State’s (DOS) Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Arlington, Virginia Job Type: Full Time We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Type: Full-time

Required education:

Required experience:

• Teaching Adults the Target Language: 3 years


• Experience administering proficiency-based assessments.: 1 year


• Teaching using Proficiency-based and Task-based Curricula: 3 years