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DODD Teachers Chatboard

Guam

by Denise

Aug 7, 2016

We are 15 hours ahead of EST so it is 3:12 pm here they would be open on Monday here Sunday your time. What school are you going to

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Leave at start of school

by cook16

Aug 2, 2016

Wondering if anyone knows th8s. Ifor having to take leave at the beginning of the year for approximately 12 weeks would it is best to: 1) Start the school year by working a couple of days and then leave 2) take leave starting from day 1 until able to come back 3) use accrued leave and then unpaid leave under FMLA? Would any of these affect things d...See More

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haha I would also ask the union for input. Whatever you do will (I believe) require filing for LWOP status. I also believe that you will still be bound by the requirement to have at least one day of paid status (work or leave) per pay period in order to keep receiving LQA.

Maybe the Sheriff will have some regs/other useful input for you.
...See More

Aug 2, 2016

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Yes, haha is spot-on: in additon to agency personnel experts, definitely *also* utilize your Union membership to immediately seek its experienced advice and its active advocacy. Extended leave situations are complicated as well as complex so you want the maximum amount of expert knowledge available; even then, do not be surpised when one agency off...See More

Aug 3, 2016

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Ankara, Turkey

by Monarch Butterfly

Jul 31, 2016

Hello,

Can anyone give me insight on EHS in Ankara?

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Manda I got an email for an interview too. My biggest thing was safety for myself and my family.. We could not agree on it so I turned down the interview. I did not want to ruin my chance of any other job. Because I hear once u receive an offer and you decline you can't be offered again until the next school year. All the best to you and your family

Aug 1, 2016

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I think you're making the right decision based on the right-for- your-family reasons. That said, all DoDDS teachers *must* sign the Mobility Agreement; have you considered what you will do if hired by DoDDS and subsequently face a Management Directed Reassignment, MDR, to an unpreferred location? If you think you'd instead resign first, then consid...See MoreI think you're making the right decision based on the right-for- your-family reasons. That said, all DoDDS teachers *must* sign the Mobility Agreement; have you considered what you will do if hired by DoDDS and subsequently face a Management Directed Reassignment, MDR, to an unpreferred location? If you think you'd instead resign first, then consider DoDDS to not be the correct vocational path for you.

Ankara's (and Izmir's, etc.) Dept of State dependents were, as reported by Stars & Stripes 26 July, authorized to elect voluntary gov't paid departure. No mention was in that article whether this new authorization extended to the dependents of DoD personnel there, but, IMO, it's not an unpredictable event that DoD dependents are, or will-soon-be, also covered by such an authorization, which, if the same recent pattern as was seen for the dependents at Incirlik AB occurs, may well proceed to mandated departures.

When again judged safe enough, DoS and DoD and other agencies dependents may elect to return via gov't paid travel. In the meantime, who is left to teach at Ankara? Tuition- paying students, mostly. FMI, see Bahrain's past U.S. dependent evacuation situation for an example of a DoDDS school continuing to operate with, largely, only tuition-paying students. Alternatively, Ankara, like Incirlik, may see its command chain mandate the temporary complete closure of its DoDDS school until decided otherwise.

What does the above illustrate? To me, that DoD and DoS, and the U.S. gov't in general, take very seriously the safety of its overseas assigned family members. Evacuations aren't common, but *are* anticipated, and are *granularly* supported with gov't regulations and supports and protections every step of the way to Safe Haven. In truly emergent situations overseas (and anywhere in the U.S. too) there is no doubt that I always rather be among well-trained, well-led, well-armed U.S. military personnel, than not.

On 8/01/16, manny wrote: > I got an email for an interview too. My biggest thing was > safety for myself and my family.. We could not agree on it > so I turned down the interview. I did not want to ruin my > chance of any other job. Because I hear once u receive an > offer and you decline you can't be offered again until the > next school year. All the best to you and your family

Aug 1, 2016

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Finally got our flights...

by Quick Question

Jul 27, 2016

but, of course, trying to ship our pets is going to be a little tricky. The flights they booked us on are Delta and Air France. To ship our pets internationally, they require us to go through one of those pet transporting companies. Their fees all seem to be quite high (I put in for a quote with one that gives a military discount to current or form...See More

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Couple of Questions We ended up just changing my husband's flight so he's flying out of JFK directly into Naples with both pets. The kids and I are staying on the regular booked flights (of course, it'll take us 3 flights to get to Naples-UGH!). We're paying for my husband's flight ourselves, which was very reasonable including the charges for the pets, so we're happy...See MoreWe ended up just changing my husband's flight so he's flying out of JFK directly into Naples with both pets. The kids and I are staying on the regular booked flights (of course, it'll take us 3 flights to get to Naples-UGH!). We're paying for my husband's flight ourselves, which was very reasonable including the charges for the pets, so we're happy with it. It's really not a major concern for us if we get reimbursed for it or not. It would have been a MINIMUM of $400 to ship the dog and cat ($200 each), however with the dog having to go in cargo (not in the cabin) it would have been much more (for international they require you to go through a pet shipper). My husband's direct, along with the charges for the 2 pets, comes to around $525. Definitely worth it for us. Plus, he'll arrive a day before us so he can get settled into the room and get the pets settled.

On 7/29/16, Nathan wrote: > It's not even a stretch for me to predict you're going to be > disappointed about even one rental car being approved, > much less two rental cars. Anyway, it's not TMO that > "approves" rental cars during PCS (or TDY) official travel. > Rather, the agency itself must pre-approve a rental car at > gov't expense - it's just not ging to happen - but, I've been > wrong before, so, give it a try...you, and I, could be > surprised). > > ~Should~ DoDEA approve you to rent a car on its dime > (and that approval would be required no matter the > distance and no matter the start & end points) then also > realize that your husband's official orders would have to be > officially "amended" to make even one rental car > authorized. > > So, Milan is a big city and so is Naples. If TMO will book > your family & pets to Milan's airport (or Rome's or Venice's, > or ??) then plan instead to take a train to Naples, dozens > daily, and trains are very much approved for official travel > and/or reimbursement. Enjoy the scenery without you also > being required to drive. Italy's super highways are > excellent but traffic customs there can be, shall I say > surprising. A fast train connection can get you from Milan > to Naples in under 5 hours! Why even think oif driving > when it's possible to travbel th edistance much more > rapidly than driving, while also allowing your pets cages to > come along. If you are not in a hurry to get to Naples, try to > plan to stop in Rome for a day or two or three, perhaps a > several hours stop in Pisa to tak in the Tower; if that's > possible, then a day or two, at least, in Firenze. Here's a > link, fmi: > > https://www.italiarail.com/pages/routes/naples-to-milan > > Talk to TMO to see what they can do to book both air and > train bookings using your husband's orders - they can > definitely book the air tickets, but might tell you to go online > to book your train tickets yourself. Definitely book your train > tickets in advance, i.e. don't just show up at the train > station. Do avoid doing air bookings/payments yourselves > due to you never being able to get the low, low gov't rates > that TMO can get in your behalf - eventual Travel Voucher > settlement amount will be based on the rates the gov't can > get for your travel, which is often FAR less than what you > would pay yourselves, so you'd risk being "out-of-pocket" > when you do your own official travel bookings. > > > On 7/28/16, Quick Question wrote: >> Actually, all the AMC flights ended up being a bust. No >> availability for 3 weeks. Don't want to leave any later >> than that (wouldn't be there to help find the house, get >> the kids registered for school, etc.). >> >> As to my friends benefits, it's not a problem and she >> wouldn't get in any kind of trouble. I'm a former employee >> of the same airline(as of about 2 weeks ago), and we get >> one kind of passes for spouses/kids, etc., and then > others >> we can give to anyone. Unfortunately, she checked today >> and if I flew on her passes I'd be what's classified as a >> D3. Unfortunately, D3s cannot travel with pets, so that's >> out now. >> >> We're looking at now changing to fly out of JFK non-stop >> to Milan (all 4 of us at the same time, plus the two >> pets), then renting 2 vehicles and driving from Milan to >> Naples. Going through USAA for the car rental discount >> makes it really cheap to rent the vehicles. We have to >> call the travel office tomorrow to see if they approve of >> this change. >> >> >>

Jul 29, 2016

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Good to hear you have a plan to get the pets directly to Naples. That will minimize the stress for them.

Ensure your husband knows to keep all his personal flight and travel related receipts and then submit them in his Travel Voucher. Uncle Sam will allow actual expenses up to what they would have paid for his travel had they booked him. T...See MoreGood to hear you have a plan to get the pets directly to Naples. That will minimize the stress for them.

Ensure your husband knows to keep all his personal flight and travel related receipts and then submit them in his Travel Voucher. Uncle Sam will allow actual expenses up to what they would have paid for his travel had they booked him. That amount ~could~ be more that what you will actually pay for his travel so you'd get back what you pay, but of course, not more than what you actually pay.

Don't throw away the pet transporttion receipts either (but don't submit those costs for reimbursement, doh!), nor throw away any other out-of-pocket receipts related to this move because if you decide to file long form taxes for this year then those unreimbursed moving costs can be deducted on Form 3903F - the form to claim unreimbursed moving expenses for a foreign move - so, depending on your overall tax situation, it may or may not reduce your taxes but it's sure better to have those receipts and not need them than the other way around.

On 7/29/16, Quick Question wrote: > We ended up just changing my husband's flight so he's flying out > of JFK directly into Naples with both pets. The kids and I are > staying on the regular booked flights (of course, it'll take us > 3 flights to get to Naples-UGH!). We're paying for my husband's > flight ourselves, which was very reasonable including the > charges for the pets, so we're happy with it. It's really not a > major concern for us if we get reimbursed for it or not. It > would have been a MINIMUM of $400 to ship the dog and cat ($200 > each), however with the dog having to go in cargo (not in the > cabin) it would have been much more (for international they > require you to go through a pet shipper). My husband's direct, > along with the charges for the 2 pets, comes to around $525. > Definitely worth it for us. Plus, he'll arrive a day before us > so he can get settled into the room and get the pets settled. > > On 7/29/16, Nathan wrote: >> It's not even a stretch for me to predict you're going to be >> disappointed about even one rental car being approved, >> much less two rental cars. Anyway, it's not TMO that >> "approves" rental cars during PCS (or TDY) official travel. >> Rather, the agency itself must pre-approve a rental car at >> gov't expense - it's just not ging to happen - but, I've been >> wrong before, so, give it a try...you, and I, could be >> surprised). >> >> ~Should~ DoDEA approve you to rent a car on its dime >> (and that approval would be required no matter the >> distance and no matter the start & end points) then also >> realize that your husband's official orders would have to be >> officially "amended" to make even one rental car >> authorized. >> >> So, Milan is a big city and so is Naples. If TMO will book >> your family & pets to Milan's airport (or Rome's or Venice's, >> or ??) then plan instead to take a train to Naples, dozens >> daily, and trains are very much approved for official travel >> and/or reimbursement. Enjoy the scenery without you also >> being required to drive. Italy's super highways are >> excellent but traffic customs there can be, shall I say >> surprising. A fast train connection can get you from Milan >> to Naples in under 5 hours! Why even think oif driving >> when it's possible to travbel th edistance much more >> rapidly than driving, while also allowing your pets cages to >> come along. If you are not in a hurry to get to Naples, try to >> plan to stop in Rome for a day or two or three, perhaps a >> several hours stop in Pisa to tak in the Tower; if that's >> possible, then a day or two, at least, in Firenze. Here's a >> link, fmi: >> >> https://www.italiarail.com/pages/routes/naples-to-milan >> >> Talk to TMO to see what they can do to book both air and >> train bookings using your husband's orders - they can >> definitely book the air tickets, but might tell you to go online >> to book your train tickets yourself. Definitely book your train >> tickets in advance, i.e. don't just show up at the train >> station. Do avoid doing air bookings/payments yourselves >> due to you never being able to get the low, low gov't rates >> that TMO can get in your behalf - eventual Travel Voucher >> settlement amount will be based on the rates the gov't can >> get for your travel, which is often FAR less than what you >> would pay yourselves, so you'd risk being "out-of-pocket" >> when you do your own official travel bookings. >> >> >> On 7/28/16, Quick Question wrote: >>> Actually, all the AMC flights ended up being a bust. No >>> availability for 3 weeks. Don't want to leave any later >>> than that (wouldn't be there to help find the house, get >>> the kids registered for school, etc.). >>> >>> As to my friends benefits, it's not a problem and she >>> wouldn't get in any kind of trouble. I'm a former employee >>> of the same airline(as of about 2 weeks ago), and we get >>> one kind of passes for spouses/kids, etc., and then >> others >>> we can give to anyone. Unfortunately, she checked today >>> and if I flew on her passes I'd be what's classified as a >>> D3. Unfortunately, D3s cannot travel with pets, so that's >>> out now. >>> >>> We're looking at now changing to fly out of JFK non-stop >>> to Milan (all 4 of us at the same time, plus the two >>> pets), then renting 2 vehicles and driving from Milan to >>> Naples. Going through USAA for the car rental discount >>> makes it really cheap to rent the vehicles. We have to >>> call the travel office tomorrow to see if they approve of >>> this change. >>> >>> >>>

Jul 29, 2016

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Benefits on family medical leave act

by cook16

Jul 29, 2016

Anyone know if you take leave without pay under the family medical leave act if you housing is still paid for while assigned overseas? Anyone done it and have any advice?

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haha The closest I have come is taking LWOP due to serious medical reasons (my own). In my situation I was only able to keep my LQA because I was able to maintain at least one pay status day per pay period (e.g. worked, sick day, etc). If my time had run out and I was not able to go back (and no one donated more) then I would have lost LQA.

It'...See More

Jul 29, 2016

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conus to oconus

by Joy

Jul 29, 2016

How difficult is to transfer from conus to oconus?

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There is no transfer program for DDESS teachers so the quick answer is: not possible. There are however some ways to move from DDESS into DoDDS that for all practical purposes "look and act" like an official transfer, i.e. a gov't paid transfer with CONUS-hire benefits/recruitment incentives once at the DoDDS location, for example: 1) You...See More

Jul 29, 2016

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April FEA Message Pay Question

by Wondering

Jul 29, 2016

Does anyone know anything about the retro pay that the president of FEA spoke of in their April newsletter? I did not see anything on my final check for the year. I want to make sure I am not getting shafted. I wrote to my payroll person but have not received a reply yet.

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Only DoDDS teachers and other DoDDS certifieds receive the annual retroactive pay adjustments. This is per the enabling legislation for determining salaries for DoDDS teachers; in a nutshell, DoDDS salaries are based on the annual survey of teachers'/etc' salaries in all U.S. districts which have more than 100,000 students enrolled.

DDESS...See MoreOnly DoDDS teachers and other DoDDS certifieds receive the annual retroactive pay adjustments. This is per the enabling legislation for determining salaries for DoDDS teachers; in a nutshell, DoDDS salaries are based on the annual survey of teachers'/etc' salaries in all U.S. districts which have more than 100,000 students enrolled.

DDESS teachers/etc, OTOH, are paid per Master Labor Agreement between FEA and DDESS. Per this MLA, all DDESS educator salaries receive a 3&37; bump *annually* and this is in addition to the Step raise each year. Of course, you should personally verify that you are actually receiving this 3&37; bump as soon your first LES for this new school year becomes available.

On 7/29/16, Mike wrote: > I am DDESS, so was this for overseas only? I know they have > different bargaining agreements and I can't seem to get a > straight answer as of now. It's frustrating and I want to > make sure everything is set from last school year since the > new pay year has already started. > > Thank you. > > > On 7/29/16, reality sheriff wrote: >> First, *verify* you just didn't notice it by scrutinizing > your >> LESs since April to now. The salary retroactive adjustment >> for most was in May for most. This adjustment also affects >> FD, if your location gets FD, and, depending on income- >> band-changes, if any, can also affect PA, so do your due >> dilgence on your LESs v/v what you should be getting in >> both salary and allowance(s). >> >> If you find that you really haven't gotten the Retroactive >> adjustment, then by all means stay in contact with Payroll >> because errors/oversights happen. Should you need to, >> however, don't hesitate to file a Pay Grievance just in > case >> - DO NOT MISS THE ALLOWED TIME WINDOW TO FILE >> A GRIEVANCE. See your copy of the FEA-DoDDS >> Negotiated Agreement, Article 12; if you miss a >> deadline/window, you risk having a grievance tossed in the >> bit bucket for that reason alone). >> >> Here's the pay problems package (from UNISERV and all- >> around pay guru, Bill Freeman) at FEA's site: >> >> http://www.feaonline.org/media/Pay_Problem_Package_09 >> _13.pdf >> >> (remove all spaces after pasting else link won't work - > this >> site erroneously inserts a space at each line break) >> >> On 7/29/16, Wondering wrote: >>> Does anyone know anything about the retro pay that the >>> president of FEA spoke of in their April newsletter? I >>> did not see anything on my final check for the year. I >>> want to make sure I am not getting shafted. I wrote to my >>> payroll person but have not received a reply yet.

Jul 29, 2016

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HelpOthers That was for DoDDS only as described by Reality Sheriff.
The FEA letter clearly states "DoDDS:"

"posted May 19, 2016 The retroactive pay adjustment due to
DODDS employees as a result of FEA's victory in the March
Case should be included on the LES for the current pay
period. Please check your statement carefully...See More

Jul 29, 2016

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retirement benefits

by luna

Jul 28, 2016

I have a question about the retirement benefits for overseas employees. How much or what percentage is taken out of your paycheck for SS, FERS? Are there any agency matching contributions for TSP? Thank you.

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haha I believe (pending technical input/corrections by the Sheriff) that SS is deducted at the usual amount (6.2&37;).

As for FERS/TSP, I confess to being hazy on the details (I have to re familiarize myself with the specifics whenever I consider making a change).

I do know that you can designate the amount or percentage you wish t...See More

Jul 28, 2016

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Waiting for SATO

by Quick Question

Jul 25, 2016

How long does it take for SATO to book our flights? We received our orders last Wednesday. Contacting them regarding travel was one of our steps, so I did that since I'm a bit more knowledgeable about working with the military, acronyms, etc. than my husband. The lady started by asking about the orders, which I told her we had just received. Then s...See MoreHow long does it take for SATO to book our flights? We received our orders last Wednesday. Contacting them regarding travel was one of our steps, so I did that since I'm a bit more knowledgeable about working with the military, acronyms, etc. than my husband. The lady started by asking about the orders, which I told her we had just received. Then she stated we would need official passports and visas. I told her we had already received those also. She asked if dependents would be going, to which I stated yes. I also informed her we had 2 pets, a dog and a cat, which would be going with us. She didn't seem to care. She told me to send her an email with our names, birthdates, and desired travel date. She also asked about my husband's (I think it was) GTC. I had to ask what that was. She stated it was his government credit card. I informed her he was a new hire and didn't have one. That seemed to confuse her and she implied he needed it (Again, I told her he was new, didn't have one, nor did he have an ID card yet).

I sent her an email with the information she asked for, and I also including the information on our pets (since she didn't really seem to care about them, I was worried she would forget). That was on Thursday, and we still hadn't heard back from her. My husband called her about an hour ago, and I tell you, listening to the conversation was painful. You could tell she really wasn't providing much info to any of his questions. She once again stated we needed passports and visas to which he replied we did. He even asked if he needed to send a copy or something to show we have 'em. She said no, but maybe later someone might want one. The whole interaction of what I could overhear seemed odd. She didn't give any kind of timeline or anything on when we could expect to find out our travel date, how we would find out, etc.

How long does this usually take? I'm pretty much a go with the flow kinda gal, but I swear, this woman just seemed new and unsure of what she was doing, which worries me (especially in regards to the pets).

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KLS Oh I see typos now... I am going to Okinawa. Still need my pack out scheduled though. I'm hoping it all comes together soon!

n 7/26/16, Quick Question wrote: > UGH! So quick, and we're still waiting. I'm going to call > tomorrow. My husband called on Monday, but he's "nicer" than > I am and just takes whatever they say. ...See More

Jul 26, 2016

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Teaching We had a very difficult time with this. We were told to go to the nearest base which is virtually impossible without a military ID. We called a couple of bases and were given a really hard time about traveling to the base. We finally talked to someone who was willing to "sponsor" us for the day, so we could go to the travel office and boo...See More

Jul 28, 2016

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Curious

by Curious

Jul 27, 2016

Is the DODEA still hiring for the new school year? My husband and I applied back in October. My husband and I have both received one referral for the same job, but no interview. Is it still a possibility to be hired for 16-17? Thanks!

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I got offered a position in Bahrain teaching HS science. so excited!!

On 7/27/16, JJ wrote: > Ziggy for what position and location > > > > > On 7/27/16, Ziggy wrote: >> I just received an interview 6 days ago and a tentative >> offer the next day. I think its safe to say that there are >> still a few out...See More

Jul 27, 2016

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