DLIFLC

DLI Washington FAQ's


Q. How can I get training at DLI-Washington?

A. DLI Washington only provides language training for students who have been assigned by their respective Service or Agency. We do not accept requests for training directly from units or individuals; the request must go through channels through the Service language quota manager or assignment personnel, which will determine where the requirement can best be satisfied.


Q. Is leave authorized during training at DLI-Washington?

A. DLI Washington leave policy:

We observe all Federal holidays.
We observe a training holiday the Friday after Thanksgiving.
The break at the winter holidays is generally about ten days, depending on how the calendar falls. Students enrolled at FSI will follow that institution's schedule. A one-week leave break is scheduled for students who are enrolled at commercial contract schools for a period of training in excess of 27 weeks not otherwise interrupted by the winter holidays or other courses (in the case of DAS students).
Incoming students are highly encouraged to schedule leave prior to beginning their training, especially those who will not meet the criteria for an academic break.


Q. What is the daily schedule at DLI Washington?

A. Training at DLI-W is conducted 5 days a week, during normal duty hours (generally between the hours of 08:00 and 17:00). The amount of time spent in the classroom each day varies from 4 to 6 hours depending on class size and facility. In addition, students are expected to spend several hours each day in out-of-class preparation, including studying and homework.


Q. What is the duty uniform?

A. Appropriate civilian clothing is authorized but not required for wear. Therefore, civilian clothing allowance is not authorized. Proper military appearance and grooming standards apply when wearing civilian clothes.


Q. Where are language classes taught at DLI Washington?

A. Unlike DLIFLC at Monterey, DLI-Washington has neither its own staff instructors nor
classrooms. Language classes are held either at one of a number of commercial contract schools
in the Northern VA/DC Metro area, or at the State Department's Foreign Service Institute in
Arlington. All commercial schools used by DLI-Washington are within walking distance of a
Metro stop. Military students in PCS status are eligible for the DoD Mass Transit Subsidy
Program
to help offset the costs of commuting.


Q: Can I choose where and when I attend class?

A: DLI-Washington’s mission is to provide the most effective training for each student. A
rigorous contracting selection process guides this effort, which includes many different factors,
including, but not limited to the school’s internal scheduling issues, a student’s background &
impending assignment, and a school’s ability to staff a course with qualified instructors.
Convenience to the student is not an allowable selection criterion. However, unique student
circumstances which can impact this decision may be taken into consideration, although there are
no guarantees.


Q. Will I be issued DLI materials to study?

A. Each commercial contract school is responsible for providing DLI-Washington students with
all educational material needed for instruction, including dictionaries, textbooks, reading and
audio materials. In some cases, the schools may elect to use DLI-produced material, to
supplement their own materials. Also keep in mind that for some of the low-enrollment
languages, there may not be much instructional material available, either commerciallyproduced,
from FSI, or from DLIFLC. Therefore, the schools may have to use material gathered
from a variety of sources rather than a complete "packaged" curriculum.


Q. Where will I be assigned while at DLI Washington, and where will I receive administrative
support?

A. Navy and Air Force personnel are assigned to DLI-Washington, with administrative support
provided by Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. United States Marine Corp and Army personnel are
not actually assigned to DLI-W. Instead, they are assigned to their respective Services' "holding
units" in the Washington, DC area, and receive all administrative support (including in- and outprocessing, housing, finance, etc.) through Service channels. However, DLI-W has staff from all
military Services to assist students with getting support issues resolved. For more information,
refer to the Service in-processing links on the Incoming Students page.


Q. How can I get a transcript of training completed at DLI Washington?

A. In many languages, you can request a score report from DLIFLC in Monterey. This can be
used to obtain credit based on the levels you achieved in your proficiency testing. In other
languages, DLIFLC may be able to issue a transcript attesting to your attendance and
recommending undergraduate credits.


Q: Can I get part-time, refresher, or sustainment training from DLI Washington?

A: Foreign language instruction at DLI-Washington is full-time training (no other duties
assigned). Daily classroom hours vary from four to six hours depending on the size of the class.
Part-time training is not authorized except in exceptional circumstances, subject to approval by
DLI-Washington.
DLI-Washington can meet full-time, validated and resourced training requirements for refresher,
sustainment, or enhancement foreign language training, if received through Service or Agency
channels.
Due to the contract nature of our training program, DLI-Washington cannot supply materials to
linguists to in the field. Contact the DLIFLC School for Continuing Education for support in this
area.
If your unit wishes to send you to one of the contract schools for periodic refresher training, this
can be done directly between the unit and the contractor without DLI Washington involvement,
using the GSA Schedule or other procurement vehicles.


Q. Can I get a foreign language proficiency test administered at DLI Washington?

A. DLI-Washington is only authorized to test its enrolled students. Currently enrolled students
needing annual re-certification in a language other than the one they are currently training in may
coordinate to test at DLI-Washington. Other service members needing a DLPT or OPI should go
to one of the Service/Agency testing centers in the National Capital Region.




DLIFLC 1759 Lewis Rd. Bldg 614, Ste. 251 - Presidio of Monterey - Monterey, CA 93944 (831) 242-5119, (DSN-768)