A-100 Class

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A-100 is the colloquial name given to the introductory/orientation training class for incoming Foreign Service Officer employees. These courses are taught in the National Foreign Affairs Training Center at Arlington, Virginia. Although the name is widely believed to be the numbering of the course offering at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center, it actually refers to the room number in the building where the course was previously taught prior to the opening of NFATC. The purpose of the class is to provide orientation to the US Department of State, information on embassy operation and foreign affairs, and the roles different categories of personnel perform in the conduct of diplomacy. It is a basic job-orientation course for the Diplomatic Service, before diplomats branch off into different career tracks or geographic specialties.

This class lasts for approximately seven weeks and typically has between 50 and 100 students. Towards the end of the course, students are informed of their first assignments, usually overseas, during the 'Flag Day' ceremony, so named because they are presented with a small flag of the country to which the have been assigned. After A-100, further training is personalized to the individual depending on his or her overseas posting.

Members often maintain contact with each other throughout their entire careers, and regard A-100 classmates much like high school or college classmates. A-100 classes are numbered sequentially, however, there was a time when the numbers did start over back at the beginning again, so the number may be misleading. There have been over 130 A-100 classes to date