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BILINGUAL PAY INCENTIVE

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Bilingual Incentive Pay

The City of Boise is committed to providing the highest levels of service to the community and recognizes the value of employees who can communicate with customers in languages other than English.

Incentives are available to qualified full-time (pro-rated for qualified part-time) employees who are approved for bilingual incentive pay and pass the required proficiency testing:

Demonstrated oral proficiency: $1,500 annually ($57.70 per pay period)
Demonstrated oral and written proficiency: $3,000 annually ($115.39 per pay period)

For more information and specific requirements, see the Bilingual Pay Incentive regulation in the Employee Handbook.

Bilingual Incentive Pay Request Form

FAQs:

Which languages qualify for Bilingual Incentive Pay?

  • For FY24, Spanish is the only qualifying language.
  • In the future, other languages may be considered.

Which positions qualify?

  • Positions that can use a second language in the performance of their essential job functions, such as front-facing roles or customer service based roles.

What is required to get this benefit?

  • Employees will need to complete a form, signed by their supervisor and department director. If the position qualifies, the employee will receive a link from the testing administrator to test for the benefit.

How long does the test take?

  • The speaking test takes 30 minutes and the written test takes 45 - 60 minutes. Employees are not required to take the written test if they do not want to test for that level of proficiency.

When will the test be scheduled? How and where will the test be completed?

  • Once approved to take the exam, the employee will be sent a link to a proctored online exam and can take it when their schedule allows. Employees must take the exam within 14 days of receiving the exam link.

How will employees get the results? When will the first incentive be payed out?

  • The results will be sent to the HR admin to review, who will then notify the employee of the results. If the test is passed, a PAF will be entered to implement the incentive pay. When the PAF is entered, employees will be notified of the first effective paycheck date.
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