Life starting off as a Foreign Service Officer

[jcustis]

I would have put this up in the job seekers room, but hose threads expire after 60 days, so I figured this old haunt was as good as any.

I am not there just yet, but my twilight tour in the military is coming, and I am thinking on my interest in FSO work that took me through two successful written exams in the past, and a offer to take the oral board which i turned down because I had just accepted an opportunity to return to the Marine Corps.

Do we have any members here who might be willing to share insight on life in the FS as it stands today?

I am particularly interested in any insight on the following:

-The impact of age on new FSOs. I took the oral board in 1991 alongside a wife of a recently-retired Air Force officer, so she was up in yeas. What is the average age of a recently-minted FSO these days? Is the process the same as it was the times I previously took the test?...written exam, followed by oral board? If successful at the oral board, what next, and how much time mght I be looking at before receiving a hire offer and assignment for training or duty station?

-Duty station assignment policies? Is it a matter of choosing the top five and hoping for the best, or are there standard practices where you have to take a hardship tour at the outset, since you are junior? (Not that it would matter to me, but the wifey wonders ).

-What constraints and restraints are there regarding accompanied tours? I have two daughters who will definitely be in high school by the time this career change might be realized, so my wife and I are especially curious about overseas education issues. My oldest will be on her way to college.

-Would my wife's nationality have any bearing on assignment? She is a Filipino national still, but has finally decided to get around to petioning for naturalization, and speaks Tagalog as his first language.

-I will have spent twenty years previous to any FS work in the infantry. Does that have any bearing on the type of work I might be assigned as a junior FSO, or do career tracks come later, with FSOs starting out as sort of a jack-of-all trades.

I'll think of more, but most importantly, can anyone recommend a blog out there from a FSO where I might be able to gain further insight.

[George L. Singleton]

Some dated and some current tense State Department career info which may be of assistance to you:

1. The FSO exams now can be disassembled, ie, you can be evaluated for other than a bottom rank FSO career appointment based on your total life experience and education, provided what you have been doing is relevant to the then current needs of the Foreign Service.

2. You can also non-competitively be evaluated (again, so-called disassembled exam) for appointment into the Foreign Service Staff (FSS). The FSS assignments are more the jack of all trades starting point.

Hope these few snippets may be of informational assistance to you. My wife years ago, long ago, took the old FSO written exams, knocked the top out (a Cornell U. brain and languages major) and then declined to take the oral board follow up exam...for fear she would get into the Foreign Service!

Instead, she took a career appointment with the Organization of American States based at the OAS HQ in Washington, doing occasional TDY travel but always back to home in DC area. Her work with the OAS, in the Office of Educational Affairs, allowed her to become proficient in Spanish, Portugese, Italian, some German and some Greek. She majored in French in college and just improved on that language, French, in her work in a practical manner.

A non-US national wife I think is still a killer, however, in terms of security clearance. Have no idea what working on and toward US citizenship would or would not do for her, hence for you.

Tagolic as you know is an off-shoot of Spanish, unique to the Philippines.

Good luck.

[jcustis]

Thanks for the reply. I maintain a security clearance now, as my wife has served in the military as a resident alien. She chose to maintain her original citizenship solely due to financial reasons back at home with her family's estate. That's been resolved though and she should be getting a call from INS this year.

[jmm99]

on the current practical side of FSOs. I imagine you've exhausted the DoS site on FSO apps. That site may be of interest to those not familiar with the process.

Some may be interested in taking the 50-question career track test, which suggests that career track is a mandatory early choice.

My results were:

Your Career Interest Results

Management/Administrative - 76
Consular - 80
Economic - 76
Political - 94
Public Diplomacy - 78

Interpreting the Rating Scale

The rating scale is designed to indicate how well your general interest matches the work activities of each career track.

81–100 Excellent Match:
You have the highest level of interest in this career track.

61–80 Good Match:
You have significant interest in this career track.

Something to pass a few minutes of time.

----------------------------
jc
Disclosure: My career choice when a kiddie was yours (foreclosed by some bad bugs - bacteria). In high school, I really looked at FSO, via Georgetown; but the cost (even with scholarships, etc.) was prohibitive. Kept the option open (in a sense) through undergrad and law school. After that, I had choices between DoJ (where lawyers are "line"), DoS-Legal Advisor's Office ("staff" vis a vis FSO), and an I Law firm (lawyers definitely "line"). Going to the law firm would have allowed lateral movement to either USG agency (the guy who hired me at the law firm became DoS Legal Advisor about a year later). Anyway, the law firm was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I grabbed that ring for a while.

So, as a once upon a time FSO wannabe, bonne chance in whatever lateral shift you decide.

[Schmedlap]

I have no answers to any of your questions, but thanks for posting this. I just requested a test date. I chose the economic career track. What I can tell you is that test slots are booked for the June testing - though the website does not inform you of this until after you enter your personal information, including your SSN (nice touch).

A few days ago I filled out 99% of an application for a PRT position. I have not submitted it yet because it requires contact information (including phone number) for 5 references. That is going to take some time to obtain since two of my references are kind of busy commanding Soldiers overseas and two others are in the middle of a PCS.

I'm willing to take a leave of absence from law school or even end it early to try my hand at FSO or PRT. But, I must first negotiate what appears to be a selection process that assumes a more traditional background. With that in mind, I suspect that I'll remain on track to graduate law school on my existing timeline. But, I'll at least toss my name into the hat.

[jcustis]

Surprisingly enough, the selection process isn't that bad. The written exam was pretty easy, both times I completed it. If you can correct a 9th grade writing paragraph, regurgitate knowledge about world affairs (easily gleaned from the SWC , Wash Post, or US News and World Report, and otherwise take a multiple choice test without choking, candidates should do fine.

The oral board is a different beast, and I failed horribly the first time because I had spent my entire college years focusing on Int. Relations, and I didn't know a lick about basic US governance. So when the interviewer asked what I would tell my host nation counterpart when he asked how our Constitution and the Bill of Rights had stood the test of time, I faked the funk like you would not believe. I fared slightly better when asked what I would do to help the irate parent of the backpacker who had disappeared in my host country's back 40. Then I was able to clear my inbox in the practical application portion easily, but that Bill of Rights question haunts me to this day.

[JarodParker]

A few months back I attended a presentation which featured the local Diplomat in Residence who was a veteran (Cold Warrior) Political FSO. IIRC, he was teaching PoliSci at UCLA and was responsible for facilitating recruitment in this area. Here’s a link with a list of the DIR’s http://careers.state.gov/resources/diplomats.html. He stated that he was willing to answer questions as well as assist candidates in preparing for the evaluation process (written, oral, etc).

The written test is first, then oral, and then background. He stated that the first duty station is a hardship tour. As for education for the kids, I remember him making it seem like they’re very accommodating; he even left one of his kids overseas for a few months while he/she finished high school with his/her cohorts.

Not sure if they require you to be under 37 at the time of appointment like the other federal agencies (maybe they have a waiver for veterans) but I’d look into the age requirement if I were you.

Schmedlap, thanks for the heads up on the June test; I was actually hoping to register for it but I guess I’m too late.

[Cavguy]

A non-US national wife I think is still a killer, however, in terms of security clearance. Have no idea what working on and toward US citizenship would or would not do for her, hence for you.


Good luck.

I have managed to obtain a high clearance with a foreign wife and dual national children (German), so it is possible.

[jenniferro10]

...here's some info you may find useful

1. woodlandtravels.blogspot.com- a late 30s guy, with family, going through the training process

2. securityclearancejobs.blogspot.com- old, but good info on security clearances

3. from what I have seen (a friend's experience), having an Albanian husband that you married after a three month courtship doesn't even stop a security clearance, it just slows down the process to a degree that's notable even by federal government standards

[jenniferro10]

...and his wife would have a lot to say about family life, etc.

[Ken White]

...it just slows down the process to a degree that's notable even by federal government standards

Is that like sub-glacial? How does one track anything that slow; in eras? Eons???

(thanks for today's chuckle, jen...)

BTW, jcustis

Good plan; hope all works well.

[Stan]

Hey JC,
Just wondering out loud herein, but why not consider some of the "other than State" agencies? DSAA and DIA, FBI and National Guard (serving as Bilateral Relations Officers).

Slightly related (and Tom will vouch for me)... dating (bonds of affection as I recall) a FN while holding a TS will get you in deep Sierra and make the 398 even more painfully slow than say a Grinding Halt

[Ken White]

...dating (bonds of affection as I recall) a FN while holding a TS will get you in deep Sierra and make the 398 even more painfully slow than say a Grinding Halt

"a" or several?

[Steve the Planner]

You should check USAJobs for the clsoing dates for the PRT positions, if interested.

Most of the initial traunch for Afghanistan, and some Iraq positions, close this week.

Jcustis: Once you've figured out the constitution and BoR, a governance position might fit? No tests, except for the laborious essay process.

Steve

[Schmedlap]

You should check USAJobs for the clsoing dates for the PRT positions, if interested.

Most of the initial traunch for Afghanistan, and some Iraq positions, close this week.

A few days ago (after reading the thread announcement that you made) I filled out everything except for the final screen that asks for five references with contact information. That is a non-starter for me - at least anytime in the next week or two. Almost all of my former bosses are deployed, deploying, redeploying, or in the middle of a PCS. I went through the same nutroll just trying to gather two letters of recommendation when I applied to law school. That was a little easier since they just needed to write a one-pager; didn't need to be available for contact. For individuals coming from an organization like the Army, where we all know that everyone gets an OER on a regular basis, I don't know why a stack of OERs covering 9 years of performance can't suffice in lieu of references - at least to get the ball rolling. Sure OERs tend to overly hype, but once you understand that, it is fairly easy to discern which are faint praise, which are standard glorification, and which are genuine high praise.

[Steve the Planner]

"...everything except for the final screen that asks for five references with contact information."

Always strange, isn't it, when folks in the US want references from actual Road Warriors? I usually try to use five that I know are going to be available ASAP.

Last year, I made sure I had email addresses from a bunch of 1AD folks before we all moved on to other things. Trouble was they were all "iraq" addresses so we lost the links.

Steve

[jcustis]

Hey JC,
Just wondering out loud herein, but why not consider some of the "other than State" agencies? DSAA and DIA, FBI and National Guard (serving as Bilateral Relations Officers).

Slightly related (and Tom will vouch for me)... dating (bonds of affection as I recall) a FN while holding a TS will get you in deep Sierra and make the 398 even more painfully slow than say a Grinding Halt

I applied for the DSS just before returning to the Corps, and had to turn down that offer tendered, because I was going back in. And unlike DoS, I can enter the career up until age 59. There is a 37 y/o cutoff for most other .gov jobs, primarily special agent ones.

All applicants must be U.S. citizens on the date they submit their registration package.
On the day you submit your registration, you must be at least 20 years old and no older than 59 years of age.
On the day you are appointed as a Foreign Service Officer, you must be at least 21 years old, and not yet 60.
You must also be available for worldwide assignments, including Washington, D.C.

I am particularly curious about how FSOs factor into the various bureaus, directorates, and Offices (such as the Office of International Security Operations), if at all. That information isn't terribly intuitive, as much of what I come acros on the web is brimming with excitement over the business of just being a FSO, not how State is structured. For Tom and Stan, do you have any insights?