AMA: Foreign Service Officer

[CurrentFSO]

I did this about a year ago, but maybe it's time for another go, since there's a different batch of folks on the boards now.  I'm a Department of State Foreign Service Officer currently based in DC after overseas assignments.  Before entering the Foreign Service, I got an MPP.  I'm happy to answer questions about the Foreign Service, the hiring process, graduate school and the Foreign Service, etc.  I won't tell you where I went to school or where I've served since I'd prefer to try to preserve some sense of anonymity, and I obviously reserve the right not to answer anything that involves sensitive information or could get me in trouble, but almost anything else is fair game.  So, go ahead and ask me (just about) anything.

 

As usual, any responses are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, etc. of the Department of State.

Edited March 31, 2014 by CurrentFSO

[Zagros]

Is it reasonable for an aspiring FSO to take out 70,000 (over two years) in educational loans to attend a top IR master's program? Is he fooling himself to think that the degree would fetch him an extra $10-12,000/year under the current pay schedule (exceeding his student loan payments) and thus immediately start paying for itself? Should his only worry be managing a potential gap in between graduation and induction when the insatiable and jealous gods at SallieMae demand continuous sacrifices in times of likely penury?

 

Should he temper his unshakable confidence that he will eventually be offered a job in the Service? Does the ratio of names on the register to actual hires vary so much from year to year? In other words, can't we make any generalizations ala "about half the names on the register are offered jobs in any given year"?

 

And have you ever felt that you had to compromise your principles/beliefs in an outrageous or especially demoralizing way in service of our government?

 

Much appreciated.

[jjduval]

Howdy,

 

Thanks for doing this AMA. I've got a few questions about your background, and how it's been applicable to your service:

 

1. I took the FSO a few years ago, just out of college. Since the Foreign Service allows applications right out of university, what are the benefits of getting an advanced degree before applying? More upward mobility? Higher pay?

2. I remember reading that, although incoming officer can ask for certain positions within the Foreign Service, no one is guaranteed a specific position. Does this still stand? If so, does the FS look for specific criteria in the applicant's background before making them Consular Officers, Economic Officers, etc.?

3. Does the FSO get any say in where he/she is deployed? How long are the stints abroad?

 

And finally, 4. What do you enjoy most about being a Foreign Service Officer?

 

I really appreciate you doing this, friend.

[ArtsyGirl]

How would you recommend preparing for the exam?  

[TimB]

How do married folks manage family life?

 

Tips on the interview?

[CurrentFSO]

Is it reasonable for an aspiring FSO to take out 70,000 (over two years) in educational loans to attend a top IR master's program? Is he fooling himself to think that the degree would fetch him an extra $10-12,000/year under the current pay schedule (exceeding his student loan payments) and thus immediately start paying for itself? Should his only worry be managing a potential gap in between graduation and induction when the insatiable and jealous gods at SallieMae demand continuous sacrifices in times of likely penury?

 

Should he temper his unshakable confidence that he will eventually be offered a job in the Service? Does the ratio of names on the register to actual hires vary so much from year to year? In other words, can't we make any generalizations ala "about half the names on the register are offered jobs in any given year"?

 

And have you ever felt that you had to compromise your principles/beliefs in an outrageous or especially demoralizing way in service of our government?

 

Much appreciated.

 

Your starting salary will be calculated based on your education and work experience.  A master's degree from SAIS will get you the same starting salary as a master's degree from Unknown U.  So, as far as the State Dept is concerned for your starting salary, it really doesn't matter where you went to school. 

 

Each year somewhere around 20,000 people take the written exam and between 300-700 are usually hired.  Hiring is determined by funding from Congress, so it's a bit erratic, much like Congress itself.   The FSOT is graded on a T-score, so the passing level depends on how people do and HR can determine the cutoff.  HR also determines how many people get through the QEP in each career track.  They have pretty good data on what percentage of people will pass the FSOA.  So, under normal conditions, they can make a reasonable projection of how many people to invite to the OA to get X number of candidates on the register to roughly match hiring needs.  However, the hiring process takes about a year if everything goes smoothly and changes in budgets can throw those projections out of whack.  When they had a hiring surge in 2009-2011, they nearly cleared the registers because they got unexpected funding to hire a lot more people and it takes time to ramp up hiring.  Likewise, when sequestration kicked in and they had to cut hiring, a lot of people expired off of the register, because they had so many people in the pipeline and all of the sudden didn't have the money to hire them.

 

No, I haven't really felt like I've had to compromise my principles.  Sometimes, I've gotten requests or instructions that made me scratch my head, but nothing that I really objected to.

 

Howdy,

 

Thanks for doing this AMA. I've got a few questions about your background, and how it's been applicable to your service:

 

1. I took the FSO a few years ago, just out of college. Since the Foreign Service allows applications right out of university, what are the benefits of getting an advanced degree before applying? More upward mobility? Higher pay?

2. I remember reading that, although incoming officer can ask for certain positions within the Foreign Service, no one is guaranteed a specific position. Does this still stand? If so, does the FS look for specific criteria in the applicant's background before making them Consular Officers, Economic Officers, etc.?

3. Does the FSO get any say in where he/she is deployed? How long are the stints abroad?

 

And finally, 4. What do you enjoy most about being a Foreign Service Officer?

 

I really appreciate you doing this, friend.

 

A graduate degree will get you a higher salary when you start and will probably make you more competitive in the hiring process.  While a graduate degree is certainly not required, roughly 2/3 of FSOs have one.  Most FSOs come in with some work experience and a graduate degree, so it does make you more competitive in the hiring process.  It won't make much of a difference in promotions, as your promotions are based on your annual reviews. 

 

That is correct.  You will bid on jobs off of a list.  The mechanics vary, depending on where in your career you are, but you'll get a list, bid on jobs, and then eventually get one.  You're not guaranteed any specific job or place.

 

In the hiring process, you'll be expected to draw a link between your skills and experience and the work you will do as part of your career track, but you don't necessarily have to be an economist to be an economic officer.  You could use experience running a business, or whatever to demonstrate that you have skills that apply to the econ career track. 

 

Yes, you do get a say.  FSOs do sign a worldwide availability agreement, so the FS can send you anywhere.  However, in practice you get a say.  It works differently at different points in your career.  For your first tour, you'll get a list of about as many jobs as there are people in your training class.  You'll get a chance to tell your assignments officer what's important to you (schools for your kids, regional interests, whatever) and you'll rank your posts high, medium, and low.  Then you'll get your assignment, which may or may not be one of your top choices.  For your second tour, the process is similar, though with a larger number of posts and bidders and they also take in to consideration where you're serving for your first tour, so people in Saudi Arabia will get assigned before people in France, for example.  For your third tour and beyond, it's much more like an interview process where you have to convince a post/bureau that you're the best officer for the job.

 

Most entry level tours (your first two tours, usually) are two years long and most of the rest of your tours are 3 years long.  Places that have extenuating circumstances may have shorter tours of duty.  For example, Iraq is a one year tour, Saudi Arabia is a two year tour, etc.

 

I like that the work changes every few years.  There are a lot of ups and downs in the Foreign Service, but you're rarely bored.

 

How would you recommend preparing for the exam?  

 

Careers.state.gov provides the following info:

 

Here are a few suggestions that may help you prepare for the process.

• Contact a Diplomat in Residence near you if you have questions.
• Check if there are any Test information sessions hosted by a DIR near you.
• Use the Guide to the Foreign Service Selection Process, (pdf) which contains sample test questions.
• Consider purchasing the Pearson VUE Study Guide.
• Review the Suggested Reading List (pdf)
• View the Suggested Course List (pdf)
• Read Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the U.S. Foreign Service, by Harry W. Kopp and Charles A. Gillespie. This is an insider's guide that examines the Foreign Service as an institution, a profession, and a career.
• Read Inside a U.S. Embassy, published by the American Foreign Service Association, the book takes readers inside embassies and consulates in over 50 countries, providing detailed descriptions of Foreign Service jobs and first-hand accounts of diplomacy in action.
• Read Realities of Foreign Service Life, which contains essays that cover topics ranging from children's education overseas, to the Nairobi Embassy bombing.
• The night before the test, get a good night's sleep!

I'd concur with most of that.  I also think that reading a good newspaper or weekly news magazine is helpful.  Brushing up on how the U.S. government works is a good idea.  You might consider practicing your ACT-style essay writing.  A lot of people who write for a living get tripped up by the essay because they're not used to the essay style the test requires.

 

How do married folks manage family life?

 

Tips on the interview?

 

Not really sure exactly what you're asking.  Spouses and families can come to most posts.  It may require compromises on your spouse's career as it's often difficult to maintain a spouse's career through different posts with different work situations.  There may be licensing issues with some professions, language challenges, work permit challenges, lack of network, etc.  Kids adapt to the FS life differently.  Some are fine, others have difficulty with all of the changes.  Depends on the kid.

 

Review the 13 dimensions on the careers.state.gov website.  The FS hiring process is not without its issues, but it's one of the few jobs where they clearly state what they're evaluating you on, so it pays to take a look at that. 

 

Also, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS.  I say that "shouting" because so many people don't pay attention to the instructions in the hiring process and they're the ones that don't get through.  You may be the best thing since sliced bread, but if you don't follow the instructions, you won't get hired.

 

[KevinDosi]

The school you went to doesn't make a difference in your pay or promotions, but do you think it makes a difference in your likelihood of getting hired? Does an MA from SAIS look better than one from GWU, for instance? Or does it seem that you run into a disproportionate amount of officers who went to one or two certain schools?

[CurrentFSO]

The school you went to doesn't make a difference in your pay or promotions, but do you think it makes a difference in your likelihood of getting hired? Does an MA from SAIS look better than one from GWU, for instance? Or does it seem that you run into a disproportionate amount of officers who went to one or two certain schools?

 

I haven't been part of the board of examiners, so I don't really know exactly what they look for in the hiring process and whether a degree from a prestigious school will make much of a difference.  Anecdotally, I know people who've attended all kinds of schools, from Harvard Law graduates to people with a BA from Nowhere U.  So, I can't say that it doesn't make a difference at all, because I haven't worked in that office, but anecdotally it doesn't seem to make a difference.  There are plenty of SAIS/GWU/Georgetown grads, but I also think that a higher percentage of students in those programs are interested in the Foreign Service than at, say, Nowhere U.  So, there's some correlation between FSOs and grads of certain programs, but I'm not sure there's causation.

[Aapo9558]

Hi all.  So I've taken the FSOT many times (sadly) but the past few years I've really been tripping up on the language section (I run out of time).  Does anyone know of any online practice (timed) tests.  I think this would be the best way to get better at this skill but having trouble finding such resources.

 

Thanks!