BootsnAll Travel Community

OK, this is my last post today, I PROMISE. I want to issue a general warning to anyone thinking of becoming a Foreign Service Officer. Skobb, I wish you luck! You have run a very difficult gauntlet, and I hope you like what you get. Thinking it would be a way to travel the world and support my kids at the same time, perhaps in the process to do something worthwhile, I took the exam, passed it, passed everything till I got to DC for the day-long interview process in 1994, and then I bombed (or it bombed, or we realized we weren't right for each other) because the truth is my primary value is NOT making the world safe for U.S. business at all costs. If you are not sure that "development" (technology transfer, more dams and roads, more infrastructure for trade and business) is beneficial for everyone everywhere; if you are not sure that the U.S. model of two-party media-blitz "democracy" is the best form of governmental organization in the world; if you worry about the destruction of ancient cultures, languages, and traditions and the vise-grip of capitalism on the globe; if you have read Wole Soyinka's THE ROAD and understood it; if you have ever listened to Arundhati Roy and thought she made sense; if the relief of suffering is your primary goal in life; then you are probably going to bomb your interview, as I did. If you do, that will be a good thing. You don't want to get a job that asks you to ignore your deepest values and stop asking those haunting questions, not even if it means travel, not even if it means comfort and security and a feeling of importance. Before I went for the interview, I asked Barbara Jordan, who was a teacher and a friend, how she felt about me being a FSO. She answered, I thought then inscrutably, "It is a very fine career for someone who wants to further the aims of American business." After the interview, I walked to the DC Metro in a fury, understanding very clearly what she meant.

Grannygold,

You make some interesting points and some have some validity, but I think others are a bit off. If you become a economic-coned FSO or join the Foreign Commercial Service then I think you could rightly expect to spend a lot of your career pushing for U.S. overseas business interests, but that is just one segment of the Foreign Service.

For the vast majority of the positions I'm up for during my first tour I'll be doing either consular or management work. For the consular jobs that means adjudicating visas for foreigners to come to America to study, work, visit friends and family, or just to vacation. It means visiting Americans who are jailed to make certain they are treated fairly. It means assisting Americans who pass away overseas to see that their bodies are returned to their loved ones. For the management jobs, I could be working with local contractors for renovations to the embassy, leasing new apartment space, negotiating raises for the Foreign Service Nationals who work in the embassies.

I'm sorry to hear that you walked away with a bad impression of the Foreign Service, but I don't think it was a very accurate or well-rounded one. Perhaps you should look into Peace Corps or USAID and they may be a better fit for you.

Good luck.

I'm glad you have found a niche where you can do no harm and enjoy the benefits of being an FSO. May that continue to be so for you. I had hoped to end up in USIS, doing cultural exchange. However I'm no longer looking for work. I'm at the end of my career, and I leave it to you young bloods to make of it what you can. Perhaps the FSO has changed--it is more than a decade ago that I went through the interview process, and institutions do shift. I must say, though, that I have three good friends who are liftime FSOs (and of couse must be anonymous), and they are all quite miserable and are counting the days till they can retire and no longer have to play politics, to represent views that they don't share, to advance policies they abhor, and to have, as one has said to me, "my soul vacuumed out every day."

I'm glad your at a place you want to be.

I'm sorry to hear about your friends. The Foreign Service of 10 years ago is nothing like the FS of today though. Those were days of hiring freezes and budget cutbacks. I'm not sure what kind of soul sucking work your friends are doing, but it sounds like to me they should get out. There's no reason to stay in a place your not happy. The FS is working hard to bring in new blood that has a new look on diplomacy and to replace those who are stagnate and just waiting for retirement.

Good luck to you. If you do decide to pursue the FS again though, I'd be happy to give you some insight to the current environment.

Thanks, Skobb. I'm 61 and am more eager for a complete life change than a career change, but you are very generous. I can understand your desire to defend the Foreign Service, as you worked hard to get there, and you are certainly to be commended. I have no doubt it has changed since 93, and I sincerely hope you will be happy there. My friends who are sick of the Service are about the same age or slightly older than I. They ARE waiting for retirement (which they have earned by long, hard years of dedicated labor and sixty-hour weeks); however it would be unfair and untrue to say they are stagnating. They are superb at what they do, and they do it with much more efficiency and confidence than many of the supposedly superior young bloods. But they also know when the emperor has no clothes. Maybe when you have done this for 30-plus years you will have had to live through some soul-sucking times too. The posturing, competition for status, preening, and sucking up to the right people gets old; reports turn to sawdust in the mouth; diplomatic parties become stale; having to do what is politically necessary when it violates your sense of humanity becomes acutely painful. The cartoon-like stereotype of people over fifty-five being useless deadheads who are stagnating is not helpful to them or to you. There may be some who are like that. There may also be some genius, some wisdom, and some artful mentoring available to you from people who are about to retire, even if they feel the Foreign Service has in some ways sucked at their souls. Perhaps a certain yearning sets in for many people around 60-70 who are still at work, because the challenges of the job diminish when we have done it so long; we ache for a way of life that allows more freedom and kindness to soul and body, time to adventure in a different way and to find identity in something other than our jobs. And yet we have to stay on a few more years for financial reasons, perhaps because we are paying off loans we took out to educate our children or to provide them with cars, etc. The yearning to move on is as natural as that itch that people in their late teens and twenties feel when they want to leave home but don't yet have the degrees or whatever it takes to become independent. We strain at the bit for our next life to begin. I can't pretend to speak for everyone my age, but it is good to have worked and done good work; and it is good to be eager to break loose into another way of being.

One more thing: Tennyson's Ulysses is ungrateful to his wife, patronizing of his son, and insulting toward his people. When I was young, I loved that poem. I won a contest performing it when I was seventeen. Now I feel it is not enough to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. It is good to discover new lands. It is also good to discover gratitude, humility, and deep compassion.

For those of you who are interested, we found out yesterday that we'll be sent to Kiev, Ukraine next April for our first assignment. Starting in September, I have 7 months of paid Russian training to look forward to. It sounds great now, but check in with me about a month in...

Sounds great! Congratulations!!!

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I have 7 months of paid Russian training to look forward to.

Where will you be doing the language training, and via what organization? (civ contract school, etc)

I'm curious to know which assignments get language training. Do you know offhand? In the Netherlands, the Navy staff assigned the Embassy used to get 6 months of Dutch training. But someone in 2003 determined that because everyone in Holland spoke perfect English, there was no need, so it was dropped.

May it be all you hope it will be. May your dreams come true. May you be truly happy.

quote:

Originally posted by Capt Steve:

I'm curious to know which assignments get language training. Do you know offhand? In the Netherlands, the Navy staff assigned the Embassy used to get 6 months of Dutch training. But someone in 2003 determined that because everyone in Holland spoke perfect English, there was no need, so it was dropped.

I'll be learning at the Foreign Service Institute which is where all the rest of my training is. It's the training arm of the State Department and it's language training is highly regarded as one of the best. I know that Defense and USDA both offer excellent language training as well.

Which positions receive language training and which don't is somewhat subjective depending on the nature of the job and where it is. For instance, Manila, Chennai, and several other places were on our list. All of these countries have their own languages, but in order to do your job there you didn't need to have language training as English is widely spoken. Therefore, they don't receive any language. You take these sorts of things in to consideration when bidding. If a post didn't come with language training, I didn't bid it high because I really wanted the training.

p.s. Thanks, Grannygold.

Anyone receive their written test results yet? Should be soon...

Yep - didn't pass! In my defense, I had to switch to a more crowded and noisier testing center due to a family emergency (it was closer to the hospital my dad was at). However I've realized that while I'm really enamored of the idea of being in the Political Analysis track (mostly the influence), it's unrealistic for me to continue on that path because it's nearly impossible to crack the scores for it. Plus if I really am honest with myself, I'd actually rather be doing something that's more daily interaction with people, rather than higher level issues. So I'm going to switch tracks for next years exam, although I still haven't decided which one yet.

I'm sorry to hear you didn't pass. I heard it was a real bear this year so there could be a lot of people receiving sad news.

If you'd like more interaction with people then you may want to consider switching to the consular career track. I believe the cutoff score to pass is a little lower and they always hire a lot of consular folks. As of right now, nearly every single person on the consular register (those waiting for an offer) have received an offer for the September class. You'll get plenty of face time with both locals and Americans abroad and have the best stories.

Best of luck next year and let me know if you have any questions.

quote:

Originally posted by skobb:
If you'd like more interaction with people then you may want to consider switching to the consular career track. I believe the cutoff score to pass is a little lower and they always hire a lot of consular folks. As of right now, nearly every single person on the consular register (those waiting for an offer) have received an offer for the September class. You'll get plenty of face time with both locals and Americans abroad and have the best stories.

Thanks skobb. It was no biggie because like I said, there was enough going on that week that I was totally distracted about it.

Now that I'm putting aside my ego about having to be a know-it-all Political Affairs Officer (I can't help it, I'm bossy and a librarian), I'm thinking that either Consular or even Management might be the way to go. Mostly because I've probably had more enjoyment from project management and customer service/face to face dealings than in doing hardcore research. Plus what I really want is the experience of living/working in another culture.

Anyhow, that's interesting to hear about consular. I may PM you more later on if I have more questions before the next go-round. Thanks!

*Bump*

Any BnA'ers taking the oral assessment this fall? I like to live vicariously (yet be happy I don't have to do it.) I'm always here to answer questions if anyone is interested.

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Any BnA'ers taking the oral assessment this fall?

Of course! Actually, my date's not until February, so I have plenty of time to either get nervous or put it out of my head. So far, I've just been putting it out of my head.

I'm sure I'm not the only Bootie getting ready for the orals ...

skobb: do you know of any FSOs who got a 5.3 in the political cone? hopefully, your class isn't filled with people who advertise their high scores (i couldn't believe people in law school liked to quote their LSAT scores!) but i thought you might be able to find someone or at least ask around. i just passed the oral assessment and am attempting to get a realistic picture of whether i might actually make it to becoming an FSO. does state release stats such as how many 5.3s got in last year in the political track? i'll definitely try again next year to bump up but am DESPERATE for some solid information outside of those suggesting that i learn another language.

Hi Linda,

I'm sorry, I just noticed your post. Maybe I'll PM this message to you also so you get it.

No one cares what your score is once you get in and I don't know the score of any of my classmates to be honest. However, based on when I was waiting to get in, I know that political has traditionally been the most competetive. A 5.3 will make it really difficult, but nothing is impossible. If I were you, after you get your clearances and are on the register, I'd call about every 3 to 4 weeks to request your current ranking. When you do so, be upfront about realizing that you know your score is low, but that if a last minute spot opens up then you'd accept it in a second (assuming you would.) They like to have a list of last minute people and that might give you the edge you need.

Otherwise, I would suggest retesting to boost your score. If you don't have any foreign language skills, then there aren't any other ways to boost your score unless you're a veteran.

Good luck!

I'm just bumping this old thread up for those who are interested. The registration for the free written examination will be up on the State Department website in January sometime.

The Director General of the Department of State has decided to revamp the Foreign Service admittance process so I don't think the standard written test will be offered next year. Check State's site to find more information.