Questions

As many of you know by now Noah has accepted a job to become a Foreign Service officer. What we have realized in talking to friends, family and co-workers is that there are a lot of questions that people have about what that means for our family. The purpose of this post will be to help answer the most frequently asked questions and clear up any confusion that may be out there about the new job.


What exactly is the Foreign Service?
The Foreign Service is a branch of the U.S. Department of State that represents the United States’ interests abroad. A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a diplomat. FSOs work in U.S. embassies around the world.


Will you have to move and if so where are you going?
One of the conditions of becoming an FSO is that you agree to be worldwide available. This means that you can go to anywhere in the world where the US has diplomatic relations. (certain countries like Iran and North Korea and number of others are not on the list, because currently there are no US embassies there)


Initially we will be moving to Washington D.C. where Noah will be attending training on exactly what will be required of him in his role as a US diplomat. His training begins on January 4th and will go for a little over a month. At that point we will find out where we are going and how long he will be required to attend additional training for his select post. It is possible that we could be in D.C. for over a year if he has to learn a new language. While we are in D.C. any and all visitors are welcome.


Once we actually move to our assigned post we will most likely spend 2 years in that country. After that we will go through the process of choosing our next country of service. Once again visitors are welcome wherever we go.


What about the kids? Where will they go to school?
Our kids are actually pretty excited to move. As you know we like to travel and ever since they have been born they have been globe hopping. Porter has said that he doesn't want to go to Africa, because he says that he is afraid of lions. We have assured him that he will not have to get near any lions and he is now excited about the possibility of seeing zebras and giraffes.


As far as schools are concerned there are international schools, and in many countries american schools which offer very high levels of education. The cost of these schools is covered as part of the compensation and benefits package we will receive.


Will you ever come home or will you always live overseas?
One great part about the Foreign Service is that you get to come home every year. The length of the trip might vary, as Kendra may choose to come home several weeks before Noah, but all in all should be a pretty decent vacation for us! While you are home you are encouraged to catch up with friends and family as well as taking care of any other personal matter that can be done while overseas.


Not only will we be coming home once a year, but it is expected that at some point during a Foreign Service Officer career your post will be in the Washington D.C. area. This usually occurs between years 4-15 of your career and we are both excited to live there. We have always talked about how cool it would be to live in D.C. and this will be our chance.


I know by now you either think this sounds like the craziest thing in the world or you want to know what you need to do to get a job like this, so the next question is:


How did you guys get this job?
While there is no specific set of qualifications that make you eligible for this job the screening process is quite long and it can be rather difficult.


Here is a condensed version of the process we’ve just been through. It’s a simple 8 step process: :)

Submit Resume-type information to register to take a written exam.
If selected, take the written exam.
If you pass, you submit concise essays in response to Personal Narrative Questions.
If you’re selected through a review panel you’re invited to an Oral assessment.
Those who are successful at the Oral need to submit documentation to obtain Security and Medical Clearances.
A Final Review panel then determines the candidate’s suitability for the Foreign Service.
The Candidate is placed on the Register (a list of people eligible for hire) ordered based on their score in the Oral Assessment.
As training classes are formed candidates are offered a job from the top of the list down.
This whole process took as about a year from start to finish. We have been told by others however that it can take up to 3 years and at any step along the way you can not be asked to move to the next step. So if you couldn't already tell we feel very lucky to have made it through this process and be where we are now.
WOW. When I started this post I thought it would be a quick Q&A, but several pages later you can see there are a lot of questions. If I didn't happen to answer an question which you had please feel free to drop me a line or give me a call and I will do my best to answer.


Keep any eye on our blog in the coming weeks and months and we will keep you updated on our adventures.