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Jun 25, 2010 18:40
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Vilerat posted:What are the kinds of things you'll be forced to deal with in the Foreign Service? gently caress. As a Boston native, I really want this job.
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Jun 25, 2010 20:45
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Skandiaavity posted:well, the girl needs to be holding a Kalishknov and i suppose the oil well can be on fire.. but yes. suboptimal posted:Not to bump from the last page, but where did you go in Egypt? I'm currently in Alexandria, and I would have loved to have hosted you for a day had I known you were in my neck of the woods or given you some travel pointers. Hope you had a good time! Cairo on business for a week, and then the Nile sights including Valley of King/Queens etc. Skipped Alexandria for Sharm el-Sheikh. However, if I had known about a goon in Alexandria, that would have swayed the travel plans. Miss Fats posted:I wanted to get a job in Kigali doing NGO work but haven't really found any opportunities. I reached out to TCD for help but he got busy so instead I'm working another election cycle. Sorry, about that. I wouldn't know really where to start seeing as how my job isn't really related. TCD fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Jun 25, 2010 |
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Jun 25, 2010 21:10
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TCD posted:Cairo on business for a week, and then the Nile sights including Valley of King/Queens etc. Skipped Alexandria for Sharm el-Sheikh. However, if I had known about a goon in Alexandria, that would have swayed the travel plans. Well, standing invitation to any and all goon visitors to Egypt- if you make it to Alex, I'll do my best to show you around. Fridays work best for me. I'm here til September. Hope you had fun all the same- what'd you think of Sharm? I hear that place is a tourist hellhole, and I'm honestly a fan of the more remote towns in the Sinai.
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Jun 26, 2010 00:23
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Skandiaavity posted:Xanthig, I wouldn't do that if I were you. I mean hell, you going through Uganda, Tanzania? Don't go through Lake Victoria or you'll get hands-on education with Hippos, and those will be a few of the nicer things you'll encounter. I gotta admit, though, taking it south to the Serengeti does look interesting. maybe you can buy a truck for a few hundred bucks Where's your sense of adventure?  Actually, your reaction got me to reading the DoS travel information on these countries- as I suspected it seems the biggest dangers are bad roads, bad drivers, and lack of adequate medical. All told, I'm statistically more likely to fall victim to violent crime living in Baltimore than I am travelling as a tourist in these countries. TCD posted:It would be awesome to do the Nairobi->Rwanda drive. One of my co-workers was going to drive to the Serengeti on his motorcycle. Did he do it? How did it work out? I wonder how much a used motorcycle in Nairobi would go for? If I make it to the OA again this cycle and time the trip right, I could have a good source anecdotes to draw on for the SI.
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Jun 26, 2010 01:23
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xanthig posted:This all raises a question I have been mulling over. A flight from D.C. to Kigali is about $1800, while D.C. to Nairobi is $1200. This got me thinking, how reasonable would it be to fly to Nairobi and then spend a week making my way over-land to Kigali? My wife is convinced that this is the fast-track to her becoming a widow; I'm guessing it's on par with backpacking through Laos and Cambodia. A couple of years ago I flew from Nairobi to Kigali, which cost something like $250 as purchased in Nairobi. I did some stuff in Rwanda and then traveled by bus back to Nairobi, spending some time in Uganda en route. The drive from Rwanda to Uganda was trivial and fast enough, while the drive from Uganda back to Nairobi was significantly bumpier. I think it took about 12 hours, mostly because the road was magnificent crap, but it wasn't dangerous or anything. I managed to sleep quite a bit, although the bus did get a bit smelly at times.
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Jun 26, 2010 01:31
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Still no word back on any of my applications or even acknowledgment that they've even been looked at. Man, I can't GIVE this Urdu knowledge away. I'm also impatient. Oh well, on to another temp job.
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Jun 26, 2010 02:46
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Cherrycola- HR is grinding the wheels, but I can confirm that the HM has looked at your application  if anything i think they're just dragging their feet due to contractual issues (legal stuff is being hammered out, likely). Another friend of mine in the USAF, he applied 3 weeks ago and just got a call 2 days ago.. and the HM told me that they're making an offer to him on Monday. I know it doesn't apply to you as ive just recently put in your app, but I guess patience is a virtue at times.  ill bug the HM again on monday for you/suboptimal and hope she picks her feet up. xanthig posted:as I suspected it seems the biggest dangers are bad roads, bad drivers, and lack of adequate medical. All told, I'm statistically more likely to fall victim to violent crime living in Baltimore than I am travelling as a tourist in these countries. I've not been to Nairobi, but have been to Rwanda and the area. it was a pretty interesting experience, but otherwise correct in your presumption. It's about as dangerous as Detroit, really. Still, not the place you'd backpack through, yeah? Hippos are a real threat to the Lake Victoria area, and plenty of shady boat dealers offering to take you across. even with all those, it's kind of nice to see how the small villages get by. It's not "lions/tigers/bears! oh my!", but it's the kind of place where if something does happen, you're right hosed up poo poo creek without any medical attention (of which there is little). Say you're trekking, rest, and a mosquito gets you with malaria (which is fairly common in Rwanda, i was hearing rates of 40-60%..) Not the kind of position you'd like to be in. And not even getting into the wildlife, or the people of which the statistical crime comes from.. it's the kind of trek that Mr. Grylls would balk at. Of course, if you're still determined to live a little, for a used bike, can't quote you nairobi, but in rwanda, probably $75 USD for a scooter? nothing fancy but it'll do, and you'll see a chiropractor when you get stateside. Bear in mind the road conditions there are "Dirt & Rocks" and "WRC Rally Championship route" Skandiaavity fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Jun 26, 2010 |
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Jun 26, 2010 04:32
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I don't want to be the annoying guy that derails the thread Skandiaavity, but any word if my app has been looked over as well? I'm being realistic in that I just graduated college so I'm sure if it's a limited position, I'll be passed over due to lack of experience (even though we had that discussion and we determined I could pass for 1-2 years), but one never knows. Still as you said, this poo poo takes time, and that is the hardest part about this whole process(finding a real job).
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Jun 26, 2010 05:29
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Skandiaavity posted:Cherrycola- HR is grinding the wheels, but I can confirm that the HM has looked at your application Yeah, you're absolutely right. When I applied for [REDACTED] I didn't even get any confirmation they received my application for over a month until I got the email saying "we don't have anything for you at this time." I'm starting to wish I had actually studied international relations instead of straight-up area studies. I wonder if that's why these government dudes aren't absolutely leaping at the chance to hire me. Anyway, maybe the job experience I'm getting now will help me a bit. Otherwise, I'm going back to grad school so I can maybe get some awesome internships during the summer. But yes, for now....patience.
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Jun 26, 2010 14:29
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you'd probably have a harder time if you got a MIAA (IR) degree.. they are literally a dime a dozen here, probably along the lines of MBA's? Again like the FSOT/FSOA it boils down to your personal merits and not the degree. Federal Employment is being pushed for a faster hire process (as per obama) but as it stands it's something like a usual 3-6 month "oh hey you qualify/don't qualify" procedure. IF you do go back to grad school attend every single job/career fair you can. Boondock Saint, I can tell you that the HM has looked at your resume because I've talked with them, they asked me to email it and I did. I can try checking up with them again next week? I've talked with a few co-workers and we notice it becoming a theme across.. (we need to bug the HM to notice good candidates)
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Jun 26, 2010 16:54
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Do what you can/what you feel is best Skandiaavity. I just appreciate the updates and the vouching, and being called a good candidate is always a plus. I'm on vacation till the 3rd anyways so its not like I could come in for an interview next week if I wanted to anyways. As it's been stated about a dozen times before in this thread, it's seriously learning to be patient and waiting a few weeks that's the hard part for these types of things.
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Jun 26, 2010 23:21
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TCD posted:My orientation IMer called The Hague "The Hell". Repeatedly. I talked to my DCM about this very subject during one of our mentoring lunches. He would get no more specific than to say he knew the DCM who curtailed and "Appointees are hit or miss." I think the Amb at the time was the billionaire who owned Ameriquest. I can't imagine a front office headed by a man who owned a company that was sued for predatory lending practices in 1996 and only got worse as the years rolled on would be a nice place to work. (new-hire IMS in Kosovo, thanks to Vile Rat in Feb '09) ATI Jesus fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Jun 28, 2010 |
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Jun 28, 2010 18:23
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ATI Jesus posted:I talked to my DCM about this very subject during one of our mentoring lunches. He would get no more specific than to say he knew the DCM who curtailed and "Appointees are hit or miss." Places are unimportant, people make the place in this work. The best post could be a living hell if your Ambassador/DCM/MGMT suck but the worst hellhole on the planet could be the place you always remember as your favorite post if the community is awesome.
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Jun 28, 2010 19:03
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BTW ATI Jesus / VIlerat - I am in the IMS waiting procedure now; is there any advice you'd like to offer?
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Jun 28, 2010 19:10
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Vilerat posted:Places are unimportant, people make the place in this work. The best post could be a living hell if your Ambassador/DCM/MGMT suck but the worst hellhole on the planet could be the place you always remember as your favorite post if the community is awesome. This should probably eventually find a home in the OP.
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Jun 28, 2010 19:16
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Skandiaavity posted:BTW ATI Jesus / VIlerat - I am in the IMS waiting procedure now; is there any advice you'd like to offer? Continue to wait? Are you passed the oral interview?
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Jun 28, 2010 19:21
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Skandiaavity posted:BTW ATI Jesus / VIlerat - I am in the IMS waiting procedure now; is there any advice you'd like to offer? Patience. Lots and Lots of patience. Here's what my timeline was like: Feb '08: I apply June '08: I get the come to DC and take an Written/Oral exam letter for Aug Aug '08: I take test, score a 90 out of 100 (under 80 and you dont get the job) Sep '08: I get my security clearance interview, 8 days later I have security clearance (lived in two towns in ten years, and only 3 jobs in that time) Nov '08: MED gets around to letting me know I am cleared for World-Wide availability Feb '09: I get a letter telling me congratulations, I am in the 106th specialist class if I am still interested. I accept and fill out a ton of paperwork. Late March '09: Class starts, I take my oath etc. In Oct I arrived in Kosovo. From what I hear, my experience was faster than a lot of people had. But a full, agonizing 6 months after they gave me a conditional offer until I started work. ATI Jesus fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Jun 28, 2010 |
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Jun 28, 2010 19:24
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Business of Ferrets posted:This should probably eventually find a home in the OP. Done.
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Jun 28, 2010 20:04
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TCD posted:Continue to wait? No - still in the "Filled out application, waiting to hear back" phase!
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Jun 28, 2010 20:24
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I stumbled across this thread and have read a good bit of it, enough to know that I'm definitely interested in pursuing this as a career option. I'm preparing to start my MA in Communication Studies in the spring and I was wondering at what point should I start working towards the FSOT. Is it better to finish my degree or is it something I can study for parallel to my grad work? The main thing I'm worried about is that I've gotten off to a late start: finished my BA at 28, starting my MA at 31. Granted, I've got a decent job and a wife, house, etc, but I'm not seeing any options on my current career track for extensive travel and actual fulfilling work.
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Jun 28, 2010 20:58
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Scipio posted:The main thing I'm worried about is that I've gotten off to a late start: finished my BA at 28, starting my MA at 31. Granted, I've got a decent job and a wife, house, etc, but I'm not seeing any options on my current career track for extensive travel and actual fulfilling work. At 32 I'm still one of the younger people I've met in the FS. The age cutoff is something like 65 and most people seem to start the FS as a second career. I wouldn't worry about your age at all.
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Jun 28, 2010 21:08
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Skandiaavity posted:No - still in the "Filled out application, waiting to hear back" phase! It took me a 12 months from submitting my application to starting in DC with ATI and a few others. So, patience More or less, ATI and I were on the same track. My clearance took a little while longer than his. Sept-Dec.
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Jun 29, 2010 00:59
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Is this about the start of when we could get our FSOT results?
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Jun 29, 2010 14:34
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Aliquid posted:Is this about the start of when we could get our FSOT results? Last year results became available for the June FSOT on July 1; so yeah, its about that time.
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Jun 29, 2010 18:04
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Scipio posted:I stumbled across this thread and have read a good bit of it, enough to know that I'm definitely interested in pursuing this as a career option. You don't have anything to lose by beginning the process now. You can take the FSOT (and, if you pass the QEP, the orals) once a year, and not passing does not count against you in subsequent years. And who knows? If you ace everything the first time through, you will have a really, REALLY good job locked in sooner rather than later. What career track do you think you might apply for?
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Jun 29, 2010 18:57
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According to State's FAQ, the results will be available by tomorrow for anyone who took the FSOT in June. Here's to hoping I passed! Also, I recall someone mentioning that there was a larger demand for consular track right now and as a result, passing the FSOT all but guaranteed being selected for the personal narrative and the oral exam provided you chose consular. Any truth to this?
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Jun 29, 2010 21:10
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Boondock Saint posted:
I would also like to know.
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Jun 29, 2010 22:09
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Got my results! I didn't pass  Oh well, there's always next year! I know if anything, the essay section is what destroyed me.
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Jun 30, 2010 15:41
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Back to the QEP for me!
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Jun 30, 2010 16:12
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First-timer!
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Jun 30, 2010 16:24
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I guess I passed, but I haven't gotten any notification yet. On the other hand, the PNQ section is open to me now. Hmm, exact same questions as last year. Now I have to decide whether to use the same answers or not.....
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Jun 30, 2010 16:41
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xanthig posted:I guess I passed, but I haven't gotten any notification yet. On the other hand, the PNQ section is open to me now. Did you get past this part last year?
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Jun 30, 2010 16:43
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xanthig posted:I guess I passed, but I haven't gotten any notification yet. On the other hand, the PNQ section is open to me now. Yeah, you passed. My QEP was available as a choice this morning, but I didn't receive my results letter until about 15 minutes ago. Personally, I wouldn't re-use the same answers. Who knows whether they cross check those things.
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Jun 30, 2010 16:44
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Got my results today as well, on to the QEP. Now for the hurry up and wait til like...October-ish to hear anything from QEP?
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Jun 30, 2010 17:25
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onezero posted:Got my results today as well, on to the QEP. Now for the hurry up and wait til like...October-ish to hear anything from QEP? The official letter says mid-september.
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Jun 30, 2010 17:41
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Business of Ferrets posted:You don't have anything to lose by beginning the process now. You can take the FSOT (and, if you pass the QEP, the orals) once a year, and not passing does not count against you in subsequent years. And who knows? If you ace everything the first time through, you will have a really, REALLY good job locked in sooner rather than later. I took the online survey, and it confirmed what I was thinking about : Political. Which is, of course, the most competitive. I was pretty much evenly split among the other generalist categories. The idea of being able to do field research and possibly influence US Foreign policy is attactive for me, but I'm open to a lot of different kinds of work. What I've discovered is that I really don't like being a Business Analyst and just crunching data all day long. Consular could be interesting, but it doesn't sound like there's much in the way of variety in the work. I thought about the specialist tracks, but I'm thinking that the only one I'm likely qualified for through work history is IT, and I worked for years to get out of IT, and I'm pretty sure IT in the Gov't is as unappealing as IT in the private sector. Ultimately, what I'm looking for is travel, variety, and engaging work. Right now I'm working with a local organization which primarily works with local Ministries of Health to develop resources for more effective health behavior changes, like convincing people in Indonesia to recognize potential Avian Flu symptoms and head to the doctor straight away, instead of taking OTC cough medicine and dying inside a week. It's fun work, but until they get funding (It's an academic project, so this could be never) it's mostly research work. If I could do something like this for an organization that has the funding, like the Federal Government, I think it would be fairly awesome.
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Jun 30, 2010 17:55
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First time taker and passer. Since this is more of a practice run, I know that next time when the test seems fairly easy, it really is and it's not my imagination. For the PNQs, I assume they expect a different verifier for each question. Is this true?
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Jun 30, 2010 18:06
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Are jobs like this all available on the .gov job site or do embassies advertise jobs externally from the system?
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Jun 30, 2010 18:07
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It doesn't matter if you use the same answers for QEP from prior years, just keep aware that you might not pass with the exact same answers, because QEP is weighted by State's hiring needs.
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Jun 30, 2010 18:14
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