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problematique fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Mar 10, 2013 |
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Mar 10, 2013 21:26
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Kase Im Licht posted:Renouncing shouldn't be necessary. My girlfriend has dual citizenship (with a US friendly nation) and holds a TS. She just can't use her foreign passport, vote in elections there, etc. Depending on the country they will sometimes ask if you are 'willing' to renounce. So most of the time you don't have to. The rules differ slightly if you're from a country on santa's naughty list.
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Mar 10, 2013 22:21
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Homie S posted:Depending on the country they will sometimes ask if you are 'willing' to renounce. So most of the time you don't have to. The rules differ slightly if you're from a country on santa's naughty list. And you can't renounce citizenship from some countries - either there's no legal mechanism (Jamaica), or the process by which you go about renouncing it is so needlessly obtuse and requires sketchy steps like getting a new passport and paying taxes (Russia) that DS would prefer you just not bother. As always - say it with me now - IT DEPENDS.
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Mar 10, 2013 22:37
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the_chavi posted:And you can't renounce citizenship from some countries - either there's no legal mechanism (Jamaica), or the process by which you go about renouncing it is so needlessly obtuse and requires sketchy steps like getting a new passport and paying taxes (Russia) that DS would prefer you just not bother. As always - say it with me now - IT DEPENDS. Overseas assignments with dual citizenship always depends. It's more complicated than a domestic agency which is why it depends  So far on this tour between official and personal I've seen: Lots of places in Brasil - Recife,Rio, S.P., Foz, Lencois, Paraty, and others. Uruguay - Montevideo and Punta del Este Argentina - Foz, B.A and Bariloche Chile - pretty much the whole country. LAN pass is pretty handy. Peru - Lima, Cusco, Machu Pichu Mexico - Mexico City Miami This is a great job if you like traveling and seeing the world. My wife and I have had the talk if we should leave, but we both like traveling too much to give it up for right now.
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Mar 10, 2013 23:47
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This thread has been great. Like others, it finally convinced me to pay to join up! I have some questions about work-life balance that I'm hoping you can answer. I've been trying to get into the foreign service (off and on) for the last ten years or so. I made it the orals after my first try on the test when I was in college in 2002, but didn't pass. I took the FSOT again the next year, but didn't pass. Instead, I made the mistake of going to law school and getting a biglaw job. I'm ready for a change and I took the FSOT last year. I got a high score, but didn't make it past the PNQs. I'm going to take it again this year, but before I register, I thought it might make sense to do a little bit more research to compare career tracks (I registered for Pol last year). Coming from the legal profession, where the work-life balance is basically non-existent, I wanted to get a better understanding for how things would compare in the FS and what career tracks have the best balance. Political is the most interesting to me, but I have interest in Econ and in the other 3 tracks. The original post in this thread mentions that Political has the longest work hours and that at some embassies Pol officers can regularly work until 9 or 10. I'm hoping you all can give us a feel for how common this is and what a typical work day is like. Could anyone share some information about what your work hours are like (and what you observe the work hours to be of your colleagues in other cones)? Specifically I'd be interested to know 1) Your cone 2) a ballpark idea of when you get into work 3) a general idea of when you go home and 4) How often you have to work on weekends (and how many hours you work when you do). Basically, I'm hoping you can help me understand whether, as an FSO, I will be able to have dinner with my family most nights and tuck my kids into bed and which (if any) career tracks are better for this than others. I have some friends from law school who have transitioned from legal practice to the FS, and they all say it is much better than legal practice, but I'd appreciate getting more information from a bigger sample. (Especially from non-lawyers who haven't been polluted by the crazy workaholic legal culture!) Thanks for any info you can give!
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Mar 11, 2013 19:13
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problematique posted:Some intel for you IMS hopefuls. The March class pulled 12 people off the register, four were DNC and there were 16 total on the register, meaning, everyone who wasn't DNC on the register got appointments! Score #16 was a 5.3. Good intel. I was wondering why they posted a new IMS vacancy in the middle of these cut backs but considering the register has no eligible candidates now (4 DNC) they need to increase the numbers. I'm waiting for my clearance to complete so each of us that lands on the register over the next few months in conjunction could get an offer for the July class. Any speculation from those with more knowledge than I when offers for a class 4 months from now would go out?
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Mar 11, 2013 19:18
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joe123456 posted:Tandem Couples Benefit Questions: Regarding #2 though, if you are on an unaccompanied tour and your spouse is in the foreign service (or military), you do not get the separate maintenance allowance (SMA). The State Department posted:Circumstances Not Warranting SMA My husband is military till 2016 so it sucks for me.
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Mar 12, 2013 14:34
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Miscreant Fromage posted:Regarding #2 though, if you are on an unaccompanied tour and your spouse is in the foreign service (or military), you do not get the separate maintenance allowance (SMA). You get SMA, or the equivalent, from the military already though right? I know i had a few friends in my class and that's how it worked for them
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Mar 12, 2013 15:23
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deemickgee posted:Good intel. I was wondering why they posted a new IMS vacancy in the middle of these cut backs but considering the register has no eligible candidates now (4 DNC) they need to increase the numbers. Officially, they try to give notice 6-8 weeks prior, but I've seen it as short as 3 weeks to fill final spots that are open for whatever reason.
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Mar 12, 2013 16:51
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problematique posted:Officially, they try to give notice 6-8 weeks prior, but I've seen it as short as 3 weeks to fill final spots that are open for whatever reason. Unofficially, there was a guy in our class who got called on Friday to start on Monday so... Personally, I believe it was about 2-3 months before starting that I got the offer.
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Mar 13, 2013 03:33
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I was in the middle of a client's meeting when I got my invite. I stood up, said "I'm done with this. I'm outta here, see ya later," left and never came back*. ..never looked back, either. It was about 2 weeks before the class started. *I did come back, put in my 2 weeks notice, and do nothing for two weeks, though.
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Mar 13, 2013 05:22
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Skandiaavity posted:I was in the middle of a client's meeting when I got my invite. I stood up, said "I'm done with this. I'm outta here, see ya later," left and never came back*. LOL Skandiaavity. I like your style!
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Mar 13, 2013 14:18
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Skandiaavity posted:I was in the middle of a client's meeting when I got my invite. I stood up, said "I'm done with this. I'm outta here, see ya later," left and never came back*. We're going to have to enroll you in remedial diplomat school.
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Mar 13, 2013 15:11
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I've read that the QEP looks at your complete application package, but does that mean they look at your FSOT score?
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Mar 13, 2013 16:15
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Anyone know if the ISACA CISM certification is still eligible for SIP? I see it listed for USAID eligible certifications but not sure how up to date that is. My manager for my current employment is urging me to get this but I'd like to hold off and get it after potential State employment.
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Mar 13, 2013 21:32
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Barracuda Bang! posted:I've read that the QEP looks at your complete application package, but does that mean they look at your FSOT score? Yes, they look at your score. On the State Department career forums, someone from State explained what the QEP panlists use to evaluate you: quote:The panel members will have your resume, your FSOT multiple choice scores, your FSOT essay and score, your career track, and your narratives. You will be rank ordered with candidates from the same career track.
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Mar 13, 2013 23:30
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deemickgee posted:Anyone know if the ISACA CISM certification is still eligible for SIP? I see it listed for USAID eligible certifications but not sure how up to date that is. My manager for my current employment is urging me to get this but I'd like to hold off and get it after potential State employment. It is on the 14% list.
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Mar 14, 2013 01:01
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Business of Ferrets posted:We're going to have to enroll you in remedial diplomat school. to be fair, i was putting up with a bunch of b.s. (of the Congressional Variety) and to top that off I had a literal Project Manager From Hell, with a Documented Case of Aspergers. (yes, combine Aspergers with one of "those types" of Project Managers). The person made 3 people on my staff quit (one was a software engineer).. I already talked to my boss about "This is like Thunderdome. It's him or us, but one of the two are leaving." days before. (I should add that he threw down with the client, legal, and H.R. - that's right. As a consultant, he argued - face to face - with the client, who told HR, then they tried to get legal involved to pull a trigger, and he argued with both. And won.) I agree it definately could have been handled better, but I was fine nuking that bridge from orbit. It was the only way to be sure.
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Mar 14, 2013 03:46
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Skandiaavity posted:to be fair, i was putting up with a bunch of b.s. (of the Congressional Variety) and to top that off I had a literal Project Manager From Hell, with a Documented Case of Aspergers. (yes, combine Aspergers with one of "those types" of Project Managers). The person made 3 people on my staff quit (one was a software engineer).. I already talked to my boss about "This is like Thunderdome. It's him or us, but one of the two are leaving." days before. (I should add that he threw down with the client, legal, and H.R. - that's right. As a consultant, he argued - face to face - with the client, who told HR, then they tried to get legal involved to pull a trigger, and he argued with both. And won.) Dude sounds like a baller.
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Mar 14, 2013 08:21
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in other news: There is an iOS app, "TSP". Don't download it, it's not sanctioned by TSP or the USG. it stores your username/password in plaintext. So if you're stubborn, feel free to download it, but don't complain if your retirement moneys are stolen.
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Mar 14, 2013 15:42
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Going back to EERs I'd be happy to look at anyone's and share mine as well. Just PM me for contact info.
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Mar 15, 2013 15:20
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Whenever I happen on a bio of a generalist serving as an ambassador it seems like they usually stick to one bureau or geographic area with maybe one or two stints elsewhere and a tour in DC; here's a random example:quote:
This make sense to me, people specialize in certain areas and become experts in regional diplomacy. Does this sort of thing not happen with specialists? Since the work is independent of locations I'd imagine specializing in a certain bureau would be less important in ones career. On the other hand, I've heard that maintaining "hallway" reputation is critical and it's easier to move up if your known for work you do in one bureau. I guess my general question is State split up via bureau's and regions in a way that, even as a specialist, it would be in your career best interst to focus on one geographic area/bureau?
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Mar 15, 2013 16:33
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Saho posted:You get SMA, or the equivalent, from the military already though right? We get either military housing or basic allowance for housing if we want to live off post so since housing is covered by the military I assume that's why we don't get SMA from the state. My assumption is the SMA is meant to cover housing costs for the family that is staying behind. So yeah, sort of. We currently live in military housing and he and my son will continue to do so after I leave, and utilities (cept phone, cable and internet) are included so extra costs won't be too bad. Same would apply for a tandem FS couple, housing is provided for both so if serving separate tours they wouldn't get SMA.
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Mar 15, 2013 19:55
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problematique posted:Whenever I happen on a bio of a generalist serving as an ambassador it seems like they usually stick to one bureau or geographic area with maybe one or two stints elsewhere and a tour in DC; here's a random example: For specialists, geographic bureaus are not as important. However, DC tours (depending on the job) are still highly encouraged for specialists during a normal career.
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Mar 15, 2013 22:43
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On a related note, how important is regional focus for Consular officers? There are no regional bureaus, so is there any benefit to focusing on a particular region?
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Mar 16, 2013 02:04
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d1rtbag posted:On a related note, how important is regional focus for Consular officers? There are no regional bureaus, so is there any benefit to focusing on a particular region? What? There are regional (geographic) bureaus in the Dept. in those regional bureaus you'll find generalists and specialists.
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Mar 16, 2013 06:48
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TCD posted:What? There are regional (geographic) bureaus in the Dept. in those regional bureaus you'll find generalists and specialists. The difference d1rtbag is getting at is that CA owns all domestic and overseas consular positions. This differs from pol and econ jobs, for example, which are owned by the regional bureaus. CA assignments also function a bit differently, with the CA front office roughly plaing the role of EL CDOs, as it were. To answer the original question, take another look at the last paragraphs regarding consular in the OP; it's mostly covered there. Where regional focus will help consular officers is when competing for any non-consular job, as the normal lobbying process is in place for those. Ditto for the more competitive senior jobs in the Department, including overseas.
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Mar 16, 2013 07:03
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d1rtbag posted:On a related note, how important is regional focus for Consular officers? There are no regional bureaus, so is there any benefit to focusing on a particular region? It actually simplifies the bidding process, since you only have to lobby one bureau. They have mechanisms in place to standardize the assignments process and make it as smooth as possible for the bidder. If you've been serving in a region, can make the timing work for the transition, and speak the language, then your candidacy would naturally be stronger. Another interesting job is the RCO - the Regional Consular Officer. These folks are base out of somewhere like Frankfurt and focus on helping out short-staffed postings or relatively green unit chiefs. They don't jump on the line so much as help various sections best allocate their resources.
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Mar 16, 2013 08:59
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TCD posted:For specialists, geographic bureaus are not as important. However, DC tours (depending on the job) are still highly encouraged for specialists during a normal career. Is there a particular reason why doing a DC tour is highly encouraged or is it more of it's good politics to do it?
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Mar 16, 2013 14:03
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SCRwM posted:Is there a particular reason why doing a DC tour is highly encouraged or is it more of it's good politics to do it? I've heard that it is one of several boxes you should get checked off if you want to get promoted beyond a certain level. I've also heard that it is good to get a better high level big picture view of IRM.
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Mar 16, 2013 14:29
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SCRwM posted:Is there a particular reason why doing a DC tour is highly encouraged or is it more of it's good politics to do it? Some jobs within IRM are pretty visible and it helps your corridor rep - if you do a good job. Thanks BoF, didn't know CA owned those slots. I think there's a few other specialists that are that way too.
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Mar 16, 2013 15:50
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Just got an offer to join the next class of Diplomatic Security Engineering Officers. I have until Monday at noon to reply and the job starts in 9 days! I told them on application that I was willing to accept on very short notice, but that was nearly 2 years ago when I was living with my parents and didn't have a job. Now I don't know what I'm gonna do, because I really do want the job... sheeyit.
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Mar 16, 2013 23:15
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quote:Dear Mr. koreban: Almost a year ago Vile Rat and I were discussing my application for a law enforcement position and the backgrounds process on EVE Goons jabber. We were both involved in the Goonswarm diplomacy corps. He convinced me to put in my application for the IMS position, telling me "you'll be much happier here than in LE." Last week I got my letter for testing. I've made my flight and lodging arrangements, so here it goes. I haven't been back to SA or EVE for that matter, much since shortly after Sean was killed. It was particularly hard given how much of both communities we shared interests/experiences in. If any DoS goons will be in the DC area April 24-26 I'd love a chance to buy you a beer.
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Mar 16, 2013 23:37
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I'll have to take you up on that. I'm PCSing out of Rome the first week of April and will be in the area by then. I also hear tell of pub quizzes? How does one join up?
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Mar 17, 2013 00:15
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Business of Ferrets posted:The difference d1rtbag is getting at is that CA owns all domestic and overseas consular positions. This differs from pol and econ jobs, for example, which are owned by the regional bureaus. CA assignments also function a bit differently, with the CA front office roughly plaing the role of EL CDOs, as it were. Thanks! That's a great explanation. It gives me some food for thought as I wait on my clearances.
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Mar 17, 2013 00:57
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1of7, TCD thanks for the info. I had a feeling it was one of those things that if you want to move up (past a certain level), it would be good to to a DC tour. Met with the investigator two weeks ago this coming Tuesday. Hopefully he's wrapped up/is wrapping up the investigation and will sending the report to DC for review, adjudication. And the waiting continues.... Question: what are some items you would say "yes definitely pack in your HHE" and "no way in hell you should take that with you?" The wife and I are starting to make "lists" of things around the house we will sell/donate, store and ship in HHE. Also, do you have a desk/cube in the Embassy you work in? Reason I'm asking, I've got pictures, etc on/at my desk and was wondering if I would have a place to put that stuff. SCRwM fucked around with this message at 12:20 on Mar 17, 2013 |
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Mar 17, 2013 12:16
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GoodsMarch's post got buried but I'd also be interested in knowing the answer to this. I'm also a former biglaw lawyer considering the FS, although I'm now in a job with much saner hours. FS work sounds fascinating but the highly competitive application process is making me nervous. I never want to go back to that kind of crazy hours, intense, workaholic work culture again. Not saying I need to leave at 5 every day but I do enjoy having dinner with my family most nights. Is this possible in this career? And which tracks have better/worse hours?GoodsMarch posted:This thread has been great. Like others, it finally convinced me to pay to join up! I have some questions about work-life balance that I'm hoping you can answer.
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Mar 17, 2013 12:28
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Obelisk posted:GoodsMarch's post got buried but I'd also be interested in knowing the answer to this. I'm also a former biglaw lawyer considering the FS, although I'm now in a job with much saner hours. FS work sounds fascinating but the highly competitive application process is making me nervous. I never want to go back to that kind of crazy hours, intense, workaholic work culture again. Not saying I need to leave at 5 every day but I do enjoy having dinner with my family most nights. Is this possible in this career? And which tracks have better/worse hours? You're gonna hate me for saying this, but it all depends - on the section, the portfolio, the track, the office, the post, etc. Everybody has specific demands on their time and some things can't be done during regular office hours. In general though I've struck a good work/life balance and most folks work OOB to COB no problem. I couldn't imagine pulling nutty hours unless I was staffing a big visit or something.
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Mar 17, 2013 14:13
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That's good to hear Zoots. I have no problem working late sometimes, especially as my husband would probably be able to be a stay at home dad, but I just don't want to go back to an environment in which I would never get to see my kids. I'm most interested in Econ but Pol and PA also interest me if that's relevant.
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Mar 17, 2013 14:56
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koreban posted:Almost a year ago Vile Rat and I were discussing my application for a law enforcement position and the backgrounds process on EVE Goons jabber. We were both involved in the Goonswarm diplomacy corps. He convinced me to put in my application for the IMS position, telling me "you'll be much happier here than in LE." bwahaha I think I remember Vile saying something about that to me over ms communicator "stole one from you guys, suckers"
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Mar 17, 2013 15:42
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