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I suppose I can be another person who was inspired to throw money at somethingawful because of this thread. I feel like you guys should get commission... In any case, I'm all kinds of invited to the July specialist class as an IMS. As far as the IMS gig goes I know it's basically a computer janitor, especially at first, but I've also heard various internet type rumors that they are starting to talk about it becoming more of a consulting type role with the other sections. Is there any opportunity for e-diplomacy type work?
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Jun 9, 2012 14:33
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Thanks, that's good information to know. It's not that I'm uninterested in the IMS side for sure, TCD describing it as an IT generalist sounds pretty good to me, I just think it would be cool to do some work on the diplomatic side. Not that I ever expect to be a "diplomat" as such with this gig. Also, IMO = Information Management Officer right? That's a midlevel type position?
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Jun 9, 2012 15:37
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Rums posted:I'm about to graduate with a BA in Economics and a BA in German. My German is pretty weak now (I lived there for a year, but I've been back in the states for a long time without speaking any German) but I can brush up on it and hope to score high on the phone interview I guess. I would love to go back to Germany, but it's not a requirement for me. If I were to apply right out of college, what are my odds that I'll get in on the economic track? What kind of work experience are they looking for? I've only held the standard part time college job type thing. I've been thinking about this very carefully and I'm pretty convinced this is what I want to do. Odds are hard to say, it's a pretty mixed bag. My understanding is that the Officer hiring isn't exactly booming right now and in general, it's a pretty competitive process. At the same time, it never hurts to apply and see where it leads. Many people try several times. The German won't really help you much at first, it doesn't come into play until after you've done pretty much the whole process successfully but, it will help you once you get to the register. As far as work experience goes they want things that demonstrate the fabled "13 dimensions" http://careers.state.gov/uploads/1e/be/1ebeb6be82c173e5cfb6e132b6fbd9b0/3.0.0_FSO_13_dimensions.pdf I've heard of people with years of experience working abroad not get past the QEP and people with little on the job experience at all making it in.
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Jun 27, 2012 15:42
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TCD posted:Oh the joys of bidding It's got to be better than the entry level bidding right? Right... ?
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Jul 20, 2012 02:43
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1of7 posted:I went to the ceremony. As far as I know, we had 1 OMS & 1 IMS in this class. But, I'll leave posting their results up to them. Kathmandu, IMS !!
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Aug 2, 2012 01:26
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Vilerat posted:I gotta stress that networking is 80% of this job and you're all starting with a HUGE advantage. Don't let that advantage go. I've heard this before advise before and I know this is kind of a dumb question, but I've never really been in a position where networking is a 'thing'... Any suggestions on how to get this done? For example, we have class mentors and individual mentors, should I be reaching out to these people? Think of things to ask?
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Aug 5, 2012 13:44
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Skandiaavity posted:tbqh i don't think you'd be DQ'ed from medical. At worst maybe have a class 2 instead of class 1 med - basically, just be restricted from serving in certain areas. I haven't heard of anyone getting dinged for suitability because they had a class 2. I thought a class 1 was a requirement to get on the register, it just stops mattering once they actually hire you?
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Aug 11, 2012 04:56
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Xtronoc posted:I just got informal offers for an internship from Quito and Madrid Depending on what you're trying to do and where you've lived in the past it might be pretty handy to have lived in a developing nation for a while. Also, doesn't Ecuador just sound cooler than Spain?
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Aug 11, 2012 23:30
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for Spring. Needless to say I'm pretty stoked. Both are unpaid, but Quito provides housing. I've got some grants and savings that I can cover it with, but otherwise I have an hard time choosing. Do you guys know anything about the posts?
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Tyro posted:I actually do have a question. What do generalists do when they are posted in DC? Work alongside GS employees? I'm mostly interested in Consular, since that's my cone. I feel like I have a decent handle on the overseas work, but when it comes to US posts, I have no idea. There are a ton of things people do in DC from people on the Sec. State line that basically travel everywhere with her to people who work on various types of inspections and audits to instructors. One of the things I was surprised about was the variety of work people do, especially in dc. I'm in training now and feel like everyday is a bit of a job fair...
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Aug 13, 2012 22:39
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psydude posted:Reposting from the last page since it got kind of buried: How do embassy employees and contractors who are reservists take care of their drilling/AT commitment? As far as the contractors go that's probably the contracting company's problem right? I think for direct hires they provide up to 15 days a year for training.
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Aug 25, 2012 15:59
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the JJ posted:Hey, quick query. Would a dual American/Swedish citizenship help or hurt an application? Neither, really. It might make your security clearance take longer. Depending on if you've lived or worked in Sweden you might be able to leverage that when you're talking about cross cultural stuff.
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Sep 9, 2012 01:35
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Diplomaticus posted:And now Embassy Sana'a (Yemen) is being attacked. Mtreecorner is still here in the states.
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Sep 13, 2012 11:51
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Salah-al-diin posted:I've seen plenty of mention about .mil Os making their way into the FS as generalist and specialist. However, I'm a little worried that my status as a lowly enlisted will be a severe speed bump to any FS aspirations of mine Yeah, I can add to this, I know several FSO types who were enlisted. I'm not sure that state really cares about the whole officer vs enlisted thing very much. Kind of like where exactly one went to school doesn't seem to make a ton of difference.
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Sep 16, 2012 15:22
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I'm one of those enormous dummies that enlisted with a degree, and I'm concerned that enlisted experience is not looked on as highly as Officer experience unless I happen to be a special operator with crazy high speed experience. Have any of you FSgoons come across a significant former enlisted population in your ranks? I'm particularly interested in DSS and their noble-to-enlisted former military ratio.
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Wickerman posted:What kind of jobs are there in the Department of State for MDs? I know there's a primary care-esque job where they are primarily looking for Physician Assistants / Nurse Practitioners, but that's not necessarily for an MD. http://www.careers.state.gov/specialist/vacancy-announcements/rmo We had one of these guys in my class and I know there is at least one in the current class but I'm not sure how often that opens up, there aren't a ton of them world wide. I believe they do provide primary care but they have a pretty wide range of other responsibilities. I'm sure they have more opportunities in the civil service as well.
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Sep 18, 2012 23:36
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Macunaima posted:How is Baghdad generally as a post? If I ever do become an FSO in the near future, it seems a likely posting for me, having studied three years of Arabic. I wouldn't assume that just because you studied or even speak arabic fluently you'd be necessarily be posted in iraq, the fs isn't directing positions there right now and due to the extra pay and other perks, depending on the position, it can apparently be a little competitive to get there. If you get points on the register for arabic I believe you are required to serve a tour or two in an arabic speaking country but again, that doesn't always mean iraq.
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Sep 19, 2012 21:36
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Diplomaticus posted:Hope Rome quiets down before we get there. R&R owns. Someone compile me a list of new people to put into the OP This is what I could find. Forgive me if I missed someone. photoguy: SEO mute: IMS (on the register?) Bruxism: DS Giodo!: Civil service, dc Teleku: IMS, Warsaw shadowninja: MSG, Tanzania
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Sep 21, 2012 19:55
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the_chavi posted:For those of you starry-eyed folks pining to join the Department, may I direct your attention to this link? The world is backwards on that map. This frightens me. Saho fucked around with this message at 20:10 on Sep 21, 2012 |
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Sep 21, 2012 20:01
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raito posted:Hey, new guy here. I'm currently an undergrad at American University and am definitely interested in foreign service (as is pretty much everyone at this school). I'm wondering, though, about graduate school - should I go into law school with maybe a focus on international law, or should I just continue with my current major (International Studies) and get an MA in International Relations? I'd like to get my PhD eventually, but that's quite a while away. The best advise i've heard about the foreign service is don't do anything solely because you think it will help your chances getting in. Even seemingly absurdly qualified people sometimes fail to make it in the first few times while people who "resume wise" are less qualified get in easily. Although as a former PCV and a current FS person I think that peace corps is an incredible experience and there are a ton of rpcvs at state.
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Sep 22, 2012 21:46
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Fatewarns posted:Hey, I'm planning to take the February FS exam. I know two of the Critical-Need languages (Persian, Arabic) and I am confident that I can achieve a passing score in either one. I believe the requirement is that you go to a place where the language is spoken before tenure, not for your first tour. Also, from what I've been told, they generally don't do directed tours to Afghanistan, Iraq, or Pakistan.
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Oct 26, 2012 12:49
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TCD posted:Actually it's possible to do a directed tour to AIP for generalists and most specialists. Hrm, interesting. I was under the impression they stopped doing that because it turned out to be more or less of a hot mess...
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Oct 26, 2012 18:12
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DerLeo posted:As a college student looking at a potential career in foreign service, how much of an advantage is it to have some proficiency in a language when applying, or would that time be better spent working on other academic areas? Language really only comes into play after you more or less get through the entire hiring process and get placed on the register. This basically means you might get hired on faster than you would other wise but, probably, won't make the difference if you get hired or not. It's like being a veteran (I think) it doesn't come into play until they already decided you're someone they want to bring on board anyway. This of course is dependent on how well you do on the OA. Let me know if the above paragraph doesn't make any sense, I'm assuming you know the basic hiring process and how the register works, which is a little weird. My recommendation is always do what you'll be happy doing and won't regret if you don't get into the FS for whatever reason. It's all black magic and voodoo anyway and there's really no rank order list of things that are best to get in. They really do seem to pull from a really diverse set of backgrounds.
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Oct 27, 2012 23:09
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hobbez posted:Would doing something like teaching english abroad be seen as a boost to my application? I'm looking to constructively kill some time post-grad while considering if I want to go after a masters and then presumably pursue a job in the foreign service... Or go to law school? http://www.peacecorps.gov/ It's like the foreign service but not as classy.
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Dec 10, 2012 23:46
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1of7 posted:I was told by a friend of mine with lots of experience in other USG agencies that promotions would typically be "up one & over 3". Meaning that you would find the step at the next higher grade that is closest to your current salary without being under it & then move up 3 steps from there. I'm under the impression that you basically get the closest grade that gets you 6% raise, more or less. Which makes sense as the step increases are 3% between each other so your actual promotion should be more of a raise than a step increase.
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Dec 12, 2012 03:15
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Diplomaticus posted:Someone with more engineering knowledge than me explain this to me if I've got this right: My experience with an AVR as it relates to a generator has to do with the type of voltage the generator puts out, it tries to smooth out the power to a more normal sine wave. Generators can produce pretty dirty power otherwise. You probably don't want your generator to kick on when it see's high voltage, for one the surge probably already hit your house anyway and blew stuff up and the surge probably lasted just a second or two anyway. What maybe you're looking for is a full house voltage regulator, which will regulate the power coming from the city (and the generator) to your home. Although those are big and expensive and I'm not sure what's typical in embassy provided housing. When I was in africa we just used individual regulators for sensitive electronics and let everything else just ride it out. As far as you lights blowing out, I'm not sure if it's due to the cheap fluorescents or the lack of ground, but I'm pretty sure you should blow a fuse before your light catches on fire regardless. Is everything in the embassy housing pool setup this way? It feels like several things are amiss here...
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Dec 13, 2012 21:56
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Business of Ferrets posted:You really should put a shirt on. Not when you have the fine body of an IMS. You need to flaunt it, helps post moral.
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Jan 22, 2013 13:31
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joe123456 posted:Do GSO specialists typically receive language training? Since GSOs work with a significant number of local hires, I assume that they would have many opportunities to go to language training. Some. From what I've seen it's less than many generalists, more than many of the other specialists.
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Jan 30, 2013 05:12
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joe123456 posted:Does taking a hardship post really provide you a decent shot at getting you a "plush" job in Europe? Aren't the majority of posts out there hardship tours? I talked to an FSO that volunteered to go to Iraq and then she ended up with additional back to back Middle East tours. In her experience, taking hardship tours didn't give her any assignment preferences to that "plush" dream location on her bid list. This is pretty contrary from the experiences i've heard from others in Iraq. Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan are given some pretty heavy bidding preferences, not as many as there used to be I hear, but still significant. Other hardship tours are more of a "your milage may very" type thing... In fact, If went to Iraq it would have been at least her second tour so her third would have been out of directed bidding. Which is to say that whatever she bid on was something she chose to bid and lobby on. I believe after directed tours we only have to bid on six or seven places. Maybe someone who has done real bidding can shed some light on the processes.
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Feb 3, 2013 23:20
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Gumog posted:
At least a year under most circumstances. Of course, the process being what it is means that when you bank on it taking a year, yours will take six months. You can always be placed on "do not call" for the register. Gumog posted:
You really shouldn't try to guess what the security clearance process will be. I wouldn't be surprised at all if you got a clearance given the fact that by the time you get to the interview it will likely be closer to a year since it happened and it was random one off event. They clearance folks don't have necessarily have a formala that says, "given X event, of nature Y, we require Z days to elapse before we will consider a clearance".
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Feb 5, 2013 22:43
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Skandiaavity posted:add me to Manila I'm actually not in Kathmandu yet, I'm in the never ending limbo that is FSI. I should be there February 18th "inshallah". I do know, however, the other IMS is indeed a 2nd tour dude named Eddie. Was he in your class?
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Feb 8, 2013 00:28
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Diplomaticus posted:It is. Go to the gas station next to the DMV on 4-mile run near George Mason. There is a peruvian chicken restaurant there that is amazing. There are also some pupusa places that are pretty legit down by the CVS...
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Feb 8, 2013 02:24
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Vasudus posted:That's the same program as the DoD, actually. Different criteria for being eligible, but otherwise the same. I mean tuition assistance as in 'enroll in classes and have the gov'mint pay x dollars per credit'. DoD wide it's primarily used for undergrad, but since DoS has a vastly higher number of educated employees I would imagine it would be mostly for graduate programs. At state it's purely a repayment program for a degree you already have. It's not structured in a way that would be very help as more of a direct payment program to encourage enrolling in classes like it sounds like the DoD program is.
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Feb 15, 2013 13:18
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SCRwM posted:A few random questions on a Sunday morning: Matching can get tricky. I believe for specialists coming directly from a GS job they will attempt to match it up to the highest step of whatever the entry level grade is for that position. So, for IMS the max you could ever get coming in is grade 5, step 14. TSP and FERS works the same for state, and whatever you've put in will just transfer. I believe it's the same with your sick and vacation leave but I'm not 100% positive on that one. I do know any other government time you have will be counted for purposes of retirement and vacation accrual computations. SCRwM posted:
Most posts provide some step down transformers as part of the housing. If not or they didn't provide enough, you'd likely need something a little more beefy than the travel power adapters. I don't think those guys aren't really designed to constantly convert a load as large as a television.
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Feb 17, 2013 14:54
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TCD posted:The way I read that, local hires could be really screwed during a possible furlough. I think this depends a lot on the local labor laws as well. I think in some countries reducing someone's hours or laying off without cause requires a pretty long notification period.
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Feb 27, 2013 02:04
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TCD posted:My comment was specifically on DC hires in the March class who don't get per diem.. Whoops. I'm not bright.
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Feb 27, 2013 14:18
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AKA Pseudonym posted:As an IMS you can get either 9% or 14% extra pay for completing certain certifications. It's called the Skill Incentives Program or SIP. As it stands they aren't adding any additional people to the program but you can still get in when other people get out. Wait, is this a new policy from the sequestration?
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Mar 5, 2013 01:54
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AKA Pseudonym posted:That policy went into effect a while back but I'm acutally not 100% sure it's been continued into the present fiscal year. I imagine it has though. I'm fairly sure unless this is a new policy within the last few weeks SIP is still in effect and being handed out as normal. I just left FSI and we had several briefings with the SIP folks. I know that the total amount that they have available for SIP has been frozen for a few years, which is why the it was reduced to 9% and 14% to ensure they can keep handing it out
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Mar 5, 2013 13:53
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joe123456 posted:Tandem Couples Benefit Questions: Yes to all of these. You don't loose money or benefits being a tandem couple. Although to speak to the last one, the advice i've heard is you would rather have someone already on non directed tours before the other joins, and ideally not in the same cone due to the difficulty of placing two people on directed tours in the same spot.
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Mar 10, 2013 11:08
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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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Skandiaavity posted:I have the best car issues. The Ambassador should ask GSO where you car is, maybe you'd get some better answers. = ]
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Apr 10, 2013 16:32
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TCD posted:Huh. ?!
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Apr 12, 2013 14:55
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