Job Discussion Forums

[naturegirl321]

They seem to pay well, good hours and benefits. I know that the chances of getting a job are slim, but has anyone thought about it? or done it?

[guangho]

Funny you should ask. When I was in China the first time (fall 2004), I went to the U.S. Embassy because my boss screwed me over and I was about to be forced out of the country. Being that it was the U.S. Embassy, there was a plethora of balding, paunchy middle-aged white men seeking visas for their barely legal newly acquired soul mates who would dump them inside of six months.

Amongst the testestrone-challenged herd was an elderly gent directing human traffic. A friendly lad, he offered me some employment forms and a list of job codes. XF-1143 and so on. I completed them and started calling the Embassy that afternoon. Nothing came of it though and I suspect that these job adverts and applications are all for show- there is likely an impoverished oil magnate somewhere whose mistress's son has the inside track.

That said, it seemed a nice gig, considering that the Embassy staff works about six hours a day and spends much of that time telling their countrymen that there is nothing they can do on their behalf.

[naturegirl321]

Right, here in Lima, US citizen services are open MWF from 8-10, sounds like a good work schedule to me.

[merlin]

I always thought United Staters had to go through that long department of state application process. I took the test and was invited to a Department of State interview in the US but didn't have the money to make the trip and probably wouldn't hae passed the security clearance anyway. Too much credit card debt ...

[spiral78]

I think you have to jump through a lot of governmental hoops + have the language capability. It's a high-level security clearance situation....not that it isn't doable, but openings are scarce and it's tough to get a toe in the door, particularly without connections.

[EverReady]

To get A U.S. embassy job, first you must pass a qualifying examination. These are taken once a year at five different locales in the U.S. Language ability is pretty much required, and Spanish and French are completely worthless, as far as helping you get points on the exam.
If you pass, you get put on a list, and if you are high enough up and they need you (speaking something like Arabic or Farsi shoots you up the list), you get called in. You have to take a background test, which includes a psychological and a section where they determine your loyalty to the U.S.
Pass through all this, and you become a state department employee, where you will spend six months to a year training for one of five sub specialties in D.C. Then the state dept. sticks you wher they need you, not where you want to go. If you speak Russian, they will probably stick you in Russia. If you do not have any abilities that they need at the momemt, say hello to beautiful Chad or some other such exciting local. Places like Paris, or even most places in Latin America, go to people who have been in for a number of years. Also, one last thing, you can�t spend more than four years in the same local, unless your abilities are such that it would be difficult to replace you if you left.

[naturegirl321]

[Justin Trullinger]

Periodically they hire for minor, low grade admin positions locally. At least I've seen adverts, and had a friend who went for an interview once.

As I understand it, the career positions are the ones that have to go through the long process listed above, but there are local hires answering phones and shuffling paperwork who haven't necessarily done it.

Best,
justin

[naturegirl321]

So I guess there-s still hope

[ShapeSphere]

[JosephP]

[guangho]

I think you guys are confusing the foreign service exam, which is hell on earth but leads to cushy diplomatic gigs with average office jobs in various embassies.

[EverReady]

[naturegirl321]

[Jyulee]

I worked for a little while teaching English in a British Embassy. I didn't work FOR the embassy as such, they were classes contracted through an agency.

I did ask, however, about the possibilities of working there. I can't speak for US embassies, but for the British FCO, there are two tiers of staff. You have "local staff", who are literally people who are hired locally. They may be local countrymen, or British citizens. There are no special exams or tests to go through, and the money is not fantastic (nor the work glamourous). Such people might stick visas into passports, or deal with (say) Brits abroad who have died/got arrested (etc...)

The second tier is "diplomatic staff", which involves 18 months of working in London and taking all sorts of personality and security checks. After that, the FCO decides which country you get to work in. Such work has more glamour, is much harder to get, and pays lots and lots more. I understand that, once you are "in", you get to eat Ferrero Rocher and wine and dine with best of them.

Diplomacy sounds like a good gig....