Job Discussion Forums

[Drizzt]

From my experience, the foreign service written exam is quite tough.

The actual test you take is based on what area you choose to go into (consular, political, economic, etc.-there are five core areas if memory serves).

I chose consular both times that I took the test, once in 2004 during my last year in college and again in 2006 while I was working in Shanghai. Both times I didn't even make it to the second phase, where you must travel at your expense to have the group interview.

The reason it`s so difficult is because of the sheer number of applicants compared to the number that is hired. Don't get me wrong, the actual exam is tough, but it's even tougher because the cut off score depends on the number of applicants.

Case in point, the first year I took the test in 2004, there were approximately 36,000 applicants and only an estimated 500 openings. So that means about 1 out of every 72 applicants gets hired, or a bit more than 1%.

Also, despite the fact that no degree is a requirement to apply, the majority of people that get hired have higher degrees, such as master's, ph. D, etc.

[rusmeister]

The FSE is BS. It's designed more to weed large numbers of people out than to assess knowledge of world affairs. I remember questions of the sort, "Who is the TV personality who runs Argentina's most popular quiz show?" I took it after a BA, several years abroad and a few foreign languages.

It is absolutely connections that get you the cushy jobs. I have a friend who has been trying relentlessly for 15 years to get 'in'. A straight arrow with the degrees and experience - they even interviewed me once regarding him and I gave him high marks. He still hasn't satisfied their cut, and has filled out every application, taken and passed every test imaginable.

When I applied to Anglo-American and British International Schools I learned about this 2-tier system of local hiring vs hires from abroad. I tried both, got nowhere with the abroad approach; BI invited me to a competetive interview with several other teachers (simultaneously!) and I told 'em to take a hike and went in business for myself. The cushy posts fill requirements that the schools and embassies must meet under the federal laws they operate on. They hire a minimum that they have to pay so much for and get the balance locally for far less, mainly a smaller salary and lack of benefits, coverage and support.

[The_Hanged_Man]

I managed to pass the FSE, but was flushed out during the group interview in DC. There was about 12 of us in the group with everyone having either a Masters, PhD, or JD except one person with a BA from Harvard. The interview had a number of phases including a group problem solving session, an analytic writing bit, and a personal interview where they play mind games with you.

Only one out of the group made the cut, and I don't know if they actually got a posting or not. Honestly, I think they were fishing for a certain type of person or personality rather than anyone with a specific background or skill set.

[merlin]

[rusmeister]

There's an assumption here that those who formed the exam are really intelligent people. A cynical person might say that they aren't really fishing for anybody in particular - that they have to fill a few slots that are not filled through cronyism. Such exams are based on the assumption that intelligent people are not adaptable. There are plenty of intelligent Americans (or whoever) with a good education in real terms who have spent time abroad and would do well in real foreign service. I agree with weeding out idiots, but it quickly gets to a point that excludes justice and reason.

[cinnamon toast]

Here is a job available now, at the U.S. Embassy in Chile. http://www.usembassy.cl/OpenDocs/asp/pagDefault.asp?boton=Doc26&argInstanciaId=26&argCarpetaId=94&argTreeNodosAbiertos=(0)&argTreeNodoSel=94&argTreeNodoActual=94&argRegistroId=2671#anchorInicioPagina