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Foreign Service Careers

Bruce Donnelly   bruce@gdi-solutions.com    (Biography)

The founder of GDI Solutions is a former member of the US Foreign Service, as the Biography indicates (Bruce Donnelly).

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) publishes an indepdendent monthly magazine about foreign relations known as the Foreign Service Journal (see http://www.afsa.org/fsj ) .  This magazine may also be of interest to students or others with an interest in pursuit of a Foreign Service career, in addition to official government sites such as for the

US State Department http://www.state.gov , which also publishes an in-house magazine called "State" to which anyone with an interest in this field can easily subscribe through the US Government Printing Office (GPO) at http://bookstore.gpo.gov

US Foreign & Commercial Service http://www.usatrade.gov/Website/website.nsf/WebBySubj/Main_Employment

The Agency for International Development (US AID)

The Foreign Agricultural Service (Dept. of Agriculture)

For information about Foreign Service careers, see the Recruitment website of the U.S. State Department Board of Examiners :

www.careers.state.gov

There is a new website : www.doscareers.com and a March 24, 2004 deadline for applications.

There are also various books about life in the Foreign Service, including a new one from AFSA ( www.afsa.org  ) about work at a US Embassy.

In the past, the application materials for the Foreign Service Officer exam have generally provided a very good bibliography of suggested books about life in the Foreign service so that applicants will approach the career with realistic expectations about some of the challenges, sacrifices, and hardships involved by comparison to other types of government or private sector jobs.  That has included a recent "Story Project" initiative of the Diplomatic Readiness Task Force to gather dozens of real-life experiences among employees for reference by potential employees and their families.  Some of these stories can be found at the careers website above.

Specialists

Recruitment for the US Foreign Service (as well as the Civil Service side) has increased again in recent years, and there may be some opportunities for mid-level entry (i.e., at higher ranks, given higher experience) in some professional disciplines.  For example, the State Department typically needs talented General Services Officers and other specialists to oversee their many facilities and other administrative needs worldwide, including the work of the Foreign Buildings Office (designing, building, and maintaining our diplomatic facilities worldwide, much as the General Services Administration manages the needs for US buildings in the federal government).  If they ever actually undertake the significant security improvements which have been discussed through endless studies for more than 20 years in response to the risks posed by terrorism as well as the changing needs of the Foreign Service, they will need professionals with the talent to do the job well.

Speakers

Note that both AFSA and DACOR (Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired - www.dacor.org ) can be helpful sources of speakers, such as retirees with long careers in the Foreign Service, about the role of the US Foreign Service and various aspects of international relations in practice, including expertise in specific regions of the world.  They seek to improve public understanding and support of the role of such career Foreign Service professionals.

Another source of information for individuals with an interest in careers in this field can be associations such as the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations ( www.ccfr.org ), which organizes many events on current topics, often including prominent foreign officials as speakers.   There are also such things as the Great Decisions program, and the National Model UN conferences, and students may want to be aware of the internship programs which exist at the State Department and elsewhere in the government.

There are also the usual specialty publications, such as Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy magazine, but one should keep in mind that the needs of the Foreign Service involve far more than political issues, particularly because of a growing recognition of the importance of economic and commercial roles, such as to support business, in the advancement of our national interests.  Those with more of an interest in the international business side of government service should look into the Foreign & Commercial Service of the US Department of Commerce.  Those who are concerned about helping Americans overseas, or administering our immigration laws (which is far more than just a matter of homeland security), should look into the work of the Consular Affairs office of the State Department.

Academic

Incidentally, it is a myth to think that the path to the Foreign Service is through a specialized academic program such as the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, SAIS at Johns Hopkins, American University, The Fletcher School at Tufts, the School of Government at Harvard, leading international business schools, or other prominent programs.  There is no "right" path to prepare for a successful Foreign Service career, because for many years the Foreign Service has been expected to reflect the widest possible diversity of backgrounds and cultural aspects within our society.

Foreign Service Officers come from a very diverse academic, economic, geographic, and racial background.  Entry is through a very objective and challenging competitive examination process each year, and a very well-rounded liberal arts education is probably far more important than the specialization in political science, economics, or foreign affairs.

There is a special Foreign Service Institute (now part of the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center) which provides very specialized and high quality training for all members of the Foreign Service, including an exceptional range of excellent, intensive language training programs and cross-cultural or country training to prepare employees for their work.  In short, a Foreign Service career involves a life-long commitment to continuing professional education in this specialty, so don't assume that you need to learn everything before you join.  On the contrary, you will learn more on the job than any university program could ever teach you in this specialty, so academic programs prior to joining the Foreign Service need to provide the more general background necessary to represent our country well.

You might also want to look at the latest pay schedule for the Foreign Service.  In the past, junior officers have typically started at Grades 5 or 6, step 1 and advance to Grade 4, Step 1 or above within four years.  A high percentage of these junior officers will already have a Master's degree and several years of significant work experience in the public or private sector.

You will find the pay schedule for 2003 at http://www.afsa.org/2003pay.html .

Note that members of the Senior Foreign Service (near or at Ambassador rank, after a very long career) have a separate pay schedule, which is capped by Congress at lower levels than executives or consultants of comparable international experience.  The current cap is $142,500 for professionals who typically have 20 - 30 years of experience worldwide, including very objective reporting and dealing with complex political and economic challenges, risk analysis, and tough negotiations with top foreign officials on vital issues).

Junior officer salaries aren't much better than school teachers, although there are a few other benefits, such as housing (some furnished) while working overseas.  Of course, such benefits are not unusual for corporate expatriate assignments, either.  MBA's aren't likely to be drawn by these salaries, so it is largely a myth in the Foreign Service that they are still always competing for the best and the brightest just because of the allure or image of the career.

Besides, the entry process takes a very long time, both for the exams and the security clearances for those who pass.  In the past, it was not unusual for this to be a two year process for applicants from start to finish, as contrasted to companies which can routinely take such decisions and make offers quickly.

Anyway, the point is that one doesn't choose this career for the money, especially given the personal security risks involved (not just terrorism), and the family pressures of relocating unpredictably around the world every few years to many places where other Americans would never want to live, or even visit for a few days.  It can be a fascinating career, offering a chance to have a positive impact on the world in which we live, and to work with some extremely talented and dedicated professionals, but those with an interest in such a career should also realize that it can be an extraordinarily frustrating and thankless job, too, like so many other positions in government service.

For example, the Foreign Service is still struggling to make adequate security improvements at embassies and consulates worldwide more than 20 years after the need became intuitively obvious to anyone.  There have been many studies and recommendations, but very limited progress, which is why the plaque at the State Department (and a similar wall of honor at CIA) listing the employees killed while working overseas keeps growing faster than ever.  Some of the studies have really been nothing more than a way to create an illusion of concern and progress, while very little actually happens. 

A business would never tolerate such performance, as shown by the swift response by many companies in the wake of 9/11/01 to the need to harden corporate facilities against such security risks, including reconsideration of where they locate their operations and control access to the area, as well as improving their recovery procedures for disaster scenarios.

There is a great need for better management at State and the other agencies in this regard, where there has long been a focus on political and economic matters, but less attention paid to administrative issues.  Traditionally, they have not been good at recruiting good managers.  Instead, they recruit people who are sincerely dedicated to a career in public service, and have many talents to offer, but rightly or wrongly, administrative work and management skills are still not perceived as a way to the top of the Foreign Service.  The resistance to change is high, so those who aspire to management work in the Foreign Service should go into it with a realistic perception of the challenges and frustrations involved, and the general lack of appreciation for such work.

The same applies to the Consular Affairs part of the State Department, as well as other agencies, such as Commerce.  There is a lot of talent, but it is not always well managed or supported, partly because of the lack of a strong domestic constituency for such work, or an understanding of the importance of the work.  For example, Consular work can be a particularly thankless task, such as screening hordes of visa applicants to administer our immigration laws (the importance of which is now a little better understood), but it also involves very important work helping Americans who are in trouble overseas.

Performance also becomes a persistent problem because top executives ignore the desire and ability of State and Commerce officials to try to help them (within the constraints of their roles), and instead propagate the idea that government officials are simply useless or won't understand or respond to their needs.  There needs to be a much better dialogue between international business executives and the State and Commerce officials about how their roles can be complementary and work to mutual benefit.  The executives who blithely "write off" any government contacts as a waste of their time simply add to the problem, instead of resolving it.  This wastes a valuable resource.

Look at it another way.  These are the people who make up the global knowledge management and contacts infrastructure which supports the President and other top officials of the US government for policy decisions and actions to support the full range of our national interests.  If you don't support and try to improve the effectiveness of their work, who suffers?

It should be in the interest of all top executives with international operations to better understand how these professionals can also support their own needs.

Regardless of any general bias about the role of government or the impact of other types of government services, Foreign Service Officers and other specialists are on the front lines around the world in the defense of our political, economic, security, and other interests.  It makes sense to learn more about how to work with them, and to make their efforts a little less thankless by showing your appreciation and support when they are helpful.

That goes for the Civil Service people who back them up here at home, too, as well as the many dedicated Foreign Service National (local) employees who do exceptional work on behalf of our embassies and consulates around the world, sometimes at great personal risk.  Unfortunately, for example, the press accounts of terrorist attacks against our embassies and consulates often neglect the tragic impact on local employees and visitors.  Attacks in recent years have typically killed more local employees than Americans.

These local employees deserve far more recognition for their outstanding work in support of our national interests.  Their skills and contacts are as indispensable as the local management of any multinational corporation.  Please respect and thank them for their good work.  They are a great asset.