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Oops! I just tried to look at one of the items in your “Guide to the FSOT” and my browser gets stuck in a loop between the two blogs.

It looks like there might be an “htp” where you need an “http?”

Just passed the FSOT and am working on my Personal Narratives. Any suggestions from FSO concerning how best to present the material I am including? Should one use phasing from the 13 Dimensions when composing the narratives?

Thank you so much for providing the invaluable Guide to the Foreign Service Exam. Had I had this tool years ago when I started looking in to becoming an FSO, I would have been in by now. This is fantastic! Thank you for your research and all the information you have shared for FREE!

You are just awesome!

I enjoy reading your blog - quick question, judging from posts it seems you are quite unhappy in the FS. Is it that bad? I am thinking of doing it. I am recently married and i thought it would be a good idea for my wife and I. Travel the world for a few years, and I thought it would help my professional career. Do you disagree?

How often do you come home to the US?

Your website is really amazing it gives a very good in depth about what it takes to be a FSO. I have a question im currently a senior in college and im about to get a degree in poli sci and history, but i had a misdemeanor for theft under 500 about 3 years ago, would that make difficult or even impossible to get the job??? Im also fluent in Bulgarian,Russian, and Spanish would that make up for the misdeameanor if i pass the test???

Thanks i mailed them they said it would be more difficult as well, but considering my language skills and depending on how well i would do on the test i could still get in so im cross my fingers.

lol@ john reese; wtf

Lisa -
You can probably take the FSOT in Beijing or possibly a Chinese consulate. Check the State website on where it is being held. Don’t know what the cutoff dates are for the Feb/Mar test but maybe you could make it. State pays for your Chinese language training IF you are posted to China. But they usually have a lot of need there, and if you already have some Chinese (and of course, passed the FSOT, QEP and orals) then you’d have a good shot at getting it.

Todd, I just used the study guide from State and some basic U.S. history materials (constitution, etc) and I passed. Beyond the basics I don’t know how much you can really “study” for it. Don’t stress out.

I’ve been using the same guides and I think they’re pretty realistic. The ARCO guide is very out dated and not very reflective from what I’ve heard on the Yahoo! group discussions. I just bought the Cliff’s Quick Review for Management and the FSOT Study Pak from the FSOT Study Guide blog. The flashcards are pretty good, they cover a lot of different subjects, which I think will prepare me for the job knowledge better than the stacks of Government and History sets I bought from Barrons. If you’ve got $20, get it, the guy that runs the site is donating the sales to Haiti.

http://www.fsotstudypak.com

The blog is worth reading as well.

The job knowledge section is a crap shoot. You really can’t study for it. Focus more on examples from your experience you can use in the Bio section and your writing for the essay.

Mo-Media has flashcards as well, I hear they’re pretty good.

If you learn enough to get a question right you otherwise would have not, it’s worth studying as much as you can. I didn’t know the site was scored on a T-Scale, so it’s important to score well on questions others may get wrong.

I bought both the Mo-Media and the Study Pak flashcards. I returned Momedia, $100 was far too much, the Study Pak had was sufficient.

I’d get a book on Foreign Policy. American Foreign Policy by Papp, Johnson and Endicott is a great textbook with a good introduction to principles of international relations.

Random quesiton: Can you use a calculator for the FSOT? When it comes to basic math skills, I’m awful. Thanks!

Kaylah: Congratulations on your decision to consider the Foreign Service. it’s a phenomenal organization, and the vast majority of employed officers stay with the service for their entire career.

The Hegemonist no longer posts here, so if you don’t mind I’d be happy to answer your questions publicly here, and any more that you have privately by email. My address and blog are linked.

As to the language training, you can expect to receive it. Every tenured officer must achieve fluency in at least one non-English language, and proficiency in another. Those might be French and Spanish, or they might be Urdu and Hindi, but you will receive the necessary training to fulfill your duties at post. You have an opportunity to bid on posts after your first week of orientation classes, and the post you receive influences the language training you are given. So you get it before, but you don’t pick what language you get.

The housing is post dependent, but it’s never something about which you will have to be concerned. As a young man making less than $75,000 per year, most posts have housing nicer than anything I would have provided for myself. Occasionally, difficult posts like Afghanistan or expensive posts like Geneva have less commodious or less spacious digs, but it’s never something to worry about.

As to minority and/or female issues, I’m unfortunately not the best commentator, as a white male. However, it is my understanding that the lot of both women and minorities has improved drastically even over the past decade. As in many federal positions, diversity of backgrounds and beliefs is encouraged, not just in name but in deed. I am sure that there are complications you will face, as in any career, but the foreign service is as good a place as any to confront them.

@John
There are no calculators allowed in any U.S. testing center, and you should expect to use pencil and paper to complete tasks.

I’m so happy to have stumbled across your blog. I still can’t commit to a specific career track yet, which is why I haven’t registered for the exam. I think maybe I’ve found a distinguishing factor that could sway me to/from a track, and I hope you can answer: is there a cone that provides greater geographic mobility than others?

Amy,

These are great questions, and I believe I have some answers for you.

As to pay grade, it depends on education and experience. Relevant experience is determined by the State department, so I can’t speak to whether all 12 years of your medical sales experience would be applicable, but lets assume that it is. That would place you at pay grade FP-4 Step 11 (masters degree plus 12 years experience), which is a base pay of $71,232. That pay scales with overtime, and danger and hardship compensation (depending on post).

Posts are not generally awarded with respect to an individual candidate’s specific interests or abilities outside of their cone. Since no cone neatly encapsulates health issues, I suspect you would need to evaluate your opportunities on a post-by-post basis. You would have the opportunity to “bid” on specific posts that interested you, and hopefully posts would be available that cooperated with the CDC, WHO, or other health-related NGOs. That is, however, not a given. You need to be ready to go anywhere and do anything in the foreign service, even if it is outside your previous experience.

Once you complete the entire process and start A-100 training, you are fully under the umbrella of the State Department. You are paid from the moment you begin training, and your move to DC (If necessary) is paid for, as is your housing. Upon completing A-100 training, you will be assigned your first post, no matter what. There has been a job for every single A-100 graduate to date, and there will be for the foreseeable future. You are obliged to accept this position, regardless of where it is and what you will be doing. There are provisions for leaving the foreign service temporarily, but they are case-specific.

There are plenty of nebulous aspects to this career, but most of them no longer apply once you get an invitation to A-100. You certainly should not be worried about returning to the job market after your training.

One other, other question. I am 46. What kind of pension/retirement benefits would I be eligible for if I stayed w/FS until 65…that’s only 19 years, so I am doubtful of any defined pension…yes, I know…thinking very long term, but that is supposedly one benefit to governmental work. Also, how many vacation days annually…I see people speak of 4-6 weeks in US between assignments, but how about during your work year. Thanks again