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During
the last eight years, James Sheldon* has served his Uncle Sam in
Athens, Tokyo, and the Sinai Desert. And he did not even have to
go through basic training. Sheldon was working as a foreign service
officer for the U.S. Department of State.
Foreign
service officers are America's diplomacy corps. They typically are
generalists who perform a multitude of duties across the globe -
issuing visas, protecting U.S. citizens overseas, accompanying foreign
officials, reporting on diplomatic issues, and conducting press
conferences for ambassadors. Foreign service officers are classified
into five functional areas of specialization, or "cones":
political, economic, consular, administration, and public diplomacy.
Sheldon,
38, was a banker for several years but switched careers after observing
embassy life. "When I was in grad school, my father got a job
at the Agency of International Development and was posted in Cairo.
When I visited in my late 20s, it was my first exposure to embassy
life. That's how I got interested."
Many
foreign service officers choose this as their second or third career,
and the average starting age is about 30. Officers must also be
a U.S. citizen, at least 20 years old, no older than 59, and available
for worldwide service. But that is only the beginning.
Each
year the State Department offers a written aptitude test that, according
to the State Department's website, "measures a candidate's
knowledge and understanding of a range of subjects determined by
a job analysis to be important to perform the tasks required of
a Foreign Service officer."
About
30 percent of test takers are invited for an oral assessment, which
consists of exercises designed to test both skills and behavior,
such as communication, the ability to work with others, leadership,
judgment, and objectivity. If a candidate passes this portion, he
or she is still subject to a security and background check. If everything
checks out, the candidate is offered a position and enters the Foreign
Service Institute, the State Department school for diplomats, for
training that can last up to nine months.
Officers
serve tours that last two to four years, usually overseas. According
to Sheldon, the first tour is almost always served overseas and
is generally in a foreign embassy or consulate. About 90 percent
of second tours are also abroad. One of the first four years of
service must be in consulate work, because the demand is so high.
After four years, professionals who now have more tenure can become
mid-level officers, working on more sophisticated, more important
issues.
Sheldon
spent his first tour in Athens, Greece, and moved to Tokyo for his
second tour. His third tour took him to the Sinai Desert, where
he monitored the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel with the
International Peacekeeping Force.
An
officer needs to be flexible. "Not everyone can go to Paris,
London, and Rome," said Sheldon. "When you sign up, you
must sign a statement that you accept the needs of the service.
You may want to go to Paris, but they may need a French speaker
in Haiti."
The
lure of new cultures and challenges is enticing to many, though.
"I got to change jobs every two to four years and work on a
variety of issues," Sheldon said. "I went to Tokyo, which
has millions of people, to a military camp with a thousand ... [The
job] is an opportunity to live and interact with people overseas
and experience new cultures and other people in a way tourists can't,"
he said.
"It
offers an unparalleled opportunity for someone to assume significant
responsibilities, and it is an opportunity to serve your country
overseas," he added.
There
are down sides associated with the job. There have been attacks
on U.S. embassies, and there are posts where health conditions are
poor. In certain volatile regions, such Bogota, Colombia, and Beirut,
Lebanon, a family cannot accompany an officer. Danger and hardship
pay attempts to compensate for such sacrifices.
Some
candidates may find the U.S. State Department to be unresponsive
to the needs of dual-career couples, Sheldon said. The State Department,
he said, is similar to the military, and a candidate must be prepared
for its bureaucracy and its hierarchy.
Strong
candidates generally have a knowledge of history, government, political
systems, cultures, world geography, international affairs, and political
and social issues across the world. Basic accounting, statistics,
management, interpersonal communication, and knowledge of basic
economic principles and trends are also important skills.
Someone
with a BA can anticipate a starting salary around $30,000, and the
pay structure is similar to that in other government organizations.
Senior foreign service officials can make over $100,000 per year.
Being
a foreign service officer is not for everyone. When Sheldon became
engaged to be married, he resigned from the foreign service. The
life of an officer can be difficult for families. "My fiancée
is an attorney and can't practice overseas," he said. "If
I have to move every three to four years, it would be an incredible
burden," he said.
So,
if your lifestyle is flexible, and if you want to travel the world,
experience new cultures, and serve your country, consider a career
in the foreign service...and dream on!
*Not
his real name.
-
Zachary Bromer, Salary.com Contributor
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