Hey guys. I am 28 going to be 29 in September. For the past 6 years I have been working in South America in different countries doing Aviation Security Consulting. With the recession that has especially impacted the Aviation sector and the struggles of Air Carriers across the globe; I see a very dismal future ahead for me if I continue down this path. I have started to look into becoming a Foreign Service Officer and pursuing a career as a Diplomat seeing how I love to travel, speak fluent Spanish and have experience living and thriving in other cultures. Does anyone on the BBS have any experience in this whether it’s you yourself, close friends or family members? If you could share your stories, and enlighten me on the pros and cons of such a career path I would really appreciate it.
from what i heard they don't always take into account your language skills or cultural backgrounds and you basically always start by stamping visas and such for awhile. also mostly likely your first couple posts are going to be in some run down country
yeah you take the foreign service exam and basically get shipped whereever they need you, which tends to be the Central African Republic or some other joint. I'm sure there's a blog/website/message board for the FSO community out there on the internet for you to consult.
Depends on the track you select. When you apply, you pick one of five tracks: Competition is extremely tough for the Political and Public Diplomacy tracks, but it sounds like Rox_fan_here is a natural candidate for the economic track, which should greatly increase his chances for both getting hired and getting a good assignment, particularly with his aviation industry experience. I've had a few friends who really wanted to be a FSO and the ones that got accepted loved it (they were all Political or Public). Also casually dated a State Dept translator for a bit and she enjoyed the experiences.
Not to discourage you, but it is a VERY long, frustrating and drawn out process. First and foremost, you will need to take and excel on the FSO exam. Should you pass that, you would go through a pre-screening process to determine if you are a quality candidate. Should you pass that, then you would be called in for a very tough and loooooooooong interview and processing session (roughly 8 hours) and you will basically be grilled by a panel of professional who will test you and push you to your limits to make sure you are fit for the challenging job of being a FSO. AFTER that, should you pass all of those phases, you will undergo what is perhaps the most annoying and prolonged phase of the whole thing, which is a thorough (and I mean THOROUGH) background investigation to determine your eligibility for a Top Secret Clearance, which is required to work as a FSO. This last phase alone can range anywhere from 6 months long (if you are a boyscout and have been pretty much for your entire life) or 2 years (if you have extensive contacts and prolonged stays overseas which may put into question your corruptibility or vulnerability to corruption or extortion or any other number of things). In this last process, expect pretty much everything you have ever done to come out, or at least be willing to share it, because they are in actuality investigating your character, and will be extensive enough where they will probably interview neighbors you didnt even know you had at an old address where you only stayed for a couple of months one summer many many years ago). In summary, if you are going this route and you are pretty set on it, make sure that you are exceptional and would qualify in the top 1% of candidates and have exceptional or unique skills to offer, and FAR more importantly, make sure you are EXTREMELY patient and have a good, clean background (especially as far as drugs are concerned). If you have ever done drugs or dealt drugs anywhere before for any period of time, just forget it. The process of obtaining a Top Secret clearance is a necessary evil and almost always a real b****.
